Specific testimonies arranged into 18 different last day subjects. At the time of its publication in 1988, over 70% of the testimony material was unpublished. This edition is not the same as the book which the General Conference publishes under a similar name.
She clearly portrays the events of the end, some of which are now being fulfilled. Many people--even in the church--will be taken by surprise, because they have allowed themselves to fall
asleep. They are not watching and patiently waiting, noticing the signs of the times; partly
because they did not know that these testimonies even existed.
Most of the material in this volume is unpublished and will not be found in other published
sources. Many of these books have used some of the same material and credit is given noting
which book. In many cases it will be found that where these books edit out certain portions,
these edited jewels can be found herein.
It is only by the infinite love and mercy of our God that He has opened these truths to his
messenger and that she has faithfully recorded these to warn and help prepare His people for
what is coming. It is only by the grace of God that this material is being made available today,
and there are forces and agents that would love to keep this valuable material hidden. These
would love to keep God's people in darkness and ignorance regarding these testimonies, and no
doubt these, along with others, will be angry for it's publication. But God's honest ones must
know what has been revealed for us.
The testimonies are arranged by subjects in a somewhat chronological sequence of events, with
the understanding that some of the subjects are continuously ongoing and not necessarily limited
to the order given. Also, to keep the subject matter in sight, only those portions of her writings
that deal with the last days have been used while the rest of the testimony has been omitted to
keep the volume of material reasonable.
It is my sincere prayer that as you read and study through this inspired material, calling earnestly
upon God for His Spirit and His wisdom, that you will become more fully prepared to stand
firmly for God through these last trying and "windy" days. That you might become one of His
elect which are not deceived by making "flesh their arm." Jer. 17:5 and Ps. 118:8.
The publishers
Copyright © 1988,1991,1997 held by
"Let There Be Light" Ministries (rs)
PO Box 328
Rogue River, OR 97537
First Printing--October, 1988
Second Edition--January, 1991
Third Edition--March, 1997
All Rights Reserved.
write-- LDE
PO Box 328
Rogue River, OR 97537
3 Cities
6 Apostasy
8 The Third Angel's Message & Revelation 18
11 Persecution
13 The End Time
14 Calamities
16 Christ Comes
- God's Love for the Remnant -
Letter 30, January 29, 1895
Letter 74a, March 1, 1897
Manuscript 33, March, 1898
Manuscript 43, August 2, 1900
Manuscript 9, February 10, 1908
Letter 30, January 29, 1895,
Christ loved the human race, and this love impelled Him to sacrifice His own happiness for the
good of others. He took upon Himself human nature in order that He might unite divine power
with human weakness. Although it cost Him a great sacrifice, He was willing to humble
Himself, in order that He might elevate humanity and make all who believe in Him sharers of
His own blessings, honor, and glory. Revelations of His love are among the great secrets that
eternity will reveal.
Letter 74a, March 1, 1897, (see also 3SM 338-39)
We are never alone. We can never put forth the least effort for the advancement of the work of God in our world, but the act thrills through all the universe of heaven and makes us colaborers with God; united with the heavenly principalities and powers all our sympathies are absorbed....
Never are we absent from the mind of God. God is our joy and our salvation. Each of the ancient prophets spoke less for their own time than for ours, so that their prophesying is in force for us. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" [1 Corinthians 10:11]. "Not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" [1 Peter 1:12]. The Bible has been your study-book. It is well thus, for it is the true counsel of God, and it is the conductor of all the holy influences that the world has contained since its creation. We have the encouraging record that Enoch walked with God. If Enoch walked with God, in that degenerate age just prior to the destruction of the world by a flood, we are to receive courage and be stimulated with his example that we need not be contaminated with the world but, amid all its corrupting influences and tendencies, we may walk with God. We may have the mind of Christ.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was ever prophesying the coming of the Lord. This great event had been revealed to him in vision. Abel, though dead, is ever speaking of the blood of Christ which alone can make our offerings and gifts perfect. The Bible has accumulated and bound up together its treasures for this last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are repeating themselves in the church in these last days....
God has enriched the world in these last days proportionately with the increase of ungodliness, if
His people will only lay hold of His priceless gift and bind up their every interest with Him.
There should be no cherished idols and we need not dread what will come, but commit the
keeping of our souls to God, as unto our faithful Creator. He will keep that which is committed
to His trust.
Manuscript 33, March, 1898, (see also 7ABC 75-76)
The elect people of God will stand before men in official position, who do not make the Word of God their guide and counselor, but who follow their unconsecrated, undisciplined impulses. Those who have taken a position to be loyal and true, to do the commandments of God, will understand by their own experience, that they have adversaries who are moved by a power from beneath....Christ's disciples, like their Master, will be followed by continual temptation, but Christ is their refuge, as He was the refuge of the importunate widow....
He who dwelleth in the heavenly sanctuary judgeth righteously. His pleasure is more in His church, struggling with temptation here below, than in the imposing host of heavenly angels that surround His throne. Those who wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, are His special care....
The General of armies, with His angels that excel in strength, is with His people on the field of
battle. The adversary of souls is determined to oppose all who plant their feet on the platform of
eternal truth, who in this perilous time uplift the banner on which is inscribed, "The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." But rest assured that Christ fights with His army. He
Himself leads His followers to the battle. In this hour of peril be steadfast. Christ will renew the
strength of every faithful soldier.
Manuscript 43, August 2, 1900, (see also 7ABC 20, UL 228)
God had a church when Adam and Eve and Abel accepted and hailed with joy the good news that Jesus was their Redeemer. These realized as fully then as we realize now the promise of the presence of God in their midst. Wherever Enoch found one or two who were willing to hear the message he had for them, Jesus joined with them in their worship of God. In Enoch's day there were some among the wicked inhabitants of earth who believed. The Lord never yet has left His faithful few without His presence nor the world without a witness....
Enoch walked with God, while of the world around him sacred history records, "And God saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually." Enoch's righteous life was in marked contrast with the
wicked people around him. His piety, his purity, his unswerving integrity were the result of his
walking with God, while the wickedness of the world was the result of their walking with the
deceiver of mankind. There never has been and never will be an age when the moral darkness
will be so dense as when Enoch lived a life of irreproachable righteousness.
Manuscript 9, February 10, 1908, (see also IHP 372)
Speaking to His church Christ said, "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in
heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them" [Matthew 18:19-20]. The professing Christian who is not a Christian in practice, is not
included in this promise.
- Evangelism -
Letter 27, May 29, 1892
Letter 81a, December 20, 1897
Letter 35, January 1, 1898
Manuscript 48, March 29, 1899
Letter 165, October 22, 1899
Letter 103, June 3, 1903
Manuscript 53, May 11, 1905
Letter 230, July 5, 1906
Letter 27, May 29, 1892,
Our life here is a short period at best, and what and who are we living and working for? And
what will be the outcome of it all?...Whatever we are at heart will be revealed in character and
will have an influence on those with whom we associate. Our words, our actions are a savor of
life unto life, or of death unto death. And in the judgment we shall be brought face to face with
those whom we might have helped in right, safe paths by choice of words, by counsel, if we had
connected with God daily and had a living, abiding interest in the saving of their souls.
Letter 81a, December 20, 1897,
I wish to say to you that I am sadly disappointed in the cuts prepared for such a book as the Life of Christ (Desire of Ages). I consider that if Brother A accepts such figures that his eye and taste has lost its cunning. You cannot expect me to be pleased with such productions. Look at these figures critically, and you must see that they are either made from Catholic designs of Catholic artists. The picture of Mary has a man's face, the representations of Christ with the two fingers prominent, while the others are closed, is wholly a Catholic sign and I object to this. I see but very little beauty in any of the faces, or persons. There is the scenery of nature, landscape scenery, that is not as objectionable, but I could never rest my eyes upon the face pictures without pain.
I would much prefer to have no pictures than representations that are not representations, but disfigurements of the true. This is my opinion. Where is the discerning eye? Better pay double price, or treble, and have pictures, if pictures must be had, that will not pervert facts. I wish there had not been an attempt to make one representation, but send out the book and let it make a place for itself. I call these faces in the pictures and scenes so poorly represented that it is a perversion of the facts.
If this is A's work, I cannot accept him as a designer, and if he can accept such pictures I cannot
respect or honor his judgment. Do not spoil my book by disfigurements which lower the facts
and the matters they represent. Brother A needs the sanctification of the senses to understand
the spirituality of truth. He may study European artistic skill, but there will be seen in nearly all
designs the Catholic features.
Letter 35, January 1, 1898,
If those who know the truth, the present truth for this time, would individually realize that a responsibility rests upon them to communicate to those who know not the truth, the light the Lord has graciously given them, they would more nearly meet the mind of Christ. They would be His light, penetrating the darkness of error which covers the religious world, and which is as dense as the darkness that enveloped the Jewish nation in the days of Christ.
Shall Seventh-day Adventists walk in the same path as did the Jewish nation? Shall the message to the Laodicean church be applicable to this people? Shall these who have seen great light, who have had large opportunities and many privileges, cease to do service as witnesses for Christ? Those who know the truth, but who feel no special burden to reveal corresponding works, will be like that servant who knew his master's will, but did it not.
The Lord has appointed every converted soul to witness for him. The light that has been given to the individual members of his church is to shine forth, not merely in much talk, but in good works. Every talent entrusted to every soul is to be traded upon. The talents that might have been put out to the exchangers by those who have done nothing in the service of God will be required again, with the improvements that the Lord required his stewards to make. Every jet of light, of ability, of influence, is to be used, not for self-pleasing, but for the Lord. We are to be yoked up with Christ in perfect obedience to the Law of God, which is holy, just, and good. Thus God's people may develop characters of increasing consecration, efficiency, and tact, and act their part as laborers together with God.
Why are so many so slow in recognizing the work they ought to do in seeking to save that which is lost. Consider prayerfully what is to be done. Kill indolence. Lay hold of personal labor. Too much labor is done by those who minister in word and doctrine in behalf of churches that should be set to work themselves. The church members should carry a weight of responsibility. They should keep their own souls in the love of God by exercising all the powers they have. By precept and example they should bear witness of the power of the truth and grace of Christ upon human hearts. This will commend the truth that the Seventh Day Sabbath is a sign between them and their God. Obedience in the observance of the Sabbath testifies of the sanctification received through its observance.
In many of our organized churches the banner of truth is trailing in the dust because the members are not doing service to God, but are serving their own pleasure. They work through the influences that surround the soul. By precept and example, in self-indulgence, in their worldly habits of dress, in their words and actions, they testify against the truth, against selfdenial, against the meekness of Christ. They are cold spiritually, and far separated from Christ. If they followed in the foot steps of Christ, they would be partakers of his self-denial, of his self-sacrifice, that they might lift up and save the souls that are ready to perish.
The talents entrusted to men may be used in an unconsecrated manner, by doing the good action from impulse, in a haphazard way, refusing to see opportunities that are close by, and that should claim the attention. Many practice self-denial and self-sacrifice by fits and starts. They need to seek the wisdom that comes from God alone. They need to consult their Leader They need to do much praying, much trusting in Jesus Christ, that his Holy Spirit may work in them, revealing a straight forward course of service, which God will approve, and which will be a benefit and blessing to many souls. The consecration of all our words and actions to God makes us his witnesses. It develops a character that is the result of cherishing the truth in all its principles. Truth is not a cheap commodity; it is a precious gold, tried in the fire....
The talent given to the unprofitable servant, which he wrapped in a napkin and buried in the
earth, was the Lord's own, entrusted to the servant for use. It was to be so used that it would gain
other talents. Our life is to be a life of earnest, thoughtful service to God. Those who feel no
real obligation to represent the truth in life and character, who do not testify to the power of the
grace of Christ by revealing the reformation it has wrought in them, fail to exalt the law of God
before those whose characters are demonstrated in making that law void by their wrong
principles. The true commandment keeping people of God show to the world a character of
unspotted integrity, testifying by their own course of action that the law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul. Thus the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, through His obedience to the law of
God, exalted and made that law honorable. God will surely condemn every member of every
church claiming to be Seventh-day Adventist, who is not doing him service, but through pride,
selfishness, and worldliness, is showing that the truth of heavenly origin has not worked a
reformation in his character.
Please read carefully Revelation 3:15-18. The voice of Jesus Christ is heard. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne.
Will the churches heed the Laodicean message? Will they repent, or will they notwithstanding that most solemn message of truth, in the third angel's message, is being proclaimed to the world, go on in sin? This is the last message of mercy, the last message of warning to a fallen world. If the church of God becomes lukewarm, it does not stand in favor with God any more than do the churches that are represented as having fallen and become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Those who have had opportunities to hear and receive the truth, and who have united with the Seventh-day Adventist church, calling themselves the commandment keeping people of God, and yet possess no more vitality and consecration to God than do the nominal churches, will receive the plagues of God just as verily as the churches who oppose the law of God. Only those that are sanctified through the truth will compose the royal family in the heavenly mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those that love Him and keep his commandments.
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him" [1 John 2:4]. This includes all who claim to have a knowledge of God, and to keep his commandments, but who do not manifest this by good works. They will receive according to their deeds. "Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him" [1 John 3:6]. This is addressed to all church members, including the members of the Seventh-day Adventist churches. "Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the work of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" [Verses 7-10].
All who claim to be Sabbath-keeping Adventists and yet continue in sin, are liars in God's sight. Their sinful course is counter-working the work of God. They are leading others into sin. The word comes from God to every member of our churches, "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person among you, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully and with tears" [Hebrews 12:13-17].
This is applicable to many who claim to believe the truth. Rather than give up their lustful
practices, they venture on in a wrong line of education, under Satan's deceiving sophistry. Sin is
not discerned as sinful. Their very consciences are defiled, their hearts are corrupted, even the
thoughts are continually corrupt. Satan uses them as decoys, to lure souls to unclean practices,
which defile the whole being. "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or
three witnesses: Of who much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who
hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know
him that hath said, Vengeance belongest unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again,
the Lord shall judge his people. It is fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" [Hebrews 10:28-31].
Manuscript 48, March 29, 1899, (see also OHC 107)
The work of the minister is incomplete if he does not educate the souls newly come to the faith to be laborers together with God, visiting and praying with families, showing to the world what Jesus has done for them. God's word declares, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" [James 1:27]. These words are addressed not only the minister, but to every follower of Christ.
There are sluggards all through our church, who frame excuses for their idleness. God calls not only on the minister, but on every soul connected with Him, to be a worker in His vineyard....If you do not work as faithful missionaries, you are untrue to your trust, and you disappoint your Saviour....
Your work, my work, will not cease with this life. For a little while we may rest in the grave,
but when the call comes, we shall take up our work in the kingdom of God to advance the glory
of Christ. But this holy work must begin upon earth.
Letter 165, October 22, 1899,
There is a variety of talent used in the Lord's work. God uses whoever is converted and
sanctified to His service--the ignorant outcast, the heathen, the European, the slave. They are
Christ's by creation and redemption, no matter who they are. There is no caste in heaven. All
who believe in Christ as a personal Saviour, whatever their position, whether they be high or
low, rich or poor, black or white, are Christ's, bought with a price. If converted from sin to
holiness, they are members of the royal family, children of the Heavenly King, heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ, his well beloved brethren who will walk with Him in white because they
are worthy.
Letter 103, June 3, 1903, (see also TDG 163; 9T 97)
Peter and James and John left their nets to follow Christ. And today, men and women will leave their vocations to proclaim the message of the gospel. Multitudes are to be gathered into the fold. Many who have known the truth have corrupted their way before the Lord and departed from the faith. The broken ranks will be filled up by those represented by Christ as coming in at the eleventh hour. There are many with whom the Spirit of God is striving. The time of God's destructive judgments is a time of mercy for those who have no opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the Lord look upon them. His heart of mercy is touched; His hand is still stretched out to save, while the door is closed to those who would not enter. Large numbers will be admitted who in these last days hear the truth for the first time.
The Lord calls upon every believer to consecrate himself wholly to his service. All are to work
for him, according to their several abilities.
Manuscript 53, May 11, 1905, (see also IHP 297, MAR 252, UL 145)
Strengthened by unquestioning faith in Christ, even the illiterate disciple will be able to withstand the doubts and questions that infidelity can produce, and put to blush the sophistries of scorners. The Lord Jesus will give the disciples a tongue and wisdom that their adversaries can neither gainsay nor resist. Those who could not by reasoning overcome Satanic delusions, will bear an affirmative testimony that will baffle supposedly learned men. Words will come from the lips of the unlearned with such convincing power and wisdom that conversions will be made to the truth. Thousands will be converted under this testimony.
Why should the illiterate man have this power, which the learned man has not? The illiterate
one, through faith in Christ, has come into the atmosphere of pure, clear Truth, while the learned
man has turned away from the truth. The poor man is Christ's witness. He cannot appeal to
histories or to so-called "high science," but he gathers from the Word of God powerful evidence.
The truth that he speaks under the inspiration of the Spirit, is so pure and remarkable and carries
with it a power so indisputable, that his testimony cannot be gainsaid. His faith in Christ is his
anchor, holding him to the Rock of Ages. He can say, "For the which cause I also suffer these
things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" [2 Timothy 1:12].
Letter 230, July 5, 1906, (see also PC 73-76; TDG 195)
In all fields, nigh and afar off, men will be called from the plow and from the more common commercial business vocations that largely occupy the mind, and will become educated in connection with men who have had experience--men who understand the truth. Through most wonderful workings of God, mountains of difficulty will be removed and cast into the sea....
There is to be, at this period, a series of events which will reveal that God is the master of the situation. The truth will be proclaimed in clear unmistakable language. Those who preach the truth will strive to demonstrate the truth by a well-ordered life and godly conversation. And, as they do this, they will become powerful in advocating the truth, and in giving it the sure application that God has given it....
In the name of the Lord do not permit yourselves to be held when the spiritual atmosphere is poisoned with skepticism and falsehood....Where falsehood regarding the word and work of God are reported as truth is no place for [those] who are preparing for the future, immortal life. We are seeking heaven, wherein can enter none who have changed the truth of God into a lie....
No lie is of the truth. On every occasion possible Satan is on hand to introduce the leaven of his deceptive fallacies. Listen not a moment to the interpretations that would loosen one pin, remove one pillar, from the platform of truth.
Human interpretations, the reception of fables, will spoil your faith, confuse your understanding,
and make of none effect your faith in Jesus Christ...."Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard, and hold fast, and repent..." [Revelation 3:3]. Why repent? Because there
have come in faults in the form of theories so subtle that by the influence of mind upon mind--through the agency of those who have departed from the faith--the wily foe will cause you
imperceptibly to be imbued with the spirit that will draw you away from the faith.
- The Cities -
Manuscript 85, June 5, 1899
Manuscript 44, March 12, 1902
Letter 43, March 19, 1902
Letter 90, May 23, 1902
Manuscript 176, September 15, 1902
Letter 182, September 20, 1902
Letter 26, December 10, 1902
Letter 201, December 15, 1902
Letter 5, January 5, 1903
Letter 26, 1903
Manuscript 10, March 28, 1903
Manuscript 20, April 3, 1903
Manuscript 30, April 20, 1903
Letter 83, May 13, 1903
Letter 176, August 9, 1903
Manuscript 76, June 29, 1905
Manuscript 33, March 20, 1906
Manuscript 35, April 27, 1906
Letter 158, May 10, 1906
Letter 292, 1907
Manuscript 85, June 30, 1908
Letter 168, December 1, 1909
Manuscript 85, June 5, 1899, (see also Ev 77-78; MAR 176)
Satan put his interpretation upon events, and they [the rulers] think as he would have them, that the calamities which fill the land are a result of Sunday-breaking. Thinking to appease the wrath of God, these influential men make laws enforcing Sunday observance. They think that by exalting this false rest day higher and still higher, compelling obedience to the Sunday law, the spurious sabbath, they are doing God service. Those who honor God by observing the true Sabbath are looked upon as disloyal to God, when it is really themselves who are disloyal, because they are trampling underfoot the Sabbath originated in Eden.
The Lord expects his people to have faith in the living God who made all things. The chosen people of God will be proved and tried before they are pronounced good and faithful servants, worthy to inherit eternal life with its endowment of heavenly merits. The Lord brought Israel out of bondage, desolating the fertile land of Egypt to accomplish his purpose, to teach them the first and highest lesson--that God was their God, the only true and living God, and that in Him they must trust....
The Lord God of Israel is to execute judgment upon the gods of this world as [He did] upon the gods of Egypt. With fire and flood, plagues and earthquakes, He will spoil the whole land. Then his redeemed people will exalt His name and make it glorious in the earth. Shall not those who are living in the last remnant of earth's history become intelligent in regard to God's lessons?
As God's commandment keeping people, we must leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work
in the cities but not dwell in them.
Manuscript 44, March 12, 1902, (see also LLM 834-5)
There are troublous times before us, and while we can, we should place our work upon a proper
basis, leaving the large cities, and securing land in the country. Especially is it essential that our
sanitariums be established in the country.
Letter 43, March 19, 1902, (see also CM 77; Ev 17-18)
I saw also that costly buildings in the cities, supposed to be fireproof, would be consumed....Yet God has not executed His wrath without mercy. His hand is stretched out still. His message must be given in Greater New York. The people must be shown how it is possible for God, by a touch of His hand, to destroy the property they have gathered together against the last great day.
A little longer will the voice of mercy be heard. A little longer will the gracious invitation be given, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink" [John 7:37]. God sends His warning message to the cities everywhere....
John writes, "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power: and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" [Revelation 18:1-5].
These words of this scripture are to be fulfilled. Soon the last test is to come to all the
inhabitants of the earth. At that time prompt decisions will be made. Those who have been
convicted under the presentation of the Word, will range themselves under the bloodstained
banner of Prince Emmanuel. They will see and understand as never before that they have
missed many opportunities for doing the good they ought to have done. They will realize that
they have not worked as zealously as they should to seek and save the lost, to snatch them, as it
were, out of the fire.
Letter 90, May 23, 1902, (see also TDG 152)
The outlook in our world is indeed alarming. God is withdrawing His Spirit from the wicked cities, which have become as Sodom and Gomorrah. The inhabitants of these cities have been tested and tried. We have reached a time when God is about to punish the presumptuous wrongdoers who refuse to keep His commandments and disregard His message of warning. He who bears long with evildoers gives everyone an opportunity to seek Him and humble their hearts before Him. Everyone has opportunity to come to Christ and be converted that He may heal them. But there will come a time when mercy will no longer be offered. Costly mansions, marvels of architectural skill, will be destroyed without a moments's notice, when the Lord sees that their owners have passed the boundaries of forgiveness. The destruction by fire of the stately buildings, supposed to be fireproof, is an illustration of how in a short time earth's architecture will lie in ruins.
"And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake" [Luke 21:5-12].
Many of these judgments came upon Jerusalem. But it was not alone of Jerusalem that Christ spoke. He looked down the ages past the destruction of Jerusalem to the time when at the end of this earth's history the great and final visitation of God's wrath will be seen.
The twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew gives an outline of what is to come upon the world. We are living amid the perils of the last days. Those who are perishing in sin must be warned. The Lord calls upon everyone to whom He has entrusted the talent of means to act as His helping hand by giving their money for the advancement of His work. Our money is a treasure
lent us by the Lord, and it is to be invested in the work of giving to the world the last message of
mercy....Remember that those who spend in self-gratification the money that should be used to
open doors for gospel work, suffer an eternal loss....He who looks at earthly things as the chief
good; he who spends his life in efforts to gain worldly riches, is indeed making a poor
investment. Too late he will see that in which he has trusted crumbling into dust.
Manuscript 176, September 15, 1902, (see also 7ABC 171)
I cannot give one word of counsel about huddling in the city. I cannot do it myself, and yet it may look very different to others....We know that the end is near, and every city is to be turned upside down in every way. There will be confusion in every city. Everything that can be shaken is to be shaken, and we do not know what will come next. The judgments will be according to the wickedness of the people and the light of truth that they have had. If they have had the truth, according to that light will be the punishment.
Christ pronounced His woes on the cities that had most of His instruction. That is why I am so afraid of their putting up a great sanitarium building in Battle Creek, or any other place where the truth has been known for years....
Here [in Los Angeles, proposed building site], you may say, the light has not been shining so long. No, it has not, but still the word has come that sanitariums should be located out of the cities. God has a purpose in that. He told the children of Israel that, when the plagues should come, they must go out of the Egyptians' houses, for if they were found mingled with the Egyptians, they would be destroyed with them. They must be a separate people. So our institutions should have every advantage possible, not as far as grand buildings are concerned, but in location. The buildings are not half as much consequence as the space and grounds around a sanitarium....
Americans do not know what they are about in Oakland or San Francisco in entertaining all the
foreigners that come there. These foreigners are laying their plans what they will do, just as in
the case of Hezekiah and the Babylonians. Hezekiah thought it was going to give him influence
to show the ambassadors all his treasures and advantages. But they went away, and began to
plan what they would do. They would have those advantages for themselves. The work in
Battle Creek is after the same order. The leaders in the sanitarium have mingled with
unbelievers, admitting them and their councils, more or less. But it is like going to work with
their eyes shut. They lack the discernment to see what is going to break upon us at any time.
There is a spirit of desperation, of war and bloodshed, and that spirit will increase until the very
close of time. Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads--it is not any seal
or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they
cannot be moved;--just as soon as God's people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will
come. Indeed, it has begun already. The judgments of God are now upon the land, to give us
warning, that we may know what is coming.
Letter 182, September 20, 1902, (see also CL 29-30; Ev 77, 85; MM 310-311; 2SM 357-8)
The Lord has at no time guided in large plans that have been laid for buildings in Los Angeles. He has given light as to how we should move, and yet movements have been made that are contrary to the light and instruction given....This place is as Sodom for wickedness....Leave the cities, and like Enoch, come from your retirement to warn the people of the cities....
As far as possible, our institutions should be located away from the cities. We must have workers for these institutions, and if the institutions are located in the city, that means the families of our people must settle near them. But it is not God's will that His people shall settle in the cities, where there is constant turmoil and confusion. Their children should be spared this, for
the whole system is demoralized by the hurry and rush and noise. The Lord desires His people to move into the country, where they can settle on the land, and raise their own fruits and vegetables, and where their children can be brought in direct contact with the works of God in nature. Take your families away from the cities, is my message.
The truth must be spoken, whether men will hear or whether men will forbear. The cities are filled with temptation. We should plan our work in such a way as to keep our young people as far as possible from this contamination.
The cities are to be worked from outposts. Said the messenger of God, "Shall not the cities be
warned?--Yes; not by God's people living in them, but their visiting them to warn them of what
is coming upon the earth."
Letter 26, December 10, 1902, (see also CL 10-12; 2SM 142, 143)
The work of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force. In the world gigantic monopolies will be formed. Men will bind themselves together in unions that will wrap them in the folds of the enemy. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. Trades unions will be formed, and those who refuse to join these unions will be marked men.
It is time for us to take our work out of the cities. Our sanitariums should be furnished with facilities for giving the sick the best of care, and they should be properly conducted, but they should be as far as possible from the cities. The whole world is to be tested, and obedience to the law of God is to be the test.
Unionism has revealed what it is by the spirit that it has manifested. It is controlled by the cruel power of Satan. Those who refuse to join the unions formed are made to feel this power. The principles governing the forming of these unions seem innocent, but men have to pledge themselves to serve the interests of these unions, or else they may have to pay penalty of refusal with their lives.
These unions are one of the signs of the last days. Men are binding up in bundles ready to be burned. They may be church members, but while they belong to these unions, they cannot possibly keep the commandments of God, for to belong to these unions means to disregard the entire decalogue.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself" [Luke 10:27]. These words sum up the whole duty of men. They mean the consecration of the whole being, body, soul, and spirit, to God's service. How can men obey these words, and at the same time pledge themselves to support that which deprives their neighbor's freedom of action? And how can one obey these words, and form combinations that rob the poorer classes of the advantages that justly belong to them from buying or selling, except under certain conditions?
How plainly the words of God have predicted this condition of things. John writes, "I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon....And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" [Revelation 13:11, 16-17].
The forming of these unions is one of Satan's last efforts. God calls upon His people to get out
of the cities isolating themselves from the world. The farther away we move from the cities the
better it will be; for they are filled with men who have no sense of honor or true elevation, men
who are ambitious for gain, and who to obtain gain will resort to any means.
Letter 201, December 15, 1902, (see also CDF 275; CL 12; CWE 129; 2SM 144)
The same state of things exists today that existed before the flood, and the nearer we get to the
large cities, the worse the evil is. My message is, Do not build up sanitariums in the cities. The
laws of the land will become more and more oppressive, as in the days of Noah.
How long will the Lord suffer oppression of the poor that rich men may hoard wealth? These men are heaping together treasures for the last days. Their money is placed where it does no one any good. To add to their millions, they rob the poor, and the cries of the starving are no more to them than the barking of a dog. But the Lord marks every act of oppression. No cry of suffering is unheard by Him. Those who today are scheming to obtain more land more money, putting in operation plans that mean to the poor starvation, will in the last great day stand face to face with their deeds of oppression and injustice.
Those who claim to be the children of God are in no case to bind up with the labor unions that are formed or that shall be formed. This the Lord forbids. Cannot those who study the prophecies see and understand what is before us? The transgressor of the law of God have taken sides with their leader, the general of rebellion. He understands how to devise his satanic schemes and through who to work for the carrying out of them. He is striving to lead every soul to take sides with him, and under the influence of his temptations, thousands are binding themselves up in bundles, ready to be consumed by the fires of the last day. Those who yield to his temptation become in their turn tempters, standing among the ablest of his helpers.
In the time of the harvest the Lord will say to His reapers, "Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn" [Matthew 13:30]. God has a people on the earth who will see the evil of every phase of oppression, and will refuse to unite with the enemy in carrying out his plans....
God helps us to walk and work as men and woman on the border of the eternal world. Soon an
awful surprise will come upon the inhabitants of the earth. Suddenly, and with power and great
glory, Christ will come.
Letter 5, January 5, 1903, (see also OHC 85, 132; TMK 351)
It is time for our people to take their families from the cities into more retired localities, else
many of the youth, and many of those older in years, who put their trust in their own capabilities,
will be ensnared and taken by the enemy.
Letter 26, 1903, (see also CL 10-12; 2SM 142-3)
The Lord desires you to be of good courage. He has a work for you to do in evangelistic lines, a work demanding more distinctly spiritual efforts than the work in which you have been engaged. The greatest and most important work in which we can engage is the preparation of a people to stand in the day of God, upon which we are just entering. May the Lord help you, my brother, to devote your God-given capabilities to winning souls to Christ. Rest in God, and walk humbly with Him. You will need much of the rich grace of the Saviour, and a deep, settled conviction that the work of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force.
Men will bind themselves together in unions that will wrap them in the folds of the enemy. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. Trades unions will be formed, and those who refuse to join these unions will be marked men.
It is time for us to take our work out of the cities. Our sanitariums should be furnished with facilities for giving the sick the best of care, and they should be properly conducted; but they should be as far as possible from the cities. The whole world is to be tested, and obedience to the law of God is to be the test.
Unionism has revealed what it is by the spirit that it has manifested. It is controlled by the cruel
power of Satan. Those who refuse to join the unions formed are made to feel this power. The
principles governing the forming of these unions seem innocent, but men have to pledge
themselves to serve the interests of these unions, or else they may have to pay the penalty of
refusal with their lives.
These unions are one of the signs of the last days. Men are binding up in bundles ready to be burned. They may be church members, but while they belong to these unions, they cannot possibly keep the commandments of God; for to belong to these unions means to disregard the entire decalogue.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself" (Luke 10:27). These words sum up the whole duty of man. They mean the consecration of the whole being, body, soul, and spirit, to God's service. How can men obey these words, and at the same time pledge themselves to support that which deprives their neighbors of freedom of action? And how can men obey these words, and form combinations that rob the poorer classes of the advantages which justly belong to them, preventing them from buying or selling, except under certain conditions! How plainly the words of God have predicted this condition of things. John writes, "I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon....And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive the mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" [Revelation 13:11, 16].
God calls upon His people to get out of the cities, isolating themselves from the world. The time will come when they will have to do this. God will care for those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Brother and Sister Burden, we must now put on the whole armor of righteousness. We must be as true as steel to principle, standing steadfastly against every species of corruption. It is this steadfast adherence to principle that is to distinguish those who bear the seal of the living God from those who have the mark of the beast.
I write you this that in a guarded but decided way you may advise our people to keep out of the cities. But the cities must be worked; yes, and our people have been asleep, while Satan has been sowing his tares.
I have said little in regard to moving the food factory from Cooranbong to Sydney or even to Wahroonga, because I do not see what advantage there would be in doing this. The farther away we are from the cities, the better it will be; for they are filled with men who have no sense of honor or true elevation, men who are ambitious for gain, and who to obtain gain will resort to any means.
Even some among those who profess to believe the truth will through following wrong principles become greedy for advantage. There are those in our institutions who have for so long worked for selfish ends that they cannot be trusted. They have no sense of honor, or truth, or holiness, or righteousness. Selfishness and greed have expelled from the heart the sanctifying principles of the truth. They have lost all sense of distinction between right and wrong. And because they are in responsible positions--as if position made the man--they say, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we" [Jeremiah 7:4],--holy because we are handling holy things. But the fact that they occupy an exalted position of trust only makes their guilt a hundred-fold greater.
Those who love God and keep His commandments will not grasp for the highest wages. But there are those who strive to add to their wages without stopping to ask themselves whether in so doing they are not robbing a fellow worker whose lines have not fallen to him in pleasant places. Those who reason from this selfish standpoint will receive punishment with the open sinner, only they will be punished more severely, because they had opportunities and light that the open sinner had not.
There are many who will so outrage conscience and the law of God that in their hearts the pure, holy principles of truth will be corrupted. Between righteousness and truth and unrighteousness and fraud they will see no difference. Their judgment is perverted, and the position of trust they occupy is made a means of doing dishonest transactions, when they think that they can do this without detection.
Manuscript 10, March 28, 1903,
In every city in this land there are those who know not the truth. There are many new fields, in which we must plow the ground and sow the seed. God says to us: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins" [Isaiah 58:1]. We are to make known to the men and women of the world what God's test is that, if they will, they may refuse to receive the seal of the papacy....
The powers of darkness will assail us, but we have a God who is above all. He can take care of His people. He can make a refuge for His people wherever they are. What He wants us to do is to stand where He can reveal His glory through us, that it may be known that there is a God in Israel, and that in behalf of His people He will manifest His power.
I look at these flowers, and every time I see them, I think of Eden. They are an expression of God's love for us. Thus He gives us in this world a little taste of Eden. He wants us to delight in the beautiful things of His creation, and to see in them an expression of what He will do for us. He wants us to live where we can have elbow room. His people are not to crowd into the cities. He wants them to take their families out of the cities, that they may better prepare for eternal life. These cities are filled with wickedness of every kind--with strikes and murders and suicides. Satan is in them, controlling men in their work of destruction. Under his influence they kill for the sake of killing, and this they will do more and more.
Every mind is controlled, either by the power of Satan or the power of God. If God controls our minds, what shall we be?--Christian gentlemen and Christian ladies. God can fill our lives with His peace and gladness and joy. He wants His joy to be in us, that our joy may be full.
If we place ourselves under objectionable influences, can we expect God to work a miracle to undo the results of our wrong course? No, indeed! Get out of the cities as soon as possible, and purchase a little piece of land, where you can have a garden, where your children can watch the flowers growing, and learn from the lessons of simplicity and purity. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" [Matthew 6:28, 29]. Parents, point your children to the beautiful things of God's creation, and from these things teach them of His love for them. Point them to the lovely flowers--the roses and the lilies and the pinks--and then point them to the living God.
Our question is to be: What can I do to proclaim the third angel's message? Christ came to this world to give this message to His servants to give to the churches. It is to be proclaimed to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. How are we to give it? If we cannot gain entrance to the churches, we must give the message in our camp meetings. The distribution of our literature is another means by which the message is to be proclaimed. Let the workers scatter broadcast tracts and leaflets and books containing the message for this time. We need men who will stand with unswerving faith in Israel's God. We need colporteurs, who will go forth to circulate our publications everywhere....
Are we standing on the platform of eternal truth? Are we giving the message that is to prepare a
people to stand in the day of trial before us? God is calling upon everyone of us to stand in his
lot and place. He is calling upon us to plant the standard of truth in places that have not heard
the message.
Manuscript 20, April 3, 1903, (see also PM 173)
It is God's design that our people should locate outside the cities, and from these outposts warn
the cities and raise in them memorials for God.
Manuscript 30, April 20, 1903, (see also Ev 406)
San Francisco and Oakland are becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Lord will visit them. Not far hence they will suffer under His judgments.
God would have restaurants established in the cities. If properly managed, these will become missionary centers. In these restaurants publications should be kept at hand, ready to present to those who patronize the restaurant.
The question often arises: Should these restaurants be kept open on the Sabbath? The answer is,
"No, no." The Sabbath is our mark and sign, and should not become obliterated. I have recently
had special light upon this subject. Efforts will be made to keep the restaurants open on
Sabbath, but this should not be done.
Letter 83, May 13, 1903,
Satan will use every opportunity to seduce men from their allegiance to God. He and the angels who fell with him will appear on the earth as men, seeking to deceive. God's angels, also, will appear on the earth as men, and will use every means in their power to defeat the purposes of the enemy. We, too, have a part to act. We shall surely be overcome unless we fight manfully the battles of the Lord.
It is in order that those who love God and keep His commandments may have as little hindrance
as possible in their advancement in the heavenward way that they are warned not to live in the
cities. If by our restaurant work souls are not won to the truth, what is gained by entering so
largely into this work, which must be done in the cities?
Letter 176, August 9, 1903, (see also Ev 387-8; PM 280-281)
What terrible scenes will take place when the Lord shall arise to shake terribly the earth. Then the words of Revelation 18:1-3 will be fulfilled. The whole of the eighteenth chapter of Revelation is a warning of what is coming on the earth. But I have no light in particular in regard to what is coming on New York, only that I know that one day the great buildings there will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God's power. From the light given me, I know that destruction is in the world. One word from the Lord, one touch of His mighty power, and those massive structures will fall. Scenes will take place, the fearfulness of which we cannot imagine....
The destroying angels are today executing their commission. Death will come in all places.
This is why I am so anxious for our cities to be warned. There is a work to be done by canvassing in our cities that has not yet been done.
Manuscript 76, June 29, 1905, (see also CG 66-67; CL 12-13, 29; PM 185-186; 2SM 355, 357)
Light has been given that the large cities are to become as Sodom and Gomorrah.... Parents should now do everything in their power to redeem their neglect, and place their children where they will be under the very best influences....
Let children no longer be exposed to the temptations of the cities that are ripe for destruction. The Lord has sent us warning and counsel to get out of the cities. Fathers and mothers, how do you regard the souls of your children? Are you preparing the members of your families for translation into the heavenly courts? Are you preparing them to become members of the royal family? Children of the Heavenly King? [see Mark 8:36]. How will ease, comfort, convenience, compare with the value of the souls of your children?
There is not one family in a hundred who will be improved physically, mentally, or spiritually by residing in the city. Faith, hope, love, happiness can far better be gained in retired places, where there are fields and hills and trees. Take your children away from the sights and sounds of the city...and their minds will become more healthy. It will be found easier to bring home to their hearts the truth of the word of God....
God has sent warning after warning that our schools and publishing houses and sanitariums are to be established out of the city, in places where the youth may be taught most effectively what is truth. Let no one attempt to use the Testimonies to vindicate the establishment of large business interests in the cities....
Conditions are arising in the cities that will make it very hard for those of our faith to remain in them. It would therefore be a great mistake to invest money in the establishment of business interests in the cities....The cities will become worse and worse. In them will be strife and bloodshed, and at last they will be visited by earthquakes. Buildings will be thrown down and will be consumed by fire from heaven....
The cities must be worked. Those who are living in them must be warned of what is before us. Let time and means be wisely spent. See if you cannot do something in the highways and byways of the cities to proclaim the message of present truth. But do not locate your families in the city, and do not establish business interests there. If you do this, you will in the future be expected to conform to the observance of various holidays. Watchers will be set to seek occasion of complaint against the commandment-keeping people of God. Satan will exercise his power and enmity, and oppression will be the result. The larger the city, the greater will be the oppression....
Though stormy times are before us, much missionary work still remains to be done in the
cities....But this does not require the establishment of large business enterprises in them.
Manuscript 33, March 20, 1906, (see also MM 304-306)
I saw...scenes that would soon take place in Chicago and other large cities....As wickedness increased, and the protecting power of God was withdrawn, there were destructive winds and tempests; buildings were destroyed by fire and shaken down by earthquakes....
Some time after this, I was shown that the vision of the buildings in Chicago and the draft upon the means of our people to erect them and their destruction, was an object lesson for our people, warning them not to invest largely of their means in property in Chicago or any other city, unless the providence of God should positively open the way and plainly point out duty to build or buy, as necessary, in giving the note of warning. A similar caution was given in regard to building in Los Angeles. Repeatedly I have been instructed that we must not invest means in the erection of expensive buildings in cities....The wickedness of Chicago is as the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah....
The Lord would have His people warned, for a great work will be done in a short time. I have
heard the word of God proclaimed in many localities outside the city of Chicago. There were
many voices proclaiming the truth with great power. That which they proclaimed was not
fanciful theories, but the warning message. While the solid truth of the Bible came from the lips
of men who had no fanciful theories or misleading science to present, there were others who
labored with all their power to bring in false theories regarding God and Christ, and miracles
were wrought to deceive, if possible, the very elect.
Manuscript 35, April 27, 1906, (see also 7ABC 20, 33, 219; Ev 27)
Men will continue to erect expensive buildings, costing millions of money. Special attention will be called to their architectural beauty and firmness, and solidity with which they are constructed, but the Lord has instructed me that despite the unusual firmness and expensive display, these buildings will share the fate of the temple in Jerusalem. That magnificent structure fell, angels of God were sent to do the work of destruction, so that one stone was not left one upon another that was not thrown down....
I am bidden to declare the message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme,
will be destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by flood. All the world will be warned that there is a
God who will display His authority as God. His unseen agencies will cause destruction,
devastation, and death. All the accumulated riches will be as nothingness. Notwithstanding the
scientific care with which men safeguard buildings from destruction, one touch of the great and
rightful Ruler will bring to nothingness the idolatrous possessions that have been laid up in a
sightly and magnificent display. The devices of men will come to naught.
The injustice in our world, the masterly power man has taken unto himself, the oppressive, man-made unions that bring confusion and violence and strife, and the manipulation of power to rule men and to acquire means through underhanded deception, these conditions God cannot pass by with silence. Those who are under the influence and teaching of the great deceiver, will find that although God has borne long with their deceptive acuteness, He has not been deceived, and He will reward every transgressor according to his works. He keeps a strict account of every lie framed, and when He takes matters into His hands, He will deal in accordance with every man's secret and hidden devising.
Bible history is to be repeated. Calamities will come,--calamities most awful, most unexpected; and these destructions will follow one after another. Pleasure excursions will become fearful because of accidents. If there will be a heeding of the warnings that God has given, and if churches will repent, returning to their allegiance, then other cities may be spared for a time. But if men who have been deceived continue in the same way in which they have been walking, disregarding the law of God, and presenting falsehoods before the people, God allows them to suffer calamities, that their senses may be awakened....
The Lord will show before a world transgressing His holy law, that He is God, and beside Him there is none else. He has borne long with the deceptions of men claiming piety. While he has been provoked by their impieties, He has inflicted less punishment than they deserve.
The Lord will not suddenly cast off all transgressors or destroy entire nations, but He will punish cities and places where men have given themselves up to the possession of satanic agencies. Strictly will the cities of the nations be dealt with, and yet they will not be visited in the extreme of God's indignation, because some souls will yet break away from the delusions of the enemy, and will repent and be converted, while the masses of the people will be treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath....
Those who are deceiving souls, will find that it is a most serious matter to have worn out divine
patience. God's wrath will fall upon them signally, unexpectedly, fiercely. Though they may
then humble themselves ever so much, there will be no further opportunity for repentance. They
have persisted in leading souls to ruin. God's law has repeatedly been made void....The wrath of
God's signal displeasure is hanging over them, and they will not always be permitted to continue
practicing their deceptive methods to draw souls into masked nets. Finally the word will go
forth that divine patience has been exhausted.
Letter 158, May 10, 1906,
In the future cities will certainly feel the terrible results of earthquakes and fires. Cities will be destroyed by flood and by lightnings. Out of the cities, is my message at this time.
Be assured that the call is for our people to locate miles away from the large cities....Do not establish institutions in the cities, but seek a rural location. The call is, "come out from among them, and be ye separate" [2 Corinthians 6:17]. The very atmosphere of the cities is polluted. Let your schools be established away from the cities, where agricultural and other industries can be carried on.
The Lord calls for His people to locate away from the cities, for in such an hour as ye think not, fire and brimstone will be rained from heaven upon these cities. Proportionate to their sins will be their visitation. When one city is destroyed, let not our people regard this matter as a light affair and think that they may, if favorable opportunity offers, build themselves homes in that same destroyed city....
Let all who would understand the meaning of these things read the eleventh chapter of Revelation. Read every verse, and learn the things that are yet to take place in the cities. Read also the scenes portrayed in the eighteenth chapter of the same book.
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" [Revelation 18:4]. It will not be to the credit of any who believe the word of the prophecies of this book to ignore the special indications of God and show indifference in regard to this wonderful display of the power of God because of the sins of...[San Francisco, which was] recently destroyed. The Lord forbids that those who have witnessed this great destruction shall make light of the matter and flatter themselves that in the future they will have buildings far in advance of any buildings they have yet had, for, if those who have felt the rebuke of God shall set themselves defiantly to invest their means as they have done, God will exercise His power to counteract their efforts....
Unbelief has taken possession of men who have been warned in regard to the seducing influence
of Satan's working and the methods of his work, yet who have taken no heed. They are of a
party that will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Where is this party that will
depart from the faith?--Consider this: Do not place in charge of your important work, or even of
the less important enterprises, those who will lead minds away from the truth which is to decide
the destiny of souls....Place not men in positions of Holy office who will not listen to God's
counsel concerning His way and His will. There are influences working mightily against the
very work God requires to be done.
Letter 292, 1907, (see also 3SM 358-59)
The wickedness that is being revealed in the cities of San Francisco and Oakland show that the world is fast becoming as it was before the flood. The union men who have struck for higher wages, by their destruction of property, and their attempts to destroy life, are plainly showing to what a pass men will come who are determined to carry out their own plans regardless of others. Many of the police will not come out and act their part. They are discouraged. What the end will be, the human mind cannot determine.
The Lord is bringing the perplexities of these social problems to our notice that we may see the evil of seeking to carry out our own way and will. This is an evil that has appeared again and again in our work, and which is appearing now. The natural man needs to be converted; the Spirit of God is needed to operate upon human hearts. Many of our church members are becoming weak because, instead of depending upon God, they are self-sufficient.
I am instructed to say to our churches, Study the Testimonies. They are written for our
admonition and encouragement upon whom the ends of the world are come. If God's people will
not study these messages that are sent to them from time to time, they are guilty of rejecting
light. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, God is sending
instruction to His people. Heed the instruction; "follow the light." The Lord has a controversy
with His people because in the past they have not heeded His instruction and followed His
guidance.
Manuscript 85, June 30, 1908, (see also CL 13-14; SD 127; 2SM 355-356)
Christ is soon coming, and Satan knows that his time is short. As we draw near to the close of time, the cities will become more and more corrupt, and more and more objectionable as places for establishing centers of our work. The dangers of travel will increase, confusion and drunkenness will abound. If there can be found places in retired mountain regions where it would be difficult for the evils of the cities to enter, let our people secure such places for our sanitariums and advanced schools....
Let parents understand that the training of their children is an important work in the saving of souls. In country places abundant useful exercise will be found in doing those things that need to be done, and which will give physical health by developing nerve and muscle. "Out of the cities" is my message for the education of our children....
It is Satan's purpose to attract men and women to the cities, and to gain this object, he invents
every kind of novelty and amusement, every kind of excitement. The cities of the earth today
are becoming as were the cities before the flood....
In the days before the flood, every kind of amusement was invented to lead men and women to forgetfulness and sin. Today, Satan is working with intensity, that the same conditions of evil shall prevail. And the earth is becoming corrupt. Religious liberty will be little respected by professing Christians, for many of them have no understanding of spiritual things....
We cannot fail to see that the Lord of the world is soon to come. Satan is working upon the minds of men and women, and many seem filled with a desire for amusement and excitement. As it was in the days of Noah, every kind of evil is on the increase. Divorce and marriage is the order of the time.
At such a time as this, the people who are seeking to keep the commandments of God should look for retired places away from the cities....We are charged with this message: Christ is coming to judge the world for her iniquity, and the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Then the great multitude will be without God and without hope in the world.
One of the marked features of Noah's Day was the intense worldliness that prevailed. Eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage, marked classes high and low....
Who will be warned? We say again, "Out of the cities." Do not consider it a great deprivation that you must go into the hills and mountains, but seek for that retirement where you can be alone with God, to learn His will and way....
Do not consider it a privation when you are called to leave the cities and move out into the country places. Here there await rich blessings for those who will grasp them. By beholding the scenes of nature, the works of the Creator, by studying God's handiwork, imperceptibly you will be changed into the same image.
I have been given a decided message to bear regarding this matter. I am bidden to say to our
people, "Prepare to meet thy God" [Amos 4:12].
Letter 168, December 1, 1909, (see also Ev 33, 40, 71-72, 377, 388; MM 300, 308-10)
The message that I am bidden to bear to our people at this time is, "Work the cities without delay, for time is short." The Lord has kept this work before us for the last 20 years or more. A little has been done in a few places, but much more might be done. I am carrying a burden day and night, because so little is being accomplished to warn the inhabitants of our great centers of population of the judgments that will fall upon the transgressors of God's law....
The enemy would rejoice to see the grand, saving truth for this time confined to a few places. He is not inactive. He is instilling in the minds of men his deceptive theories to blind the eyes and confuse their understanding, that the saving truth may not be brought to their knowledge. Soon the Sunday laws will be enforced, and men in positions of trust will be embittered against the little handful of God's commandment-keeping people.
Satan seems to have been permitted to gain many points of advantage. But the Lord will bring
men of understanding from the various churches to combat the enforcement of a law, that the
first day of the week shall be honored as a day when no business shall be transacted.
- Diet, Health & Drugs -
Letter 54A, May, 1884
Letter 26A, March 2, 1889
Letter 67, April 8, 1889
Letter 17, March 11, 1892
Letter 34, September 16, 1892
Letter 48, 1892
Letter 56, January 19, 1896
Letter 67, March 30, 1896
Letter 23, December 14, 1896
Manuscript 49, May 19, 1897
Manuscript 167, 1897
Letter 59, July 26, 1898
Letter 67, April 6, 1899
Letter 53, June 12, 1901
Letter 98, June 19, 1901
Manuscript 156, November 27, 1901
Manuscript 60, 1902
Manuscript 169a, July 14, 1902
Manuscript 133, October 30, 1902
Manuscript 97, July 4, 1908
Letter 54A, May, 1884,
The sleeping car conductor spoke to the gentlemen in the seat with us, [asking them] to go to another car, so we have the whole seat to ourselves. We are pleasantly situated. We are delayed--a box is heated, a fire smelling badly--but we are now started again. I shall endure the journey well, I think.
May 9. Since writing the above we have had some experience. I realized difficulty in breathing and was greatly annoyed by the effluvia of tobacco, but as I had crossed the continent from the Pacific to the Atlantic nineteen times I had found [that] on the northern route there could be secured in the sleeper every convenience without the annoyance of being obliged to inhale tobacco poisoned air.
Once only was I grievously troubled. My husband and I were situated in the car opposite a gentleman, his wife, and daughter. This gentleman was a steamboat inspector. He smoked in the cars. Others took lenity from him and they smoked. We changed our seat for the smoke room which could be closed. I thought we were safe, but I realized no relief. I used lemon freely but felt the same strange emotion, and the tobacco-poisoned air was the same as in any [other] part of the car. I was determined to endure it and I laid down, but my head felt that a tight band was drawn around it. I was unable to think, and soon went into a spasm. It was one hour before this was overcome and I was relieved, but with a strange sensation of giddiness and weakness which lasted me three months.
The smoking steamboat inspector was told it was the tobacco smoke which had acted like poison upon me. He threw away his cigar and we had no more smoking on the train. A physician on board stated that he feared it was to me a fatal poison and that I would never become conscious again. He told me never to consent to be in the room or in the car, carriage, or steamboats where I would be obliged to breathe the air poisoned by tobacco, for he had in his practice treated many cases of mothers and children with affection of the heart caused by living in and inhaling constantly tobacco-poisoned air. Notwithstanding he warned the husband and father of the sure result, he thought there could have been no change [in the man's habit], for the afflicted ones lived only a short time and were [as] verily poisoned to death as if a dose of arsenic or strychnine had been administered.
He further stated that a very large share of these wives and children who die with heart disease are purely the sure result of living in an atmosphere that is charged with tobacco. "Yours is," said he, "a miraculous escape. The twitching of the muscles of the face, the rigidity of the muscles followed with great prostration and relaxed muscles, are the sure tokens of poison. The violent action of the heart followed a feeble, intermittent pulse, I have met it very many times. It is the effect of tobacco poison. Hundreds are falling victims to this plague of men's own creating, and then have to suffer the consequence of their own perverted habits. They sacrifice wife and children and themselves for [an] indulgence which is a curse to themselves and to all around them."
On this short trip I have suffered great pain in my heart and dullness of the head. I questioned whether it would be safe to lie down and attempt to sleep. I was very weary, but the drawing room opening directly into the car with the door open was devoted to smoking. A party of Germans were on the car, and their habits are to smoke almost constantly.
I spoke to the ticket conductor. He said he had no control whatever of the passengers of the sleeping cars. He could do nothing. If the passengers wanted to smoke, they would, and no one could control the matter. I spoke to the porter, asking him if there was no place in the so-called palace car where I would be free of tobacco-poisoned air. He said he could not do anything; he was only a servant. I decided to try [to solve] the matter, and went into my berth, drew the curtains as closely as possible about us, and opened the windows; and, as there was no smoking after they took their berths, I [thought I] might sleep. In the morning I had a severe pain in my heart, and breathing was quite difficult.
I had yet ten hours on the cars. Close by our seats the Germans began their devotion, to offer up
their morning sacrifice. To whom--to the Creator or to the devil? I spoke to the conductor. He
said he could not hinder them but would speak to them in regard to it. He did, and they desisted
from smoking in that locality. They went into the rear department. In order to obtain correct
information, [I] inquired of the sleeping car conductor. He says that it is the custom to devote
one end of the car to smoking. As the door is either left wide open or continually opening and
shutting, the smoke was fully and thoroughly distributed through the car. I knew now what we
had to hope for--nothing but poisoned air to breathe the entire journey. I must bear it as best I
could.
Letter 26A, March 2, 1889, (see also MM 48-9; 2SM 282)
In their practice, the physicians should seek more and more to lessen the use of drugs instead of
increasing it. When Dr. A came to the health retreat, she laid aside her knowledge and practice
of hygiene, and administered the little homeopathic does for almost every aliment. This was
against the light God had given. Thus our people who had been taught to avoid drugs in almost
every form, were receiving a different education. I was obliged to tell her than this practice of
depending upon medicine, whether in large or small doses, was not in accordance with the
principles of health reform....If the principles of health reform are carried out, the work will
indeed by as closely allied to that of the third angel's message as the hand is to the body.
Letter 67, April 8, 1889,
Dear Brother Kellogg,
I have just read your letter. This, with the enclosures, was the only mail I received this month. I am very much better in health. I can accomplish a large amount of writing, and I find there are many things to engage my mind.
I wish I could see you face to face, but as I cannot, I will write. Thank you for your prescription. I will be careful. The Lord help me, is my prayer, and I pray that the Lord may help you, my brother, that you many not take on too many burdens, and by so doing disqualify yourself for the management of them. Should you be removed by sickness or death, who is there prepared to carry these responsibilities? The physicians under you may have an interest in this large and broad work, but they have not the long experience you have had. While you are in a position to educate, you should select a number of men, and train them to carry the responsibilities. Under your education they may learn to do the work you have been doing by the help God has given you.
The influence you have gained in the medical profession is large and broad, and in some respects it has been as God would have it. You have caused the light God has given you to shine forth to others, and this light has influenced others in the medical work. But according to the light the Lord has given me, something of the spirit of Free Masonry exists, and has built a wall about the work. The old regular practice has been exalted as the only true method for the treatment of disease. And to a large degree this feeling has leavened the physicians connected with you. They have resorted to drugs in cases of fever to break it up, as they have thought. This method has in several cases broken up fevers and other diseases, but it has broken up the whole man with it. The Lord has been pleased to present this matter before me in clear lines. Fever cases need not be treated with drugs. The most difficult cases are best and most successfully managed by nature's own resources. This science, fully adopted, will bring the best results, if the practitioner will be thorough. The Lord will bless the physician who depends on natural methods, helping every function of the human machinery to act in its own strength the part the Lord designed it to act in restoring itself to proper action.
Dr. Kellogg, God has given you favor with the medical fraternity, and he would have you hold that favor. But in no case are you to stand as do the physicians of the world to exalt Allopathy above every other practice, and call all other methods quackery and error; for from the beginning to the present time the results of Allopathy have made a most objectionable showing. There has been loss of life in your Sanitarium because drugs have been administered, and these give no chance for nature to do her work of restoration. Drug medication has broken up the power of the human machinery, and the patients have died. Others have carried the drugs away with them, making less effective the simple remedies nature uses to restore the system. The students in your institution are not to be educated to regard drugs as a necessity. They are to be educated to leave drugs alone.
The medical fraternity, represented to me as Free Masonry, with their long unintelligible names, which common people cannot understand, would call the Lord's prescription for Hezekiah quackery. Death was pronounced upon the king, but he prayed for life, and his prayer was heard. Those who had the care of him were told to get a bunch of figs and put them on the sore, and the king was restored. This means was taken by God to teach them that all their preparations were only depriving the king of the power to rally and overcome disease. While they pursued their course of treatment, his life could not be saved. The Lord diverted their minds from their wonderful mysteries to a simple remedy of nature. There are lessons for us all in these directions. Young men who are sent to Ann Arbor to obtain an education which they think will exalt them as supreme in their treatment of disease by drugs, will find that it will result in the loss of life rather than restoration to health and strength. These mixtures place a double taxation upon nature, and in the effort to throw off the poisons they contain, thousands of persons lose their lives. We must leave drugs entirely alone, for in using them we introduce an enemy into the system. I write this because we have to meet this drug medication in the physicians in this country, and we do not want this practice as in Battle Creek to steal into our midst as a thief. We want the door closed against the enemy before the lives of human beings are imperilled.
Dr. Kellogg, I am perplexed to know what to do for means, but I do not ask you to take this burden upon you. God forbid that you should have any unnecessary burdens to bear. One thing I shall do: I shall make appeals to every church, irrespective of any persons in responsible positions. There is a work to be done in this country, and the people who have had the benefit of my husbands's labor and my own in building up the work on the Pacific Coast and in Battle Creek must understand how hard we have labored, and help us. I do not call on the Conference. I come to the people and appeal to them for help. If we can one get established, we shall work without assistance, but we must have help now, we cannot do without it.
You write that the Conference says that Australia has had more means than any other place. That may be, but as long as the providence of God opens new fields for us, shall we refuse to enter them, and refuse to establish in this new world a working force that will send laborers into other fields? How can the people hear without a preacher and how can he preach except he be sent? We mean by the help of God to warn the world, to carry our testimony to regions beyond.
We are called upon by the Lord to preach the truth without delay. All the country between the places where interests are already established is calling for the truth. We have the third angel's message, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and this truth is to encircle cities and towns. We are to carry the message from point to point, establishing in each a little community of missionaries. The workers in Australia are directed to enlarge the sphere of their labors by sending help to the unpromising fields in regions beyond, where the standard of truth has never yet been lifted. We do not propose to colonize, to build up strong centers to the neglect of other fields. But we are to enlarge the circle of our operations, as those who believe they are giving the last message of warning to the world. God's professed people in America should have been awake to do this work. In the place of centering so many interests in Battle Creek, plans should have been made in city after city. If they had been filled with zeal for the truth, they would have let their light shine to others, and would have labored to prepare a people to stand in the day of the Lord.
We may have had more means than some other places, but we have a showing for all this. Progressive work has been done. New fields have been entered, and still there are more openings around us. We are to transverse all parts of Australia. Missionaries are needed who will come to this country to do earnest work for the Master. May the Lord arouse His people who know the truth to impart the knowledge they have. Let us pray each day the prayer so full of meaning that Christ gave his disciples: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" [Matthew 6:9-10].
Aggressive warfare is before all who believe the truth. We are to make unbounded progress and improvement in carrying forward the work that mortal man is privileged to do under the command of the great General of armies. God sends His angels as ministering spirits to go before the true worker, and unite with him. The truth is to work our hearts by the Holy Spirit's power. We are to call upon those who know the truth to enter into the work of cooperating with the angels of God. We are to be discouraged at nothing. We are to hope for everything in moral advancement, in spreading the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. We are to call upon the Lord in every emergency, at every step.
Living principles are laid down in the word of God. Why do not believers read to a purpose and obey. Why do they not appoint themselves missionaries. We need families in Australia, not men and women who wish to be carried, but workers, wise men who can manage. We want those who can lift with us.
Our duty to the world is broad and deep. We are to do unto others as we would they should do unto us. The truth must go everywhere, and we want those who can plead with the Lord in prayer, who will bend the knee before God, abolishing the fashion which has come in among our people, and has been transported by our workers to other countries, of standing like the Pharisees, and praying to be heard of men. We want all who know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent to bow low at his footstool, and pray that the world may hear the message of warning, that it may be caught up by those who hear it, and carried to those who know it not. Let us kneel before God with humble hearts, and give expression to our reverence for him. All pride, all pomposity must be laid in the dust. Make known your desires to God. The sincere, truehearted worker will not fail nor be discouraged, for God from His high and holy place looks upon the contrite one, and he will empower him at every step. He will set in action almighty agencies to warn the world to prepare to meet its God.
The human instruments through whom God works are not to stand as now in discord and variance. Those who have faith in Christ as their all-sufficient Saviour will be in perfect unison with Him. When self is hid with Christ in God there will be no disunion, no variance, no strife. All will be in perfect sympathy with Christ to save the world in God's appointed way. God calls upon His church to minister for Him and with Him in the saving of perishing souls. Then in the place of drawing away from Christ and from one another, the workers will seek to keep the breath of life in the church. they will trim their lamps with the holy oil which the two olive branches, will through the two golden pipes communicate to them. Light will be imparted by the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
God will test every church in our world. Those who know the truth, but are not doers of the
word are the worst stumbling blocks we could have in our work of advance. God calls upon his
people to arouse and trim their lamps. Never till Zion travails for perishing souls can she see the
working of the Holy Spirit in sinners born again. Christ is waiting to be gracious to those who
will labor with one spirit and one mind to minister the truth for this time. Christ has appointed
the Christian ministry and the various means of grace comprehended in the ministry. When
unity in Christ is revealed, when Jesus is acknowledged by precept and practice, the Holy Spirit
will reveal the willingness of the two anointed ones to empty the golden oil out of themselves
into the vessels prepared to receive it.
Letter 17, March 11, 1892,
This [praying for the sick] is a very delicate question, and to many minds, I fear, will not be satisfactorily settled. I have tried to act upon the light the Lord has given me in the fear of God. I have prayed for several, presenting a very urgent petition, for it seemed to me it would glorify God for them to be raised up to health, and I would not take a denial.
To all appearances several for whom I have prayed have been in the last moments of their existence. My prayer was very urgent, for it seemed to me that my petition must be answered, and they were raised up to health. Now a number of these cases have resulted in something very different than could be desired; for the course of several has proved that it would have been better had they died. One, after having grown to years, became a notorious thief, another became licentious, and another, though grown to manhood, has no love for God or His truth.
I have been troubled over these things, and years ago took the position that if I had any duty to pray for the sick, I would come before the Lord with a petition of this kind: "Lord, we cannot read the heart of this sick one; but Thou knowest whether it is for the good of his soul and for the glory of Thy name to raise him to health. In Thy great goodness, compassionate this case, and rebuke disease, and let healthy action take place in the system. The work must be entirely Thine own. We have done all that human skill can do. Now, Lord, we lay this case at Thy feet. Work as only a God can work, and, if it be for his good and Thy glory, arrest the progress of disease and heal this sufferer."
This, in short, is the way I have prayed for the sick. But I have thought that I might quench the faith of others in their intense earnestness, and for some years I have felt that it was not my duty to engage with others in praying for the sick. This was the way I prayed for Henry N. White. But after I have earnestly prayed for the sick, what then? Do I cease to do all I possibly can for their recovery? No. I work all the more earnestly, with much prayer, that the Lord may bless the means which His own hand has provided, entreating that He may give a sanctified wisdom to cooperate with God in the recovery of the sick.
This was what I did in the case of my husband. Many, many prayers have been offered in his behalf, but you well know the petitions were not immediately answered. The praying ones became weary because they did not see their prayers answered, and tried to find reasons to explain the delay. But I ceased not my prayers. When I saw that he did not recover, I redoubled my energy. I began to devise ways and means that would aid nature to the very utmost in making healthful changes in the suffering one. Day and night I prayed for wisdom, and if I had ceased my prayers and my efforts, he would have died.
When Edson and Willie were very sick, we first prayed earnestly to God that He would rebuke the disease and heal them. Then did we feel relieved from doing everything in our power for their recovery? No. We worked most vigorously, using God's own remedies. We applied water in various ways, praying the Lord to accept our efforts and give us strength and wisdom to use (not drug medication) but the simple, natural remedies God had provided. Thus we were cooperating with God.
In praying for the sick, it is essential to have faith, for it is in accordance with the Word of God. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." So we cannot discard praying for the sick, and we would feel very sad if we could not have the privilege of approaching God, to lay before Him all our weakness and all our infirmities, to tell the compassionate Saviour all about these things, believing that He hears our petitions.
Sometimes answers to our prayers come immediately; sometimes we have to wait patiently and continue earnestly to plead for the things that we need, our cases illustrated by the case of the importunate solicitor for bread. "Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth."
This lesson means much more than we imagine. We are to keep on asking, even if we do not realize the immediate response to our prayers. "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
We need grace, we need divine enlightenment, that through the Spirit we shall know how to ask
for such things as we need. If our petitions are indited of the Lord, they will be answered.
Letter 34, September 16, 1892, (see also MM 300-01; WM 138)
Perilous times are before us. The whole world will be involved in perplexity and distress. Disease of every kind will be upon the human family, and such ignorance as now prevails concerning the laws of health would result in great suffering and the loss of many lives that might be saved.
While Satan is constantly doing his utmost to take advantage of man's ignorance, and to lay the foundation of disease through improper treatment of the body, it is best for those who claim to be sons and daughters of God to avail themselves, while they can, of the opportunities now presented, to gain a knowledge of the human system and how it may be preserved in health.
As we approach the close of this earth's history, selfishness and violence and crime will prevail
as in the days of Noah....As religious aggression subverts the liberties of our nation, those who
would stand for freedom of conscience will be placed in unfavorable positions. For their own
sakes, they should, while they have opportunity, become intelligent in regard to disease, its
causes, prevention, and cure. And those who do this will find a field of labor anywhere. There
will be suffering ones, plenty of them, who need help, not only among those of our own faith,
but largely among those who know not the truth.
Letter 48, 1892, (see also 2MCP 725)
There must be a reform among the medical fraternity or the church will be purged from those
who will not be Bible Christians. It is altogether too late in the day for such exhibition of spirit
as is revealed among medical drug practitioners. God abhors it.
Letter 56, January 19, 1896,
I want to say that the third angel's message is the gospel, and that health reform is the wedge by
which the truth may enter.
Letter 67, March 30, 1896,
The Lord has given His people a message in regard to health reform. This light has been shining upon their pathway for thirty years, and the Lord cannot sustain His servants in a course which will counteract it. He is displeased when His servants act in opposition to the message upon this point, which He has given them to give to others. Can He be pleased when half the workers laboring in a place teach that the principles of health reform are as closely allied with the third angel's message as the arm is to the body, while their co-workers, by their practice, teach principles that are entirely opposite? This is regarded as sin in the sight of God, and is one reason why He could not give greater success to the work....
My brother, you must no longer disparage the messengers and the message God has sent you in regard to the principles of healthful living. Testimony after testimony has been given which should have brought about great reforms, but at home and abroad your life has been a decided witness against the warning which the Lord has sent. And nothing brings such discouragement upon the Lord's watchmen as to be connected with those who have mental capacity, and who understand the reasons of our faith, but by precept and example manifest indifference to moral obligations.
The light which God has given upon health reform cannot be trifled with without injury to those who attempt it; and no man can hope to succeed in the work of God while by precept and example he acts in opposition to the light God has sent. The voice of duty is the voice of God, an inborn, heaven-sent guide; and the Lord will not be trifled with upon these subjects. He who disregards the light which God has given in regard to the preservation of health revolts against his own good, and refuses to obey the One who is working for his best good.
It is the duty of every Christian to follow that course of action which the Lord has designated as right for His servants. He is ever to remember that God and eternity are before him, and he should not disregard his spiritual and physical health even though tempted by wife, children, or relatives to do so. "If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him."
The principles of health reform, right or wrong, which are adopted by him who gives the Word of God to others, will have a molding influence upon his work, and upon those with whom he labors. If his principles are wrong, he can and will misrepresent the truth to others. If he accepts the truth which appeals to reason rather than to perverted appetite, his influence for the right will be decided. The truth will be in his heart as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.
God's instruction is not "Yea and Nay," but "Yea and Amen" in Christ Jesus, and His workers are called upon to remember that they cannot drift along with unsettled principles which are warped and distorted by impulse, without misrepresenting the truth which they profess, and doing a lasting injury to their own souls....
Every true servant of God will guard closely the citadel of the soul, lest the things of earth steal his affections from God. God lays no burden upon His servants that they are not able to bear. "He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." "In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength," and this strength he waits to bestow upon every asking soul.
It is a very easy thing to talk of the truth with the lips; but if the heart is not true and loyal to God
and His requirements, our preaching does no good.
Letter 23, December 14, 1896,
Your self confidence has been shown in your disregard of the light upon health reform. The
Lord has given His servants a special message to bear, that His people may become intelligent
upon this subject....And you have not been willing to see that temperance in eating and drinking,
and in all things devolve upon you. This in itself was a reason why you should not have been
ordained into the ministry. No man should be set apart as a teacher of the people while his own
teaching or example contradicts the testimony God has given his servants to bear in regard to
diet; for this will bring confusion. And your disregard of health reform is unfitting you to stand
as the Lord's messenger. Indulgence in meat eating, and tea drinking, and other forms of self-pleasing, is injurious to the health of the body and the soul.
Manuscript 49, May 19, 1897, (see also CDF 16, 43; MLT 127; Te 213)
The whole heathen world will rise up in judgment against those whom heaven has favored the
most, but who have placed themselves on Satan's side, and worked in his lines to bring their
soul-destroying narcotics to foreign lands, to pollute and destroy the heathen nations with their
defiling and health destroying drugs. For the sake of a revenue, a professedly Christian nation
have forced their traffic upon the heathen nations at the point of the sword, and thus compelled
them to accept their merchandise, which would in using degrade the people below the level of
brute creation.
Manuscript 167, 1897, (see also CG 414; 1MCP 23, 42; OHC 40, 43; 3SM 242)
In answer to the questions that have recently come to me in regard to resuming the reform dress, I would say that those who have been agitating this subject may be assured that they have not been inspired by the Spirit of God. The Lord has not indicated that it is the duty of our sisters to go back to the reform dress. The difficulties that we once had to meet are not to be brought in again. There must be no branching out now into singular forms of dress. New and strange things will continually arise, to lead God's people into false excitement, religious revivals, and curious developments; but our people should not be subjected to any tests of human invention that will create controversy in any line.
The advocacy of the old reform dress proved a battle at every step. With some there was no uniformity and taste in the preparation of the costume, and those who refused to adopt it caused dissension and discord. Thus the cause was dishonored. Because that which was given as a blessing was turned into a curse, the burden of advocating the reform dress was removed.
There were some things that made the reform dress a decided blessing. With it the ridiculous hoops, which were then the fashion, could not possibly be worn; nor the long trailing skirts sweeping up the filth of the streets. But in recent years a more sensible style of dress has been adopted by the world, which does not embrace these objectionable features; and if our sisters wish to make their dresses after these models, simple and plain, the Lord will not be dishonored by their doing so.
Some have supposed that the skirt and sack mentioned in Testimonies, Vol. IV, page 640, was the pattern that all should adopt. This is not so, but something as simple as this should be used. No one precise style has been given me as the exact rule to guide all in their dress. Should our sisters think they must adopt a uniform style of dress, controversy would arise, and those whose minds should be wholly given to the work of the third angel's message would spend their time making aggressive warfare on the outward dress, to the neglect of that inward piety, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
The dress question is not to be our present truth. To create an issue on this point now would please the enemy. He would be delighted to have minds diverted to any subject by which he might create division of sentiment and lead our people into controversy.
I beg of our people to walk carefully and circumspectly before God. Follow the customs in dress as far as they conform to health principles. Let our sisters dress plainly, as many do, having the dress of good, durable material, appropriate for this age, and let not the dress question fill the mind. Our sisters should dress with simplicity. They should clothe themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety. Give to the world a living illustration of the inward adorning of the grace of God. Place yourselves under the discipline of the living oracles of God, subjecting the mind to influences which form the character aright.
We are nearing the close of this world's history. We are face to face with tremendous conflicts, storms of dissension of which few dream; and all our time and power of thought are to be centered on the living issues before us. God has tests for this age, and they are to stand out plain and unmistakable. It is too late now to become enthusiastic over any man-made tests. The great test for this time is on the commandments of God, especially the Sabbath, and nothing is to be brought in to draw the mind and heart from the preparation needed to meet it. The people of God will have all the test that they can bear. The Sabbath question is a test that will come to the whole world. We need nothing to come in now as a test for God's people, that shall make more severe for them the test they already have....
Let our sisters conscientiously heed the Word of God for themselves. Do not begin the work of reform until you do. You cannot possibly change the heart. To get up a different style of dress will not do it. The difficulty is the church needs converting daily. There are many things that will come to try and test these poor, deluded, spiritually dwarfed, world-loving souls. They will have deep trials. Let there be no man-made tests, for God has prepared to prove and try them. If they will heed His admonitions and warnings...He will receive them graciously.
The working of the Spirit of God will show a change outwardly. Those who venture to disobey the plainest statement of Inspiration will not heed any human efforts made to induce them to wear plain, neat, unadorned, proper dress that will not in any way make them odd or singular. They will continue to expose themselves by hanging out their colors to the world.
There are those who will never return to their first love. They will never cease to make an idol of self. With all the light of the Word of God shining on their pathway, they will not obey His directions. They will follow their own tastes, and do as they please. These sisters give a wrong example to the youth, and to those who have newly come to the faith, for they see little difference between their apparel and that of the worldling.
To those who are making self their idol nothing in the line of human tests should be presented, for it would only give them an excuse for making the final plunge into apostasy. Such do not know whom they are serving. Knowledge and power belong to God. The ignorantly guilty must learn their condition. We must wait patiently and not fail or be discouraged, for God has His plans all arranged. While we are burdened and distressed, but waiting in patient submission, our invisible Helper will be doing the work we do not see, and will bring to pass in His providence events which will either work reformations, or will separate these halfhearted, world-loving members from the believers. The Lord knows about every case and how to deal with each. Our wisdom is limited to a point, while infinite wisdom comprehends the end from the beginning. Our whole term of probation is very brief. A short work will be done in the earth. God's own tests will come; His proving will be sharp and decisive. Let every soul humble himself before God and prepare for what is awaiting us.
Let these conscientious sisters who would enter upon the work of dress reform walk circumspectly and work in a manner that will correspond with the burden of the message for this time. The surrender of heart, soul, and mind in obedience to the commandments of God is as a thread of gold, binding up the precious things of God and revealing their value in the time of trial.
Therefore I say to my sisters, Enter into no controversy in regard to outward apparel, but be sure you have the inward adorning of a meek and quiet spirit. Let all who accept the truth show their true colors. We are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. False prudence, mock modesty, may be shown by the outward apparel, while the heart is in great need of the inward adorning. Stand ever committed to the right.
Do not look around to see if there are not tests that can be brought upon God's people. God has
given a test--the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment. "Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it
is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord
that doth sanctify you....Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the
sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the
children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day
he rested, and was refreshed" [Exodus 31:13-17].
All who bring to the observance of the Sabbath a heart consecrated to God will find that the day
God has sanctified is more to them than they had any idea of. "I am the Lord that doth sanctify
you" [Verse 13]. "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My
holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him,
not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then
shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the
earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken
it" [Isaiah 58:13, 14].
Letter 59, July 26, 1898, (see also 7ABC 17; CDF 410-12)
It is the variety and mixture of meat, vegetables, fruit, wines, tea, coffee, sweet cakes, and rich pies that ruin the stomach and place human beings in the position where they become invalids, with all the disagreeable effects of sickness upon the disposition. The character becomes perverted, a depraved appetite is established, and a diseased religious experience is the result. The words of the apostle to the Romans should be repeated to all the churches and to all families: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" [Romans 12:1, 2].
The perfection of Christian character is attainable. As we approach the close of this earth's history, we will find that the whole world is becoming a lazar house of disease, and transgression of the law of God is bringing the sure result.
[Deuteronomy 4:1-9 quoted].
In the fifth chapter of this book, the commandments of God are repeated. (Verses 6-21 quoted). The whole chapter is very definite. Read verses 29-33. Again, the requirements of God are given in the eighth chapter, verses 1-15.
These requirements were to be framed into song, and sung in the congregations of Israel, lest they should forget them. [Deuteronomy 10:12-22, 11:26-32 quoted]. The entire chapter contains the expressed will of God.
I present the word of the Lord God of Israel. Because of transgression, the curse of God has come upon the earth itself, upon the cattle, and upon all flesh. Human beings are suffering the result of their own course of action in departing from the commandments of God. The beasts also suffer under the curse.
Meat eating should not come into prescriptions for any invalids from any physician from among those who understand things. Disease in cattle is making meat eating a dangerous matter. The Lord's curse is upon the earth, upon man, upon beasts, upon fish in the sea; and as transgression becomes almost universal, the curse will be permitted to become as broad and as deep as the transgression. Disease is contracted by the use of meat. The diseased flesh of these dead carcasses are sold in the market places, and disease among men is the sure result.
The Lord would bring His people into a position where they will not touch nor taste the flesh of dead animals. Then let not these things be prescribed by any physician who has a knowledge of the truth for this time. There is no safety in eating the flesh of dead animals, and in a short time the milk of the cow will also be excluded from the diet of God's commandment-keeping people. In a short time it will not be safe to use anything that comes from the animal creation. Those who take God at His word and obey His commandments with the whole heart will be blessed. He will be their shield of protection. But the Lord will not be trifled with. Distrust, disobedience, and alienation from God's will and way will place the sinner in a position where the Lord cannot give him His divine favor.
All heaven is working to resist Satan's power, to bind the strong man. The angels of God are working to put restrictions upon the power of the enemy until man shall be fully tested and tried. Hear the gracious invitation made to every soul: "He that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out." This is not a bodily movement, but the submitting of the human will to the will of supreme wisdom. The human agent does not have to go into heaven to bring God down, or into the deep to bring Him up. He is not far from every one of us. "In Him we live, move, and have our being."
The Lord invites every human agent to meet Him on the ground of the great atoning Sacrifice. A man is required to give a cordial assent to the terms of salvation, and be reconciled to the will of God, to do all His commandments, and walk in obedience and fellowship with God. The word of God gives the conditions, testifying, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The invitation is gracious, full, and free to all who receive Christ as their personal Saviour. To all such He gives power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name. Christ's dying love is the pledge we bring to the Father for reconciliation with Him, and to all who advance toward Him He gives a hearty welcome. We may take God at His word. There is a oneness between man and his God. Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour. Fallen man may place himself under his Father's protection. The prodigal may be covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness, and given a place at His table.
Again I will refer to the diet question. We cannot now do as we have ventured to do in the past in regard to meat eating. It has always been a curse to the human family, but now it is made particularly so in the curse which God has pronounced upon the herds of the field, because of man's transgression and sin. The disease upon animals is becoming more and more common, and our only safety is in leaving meat entirely alone. The most aggravated diseases are now prevalent, and the very last thing that physicians who are enlightened should do is to advise patients to eat meat. It is in eating meat so largely in this country that men and women are becoming demoralized, their blood corrupted, and disease planted in the system. Because of meat eating many die, and they do not understand the cause. If the truth were known, it would bear testimony it was the flesh of animals that have passed through death. The thought of feeding on dead flesh is repulsive, but there is something besides this. In eating meat we partake of diseased dead flesh, and this sows its seed of corruption in the human organism.
I write to you, my brother, that the giving of prescriptions for the eating of the flesh of animals shall no more be practiced in our sanitarium. There is no excuse for this. There is no safety in the after influence and results upon the human mind. Let us be health reformers in every sense of the term. Let us make known in our institutions that there is no longer a meat table even for the boarders, and then the education given upon the discharging of a meat diet will not be only saying but doing. If patronage is less, so let it be. The principles will be a far greater value when they are understood, when it is known that the life of no living thing shall be taken to sustain the life of the Christian.
In this country we see the necessity of our words and deeds harmonizing. I had a decided talk with the physicians just at the right time, and I think now the question will be settled with them.
I spoke Sabbath upon this subject, and the church was full of believers and unbelievers, so these
will now know our position without mistake. Of course, there must be an abundance of fruit and
well-cooked grains. We are setting the example of making out-of-door ovens, and baking our
own bread. Three families use our brick oven, and it is a great blessing to us all. I continue my
two-meal system, and I eat very sparingly, and seldom ever know what it means to be hungry.
Although at times circumstances compel us to be unable to eat our meals at regular periods, yet I
am never hungry.
Letter 67, April 6, 1899,
The influence you [Dr. Kellogg] have gained in the medical profession is large and broad, and in some respects it has been as God would have it. You have caused the light God has given you to shine forth to others, and this light has influenced others to labor in the different lines in the medical work. But according to the light the Lord has given me, something of the spirit of Free Masonry exists, and has built a wall about the work. The old regular practice has been exalted as the only true method for the treatment of disease. And to a large degree this feeling has leavened the physicians connected with you. They have resorted to drugs in cases of fever to break it up, as they have thought. This method has broken up fevers and other disease, but it has in some cases broken up the whole man with it. The Lord has been pleased to present this matter before me in clear lines. Fever cases need not be treated with drugs. The most difficult cases are best and most successfully managed by nature's own resources. This science, fully adopted, will bring the best results, if the practitioners will be thorough. The Lord will bless the physician who depends on natural methods, helping every function of the human machinery to act in its own strength the part the Lord designed it to act in restoring itself to proper action.
Dr. Kellogg, God has given you favor with the medical fraternity, and he would have you hold that favor. But in no case are you to stand as do the physicians of the world to exalt quackery and error; for from the beginning to the present time the results of Allopathy have made a most objectionable showing. There has been loss of life in your sanitarium because drugs have been administered, and these give no chance for nature to do her work of restoration. Drug medication has broken up the power of the human machinery, and the patients have died. Others have carried the drugs away with them, making less effective the simple remedies nature uses to restore the system. The students in your institution are not to be educated to regard drugs as a necessity. They are to be educated to leave drugs alone.
The medical fraternity, represented to me as Free Masonry, with their long unintelligible names, which common people cannot understand, would call the Lord's prescription for Hezekiah quackery. Death was pronounced upon the king, but he prayed for life, and his prayer was heard. Those who had the care of him were told to get a bunch of figs and put them on the sore, and the king was restored. This means was taken by God to teach them that all their preparations were only depriving the king of the power to rally and overcome disease. While they pursued their course of treatment, his life could not be saved. The Lord diverted their minds from their wonderful mysteries to a simple remedy of nature. There are lessons for us all in these directions. Young men who are sent to Ann Arbor to obtain an education which they think will exalt them as supreme in their treatment by drugs of disease, will find that it will result in the loss of life rather than restoration of health and strength. These mixtures place a double taxation upon nature, and in the effort to throw off the poisons they contain, thousands of persons lose their lives. We must leave drugs entirely alone, for in using them we introduce an enemy into the system. I write this because we have to meet this drug medication in the physicians in this country, and we do not want this practice as in Battle Creek to steal into our midst as a thief. We want the door closed against the enemy before the lives of human beings are imperilled.
Those who know the truth, but are not doers of the word are the worst stumbling blocks we
could have in our work of advance. God calls upon his people to arouse and trim their lamps.
Never till Zion travails for perishing souls can she see the working of the Holy Spirit in sinners
born again. Christ is waiting to be gracious to those who will labor with one spirit and one mind
to minister the truth for this time.
Letter 53, June 12, 1901,
God does not give a man a monopoly of His goods in any line of work. Experiments will be
made and tests made by men to whom the Lord has given wisdom. They will prepare food to
take the place of that which is injurious that the poor may have a benefit of His good to support
themselves and their families. This is the Lord's order, and no one is permitted to close the door
to that which will sustain life. God can set a table in the wilderness, and this will be more
properly understood in the future.
Letter 98, June 19, 1901, (see also 7ABC 406; CDF 272-3, 352)
Those in the synagogue of Satan will profess to be converted, and unless God's servants have keen eyesight, they will not discern the working of the power of darkness....God calls for a reform in His institutions, for they have become permeated with the spirit of the world. He calls upon all to bear testimony in favor of health reform.
We have no right to tax nerve and muscle so severely that we readily become excited, speaking words that dishonor God. This is not in the Lord's order. He wants to be always calm and forebearing. However inconsiderate a course others may pursue, we are to represent Christ, doing as He would do under similar circumstances. We are to obey the words, 'Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves.' We are to keep our nerves in such a healthy condition that we shall ever be calm in speech and righteous in action....
God has been giving me instructions to the effect that He will give men in various countries
ability to produce healthful foods, so that the human machinery can be kept in good order
without the use of any food which contains injurious properties. By His Holy Spirit the Lord
will guide His workers in the preparation of health foods.
Manuscript 156, November 27, 1901, (see also 7ABC 336; CDF 268-9)
To many in different places the Lord will give intelligence in regard to health foods. He can spread a table in the wilderness....In simple inexpensive ways, our people are to experiment with the fruits and grains and roots in the country in which they live. In different countries inexpensive health foods are to be manufactured for the benefit of the poor, and for the benefit of the families of our people.
The message God has given me is that His people in foreign lands are not to depend for their supply of health foods on the importation of health foods from America....
When the message comes to those who have not heard the truth for this time, they see that a
great reformation must take place in their diet. They see that they must put away fleshfood,
because it creates an appetite for liquor and fills the system with disease. By meat-eating, the
physical, mental, and moral powers are weakened. Man is built up from that which he eats.
Animal passions bear sway as the result of meat-eating, tobacco-using, and liquor-drinking. The
Lord will give His people wisdom to prepare from that which the earth yields, foods that will
take the place of flesh-meat. Simple combinations of nuts and grains and fruits, manufactured
with taste and skill, will commend themselves to unbelievers. But as a usual thing, too many
nuts are used in the combinations made.
Manuscript 60, 1902,
Seventh-day Adventists are handling momentous truths. On the subject of temperance they should be in advance of any other people.
None can be fully aroused to see the evils resulting from an improper diet, until they have an intelligent understanding of the principles of health reform. And even if, after seeing their mistakes, they have courage to change their habits, they will find that the reformatory process requires a struggle and much perseverance. But when correct tastes are formed, men will realize that the articles of food concerning which they once said, "Oh, those things do not hurt me," were establishing in the stomach a condition that was laying the foundation for dyspepsia and other diseases.
Parents, in giving food to children, should use good, common sense. It is usually in the early years that the appetite is perverted. Children fail on the same point on which Adam and Eve failed in Eden. Many have educated their taste to relish certain foods that are injurious and that cannot make the best quality of blood.
Too great a variety of food at one meal causes a disturbance in the digestive organs. Weakly
children who eat vegetables and fruit at the same meal often become fretful and peevish.
These children are regarded as having a very bad dispositions, when the real cause of their irritability is the food that is provided for them by their parents.
We should be careful in regard to soul-culture. If we use all provisions made for us by heavenly agencies, we shall be co-laborers with God.
The Lord has given us moral susceptibilities. He has given us Jesus, who came into the world to show us in His life what our lives should be. He has given to us the same principles of truth that He gave to ancient Israel. These principles we are to follow in the formation of character.
In order to be made whole, we must connect with the Source of our strength. If the Lord in His mercy heals our infirmities and diseases, we are not to be presumptuous or to think that we can indulge perverted appetite, heedless of His message to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. Let us not mock God by perversity of spirit. When He works a miracle in our behalf to give us health, it is that we may devote our restored powers to His service.
Christ lived not to please Himself, but to glorify His Father. And this was God's purpose in delivering the Israelites. Moses declared: "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth" [Deuteronomy 14:2]. If the Lord's ways had always been kept by His ancient people, in the history of nations there would never have been a record of the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Lord has a message for us at this time. The truths that have been given to us, we are to receive into the heart and reveal in the life-practice. We are to be indeed channels of light to the world....
Men and women, by their ingratitude to God, reveal that their attachment and devotion to Him, in acknowledgment of His goodness and mercy, is less than that of the beasts of the field. The dumb animals possess more gratitude to God than do many of the beings who have been endowed with reason and capabilities. What a reproach to man is the superiority of the service of the beasts over the service of men!
Through Jeremiah the prophet the Lord says: "Yea, the stork in heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment of the Lord. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made He it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?" [Jeremiah 8:7-9]. The entire chapter is a presentation of things as they are.
"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment,
and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord" [Jeremiah 9:23, 24].
Manuscript 169A, July 14, 1902,
While we desire to stand on the right platform and to be in unity in regard to the medical missionary work, we also desire to understand individually what true medical missionary work is, as outlined in the Word of God. We desire to understand the length, breadth, height, and depth of this work. It is an unselfish work. Some things that are said to be medical missionary work are not rightly named. The medical missionary work is a most exalted work. It is one of the principal means of preparing a people to stand as God's family in the last days. It is not merely something that will gain for us a round of applause from the world.
True medical missionary work is in accordance with pure gospel religion. Those who study its principles are learning of Christ. His methods of teaching are to be brought into the training of helpers who are to engage in this branch of our work. "Whoso eateth My flesh," He says, "and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life." How can we eat His flesh and drink His blood? His answer is, "The flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." The Word of God is to underlie everything....
Let the helpers in the institution fully understand that in their daily work they are gaining an education more valuable than anything which they could gain merely in a schoolroom. A practical training is worth far more than theoretical knowledge. The common words by which we know simple remedies are as useful as are the technical terms used by physicians for these same remedies. To request a nurse to prepare some catnip tea, answers the purpose fully as well as would directions given to her in language understood only after long study.
The Lord does not use words that are meaningless to the ordinary person. When Hezekiah was sick, the prophet Isaiah said, "Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover." The Lord speaks in a language so plain that everyone can understand Him. In order to become a competent nurse, it is not necessary to learn so many technical terms that are understood by comparatively few. To acquire a familiarity with these long words, students use much precious time that they could use otherwise to better profit. These difficult names are a device to cover up the nature of poisonous drugs.
Christ is our great Physician. He is ready to come into our medical missionary training schools to work for the students, and to heal them.
During Christ's ministry on the earth, His great heart of love struck a sympathetic cord of tenderness in the hearts of the people. When He told the sick that they were whole, they believed Him. His very words seemed to be accompanied by the power of conviction, and the people believed that He spoke the truth.
Unbelievers have inquired, "Why are not miracles wrought among those who claim to be God's people?" Brethren, the greatest miracle that can be wrought is the conversion of the human heart. We need to be reconverted, losing sight of self and human ideas, and beholding Christ, that we may be transformed into His likeness. When this, the greatest of all miracles, is wrought within our hearts, we shall see the working of other miracles.
God cannot work through us miraculously while we are unconverted. It would spoil us, for we would take it as an evidence that we were perfect before Him. Our first work is to become perfect in His sight, by living faith claiming His promise of forgiveness. "Ask what ye will," Christ declared to His disciples, "and it shall be done unto you."
Let us remember that He also said, "He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness" [John 12:44-46]. "Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also" [John 14:19]. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me" [John 15:4]. Those who see Christ by living faith, those who abide in Him, will have power to work miracles for His glory.
This is why the physicians and nurses in our medical institutions should be those who abide in Christ; for through their connection with the heavenly Physician their patients will be blessed. Those God-fearing workers will have no use for poisonous drugs. They will use the natural agencies that God has given for the restoration of the sick. Time and again I have told the workers in our sanitariums that from the light that God has given me I know that they need not lose one patient suffering from a fever, if they take the case in hand in time and use rational methods of treatment instead of drugs.
My husband and I were neither doctors nor the children of doctors, but we had success in the
treatment of disease. In a time when many of the people--even the children of physicians--were
dying all around us, we went from house to house to treat the sick, using water and giving them
healthful food. Through the blessing of God, we did not lose a single case.
At another time I carried my two sons through the typhoid fever. God was my helper. My
husband would have died if I had not by faith laid hold on God. I knew that God did not want
him to die, because He did not want His name dishonored. My husband's life was spared. Years
afterward, when He died, my friends said, "Oh, Sister White, do pray that he may be raised up!" I
replied, "The Lord says, 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith
the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.' I do not desire
the old warrior to come back to life, to die again; let him rest till the morning of the
resurrection."
Manuscript 133, October 30, 1902, (see also CDF 384, 399-400; MM 280-281, 310)
The Lord will cut His work short in righteousness. The earth is corrupt under the inhabitants thereof. Disease of every kind is now afflicting the human family. The misery created by the corruption that is in the world through lust is developing in a startling manner in the commission of crime of every description. Robbery, murder, sensuality, and the cruelty of satanic powers, these and many other evils are seen on every hand. We are surrounded by unseen dangers....
I am instructed to say that, if meat-eating ever was safe, it is not safe now. Diseased animals are taken to the large cities, and to the villages, and sold for food....Such a diet contaminates the blood and stimulates the lower passions....
To parents who are living in the cities, the Lord is sending the warning cry, Gather your children into your own houses; gather them away from those who are disregarding the commandments of God, who are teaching and practicing evil. Get out of the cities as fast as possible.
Parents can secure small homes in the country with land for cultivation, where they can have
orchards, and where they can raise vegetables and small fruits, to take the place of flesh-meat,
which is so corrupting to the life blood coursing through the veins....God will help His people to
find such homes outside the cities.
Manuscript 97, July 4, 1908, (see also Ev 272-3)
Those who are agitating this subject [a new style of reform dress] have not been inspired by the Spirit of God. We are very near the great crisis. The Lord would have every action performed with an eye single to the glory of God. To create a new issue on the dress question would be the very thing that would please the enemy. There would be much talk, much burden for one another, because all do not dress exactly alike.
The agitation on this subject [dress] is not demanded. Tests are not to be manufactured. We have a test for this time,--the Sabbath of the fourth commandment,--and nothing is to be brought in to draw the mind and heart [away] from the great work of preparation for this time. The dress question is not to be our present truth....No one precise style has been given me as the exact rule to guide all in their dress....
God's tests are now to stand out plain and unmistakable. There are storms before us, conflicts of
which few dream. There is no need now for any special alteration in our dress. The plain,
simple style of dress now worn, made in the most healthful way, demanding no hoops and no
long trails, is presentable anywhere. These things should not come in to divert our minds from
the grand test that is to decide the eternal destiny of a world--the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus.
- Opposing Forces -
Letter 8, August 4, 1850
Manuscript 7, August 24, 1850
Manuscript 1, February 1, 1890
Manuscript 5, 1890 Letter 12, August 12, 1890
Letter 109, December 6, 1890
Letter 23c, July 20, 1894
Letter 83, May 22, 1896
Manuscript 46, March 31, 1898
Letter 96, July 5, 1900
Letter 131, October 14, 1900
Letter 98, June 19, 1901
Letter 155, September 15, 1901
Manuscript 124, December 9, 1901
Manuscript 169a, July 14, 1902
Manuscript 118, October 6, 1902
Letter 83, May 13, 1903
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904
Letter 59, January 22, 1904
Manuscript 36, March 24, 1906
Letter 136, April 27, 1906
Manuscript 35, March 7, 1908
Letter 8, August 4, 1850, (see also 3SM 145)
I was pointed back to the children of Israel in Egypt. I saw when God worked through Moses
before Pharaoh the magicians came up and said they could do the same. I saw the same work
was now going on in the world and among the professed churches similar to the work of the
magicians anciently. I saw the power of the magicians has increased within a few months
tenfold, and it will still be on the increase and spread, and unless Israel is rising and increasing
in power and strength and is growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, the powers of
darkness will get the victory over them.
Manuscript 7, August 24, 1850,
I saw Satan would work more powerfully now than ever he has before. He knows that his time is short and that the sealing of the saints will place them beyond his power, he will now work in every way that he can, and will try his every insinuation to get the saints off their guard and get them asleep on present truth, or doubting it, so as to prevent their being sealed with the seal of the living God; and that Satan will ere long come in almost human shape, and that his angels were all around them seeking some way that they might devour them....
I saw that God wanted His people to be separate from the world; for wicked persons were the lawful prey of the enemy, and he would work through them in every way to perplex and destroy the saints, and if we were obliged to be in company with the wicked persons we must pray and watch every moment lest we should partake of their spirit; for they corrupted the atmosphere where they were and their very breath was darkness; and that the wicked would wax worse and worse, and we must cut loose from them and be free and free indeed. God does not want His people to mingle with the wicked more than they are obliged to.
I saw that the rapping was the power of the devil. Some of it was directly from him and some indirectly, but it all proceeded from Satan. It was his work, which he accomplished in different ways; and the nominal churches and the world were so covered up in darkness that they thought and held forth that it was the power of God. Said the angel, "Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" [Isaiah 8:19].... "The dead know not any thing," [Ecclesiastes 9:5]. For the living God do ye go to the dead? They have departed from the living God to converse with the dead, who know not any thing.
I saw that it would soon be considered blasphemy to speak against the rapping, and it would spread more and more, and Satan's power would increase and some of his devoted followers would have power to work miracles and bring down fire from heaven; and they would claim to accomplish all the miracles that Jesus did when He was upon earth by the power of Spiritualism and Mesmerism.
I saw that the time would soon come when we should have to keep hold of the strong arm of Jehovah; for I saw all these great signs and mighty wonders of the devil were designed to deceive God's people and to overthrow them; and we must not fear the wicked, but be bold and valiant for the truth.
Could our eyes be opened, we should see forms of wicked angels around us, trying to invent some new and effectual way to annoy and destroy us; for I saw that God's watchful eye was over Israel, and that He would protect and save them, if they would put their trust in Him; and, when the enemy should come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord would lift up a standard against him.
We must work while the day lasts, and when Satan comes up with his power to oppress us we
must have faith in God and beat him back. If we could not get the victory we should fast and
pray, and we will surely get the victory and triumph over Satan.
Manuscript 1, February 1, 1890, (see also 7ABC 344, 367; CS 241; 2SM 51-52)
We have been pained as we have had brought to our notice papers, advertisers of sorcery and witchcraft, the work of magicians and all this sort of thing, going on in Battle Creek.... There is in these manifestations of a power that is above human power; and where is it? It is the power of Satan; and just as soon as you begin to bring yourselves in connection with these sorcerers, and give them the least license, you dishonor the God of heaven, and imperil your own souls....
How is he [Satan] working here in Battle Creek? Here come up these magicians and there is an
itching curiosity to go and see; and when they [Seventh-day Adventist young people] go to see,
they bring themselves into contact with them [the sorcerers and magicians]; and when they bring
themselves in contact with them, they are in direct communication with the power of darkness.
Manuscript 5, 1890, (see also PM 98-99)
"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy word" [Psalms 119:9]. Why, then, do the teachers in our colleges and schools depend upon books for the education of children and youth that are filled with falsehood and cheapness, with fairy tales and stories, and which fill the minds of the young with desires for the unreal? Why should not the lessons which children and youth learn be pure, elevating, and ennobling? Cannot books be written that are free from every species of error? Is there not talent enough among Seventh-day Adventists to write books containing the simple lessons of the Old and New Testaments?
The study of Old Testament history is of great value to both children and youth, and the lessons contained in the New Testament were given by the greatest Teacher the world ever knew. Why, then, should we depend upon the productions of men who have not worked to the glory of God, whose minds have not discerned truth from error or light from darkness? Is there not enough in the great plan of redemption to engross every mind? A knowledge of this plan will not only educate and discipline the mind, but will attract and sharpen the intellect. Our lives should be full of Jesus, and we should now be preparing for a better and a clearer knowledge of Him.
Why do our people, in the instruction of their children, depend upon books which contain
objectionable errors? When the children ask what these stories mean, which are so contrary to
all they have been taught, the parents answer that they are not true, and yet they continue to
place the books before their children. Thus error is brought into the education of the young. But
no one seems to realize that the ideas presented in these books mislead children, and that the
imaginary stories, novels, and fables which are dealt out to feed their minds beget a taste and
encourage an appetite for the unreal things of life.
When we have an abundance of that which is real and that which is divine, why do we not feed the minds of children with this kind of food? Books which contain a perversion of truth, and which will mislead growing minds, should never be placed before children or youth; and those with mature minds would be far better, far purer, stronger and more noble if they had nothing to do with them.
I sought to get this matter before our people last Christmas, but other subjects demanded so much of my time and strength that I could not do the work I greatly desired to do. When the resolution was brought up, that nothing should be taught in the college during the coming year but that which had been taught heretofore, without being brought before the Conference [1888]. I protested; for there had been many things presented to me which I could not at that time present before the Conference, because they were not prepared for it.
A decided reform is needed in the lessons given to the children and youth in our symbols. In every department we must move upward, taking no low level.
You may say, Our Sabbath schools give instruction in regard to truth. Yes, and then as the children go to day school [during the week], books are placed before them which confuse the mind, and lessons which are false are given them to learn. These things need close criticism, for if you educate the young from books which contain a perversion of truth, how will you be able to counteract the influence of this education? You are sowing seed, and must prepare for the harvest.
I do not urge that the reasons for every phase of our faith shall be brought into our school education; this the students can obtain in the Sabbath school and the church. But the lessons given in the Old and New Testaments should be carefully selected and arranged as to be interesting and attractive to the minds of children. That which Christ has taught is certainly safe and advisable to bring into the education of students. Children are not blind and deaf to the perversion of truth; their minds are easily impressed, and the impressions given should be of a right character.
We are not at liberty to teach that which will reach the world's standard, or the standard of the church, because it is the custom to do so! We are safe only when following the lessons of Jesus Christ. That which was safe for Him to teach, is safe for our children to study. Eternal life is before us, and do we not want our children to win the precious boon? But all who win eternal life, old or young, must put aside their likes and dislikes, and with simplicity of heart and profound humility they must search God's Word. Those who are bold and domineering and full of self-sufficiency, will not search the Scriptures with an eye single to the glory of God; for they will seek to find something with which to vindicate their own ideas and sustain their own theories. There is a great deal of insubordination in the heart that is not fully sanctified.
It is all-important that we each have an eye single to discern and understand from the heart the high things of God; for even that which we have before considered to be light may be found to be sparks of our own kindling. Man cannot possibly interpret the Scriptures correctly by his own light, and measure them by his own narrow comprehension. "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise" [1 Corinthians 3:18]. When, through the grace of Christ, man has crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts, then, and then only, can he become a partaker of the divine nature. But many act as though they were above the Lord Jesus Christ. He was pure and undefiled, wholly obedient to His Father's commandments, and His true followers must be as He was.
These are the lessons which children should learn in school. If the inward life is perfect, a noble experience will be seen; and we shall see beyond the present narrow compass of time and sense. Is the world becoming more dead to the teachers in our day schools and Sabbath schools? Are they seeking those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God? The religion of Jesus Christ is from above, and can have nothing in common with the show and illusion of the world.
Letter 12, August 12, 1890, (see also Ev 247-48, 256, 368, 682; FLB 296; OHC 214; 1SM 48; 2SM 56, 73-79, 82-84; TMK 188)
The Lord has plainly shown me that what you regard as communications from God to you and others through your child Anna, are not from him. They do not bear the divine credentials. It is another spirit that controls the child. It is the enemy that works in her. Such manifestations will be more and more common in these last days. They do not lead to unity into all truth, but away from the truth....
In several cases the ones who claimed to have visions had a testimony for me, that I must do certain things--A class of humiliating acts which I will not mention, all the outgrowth of fanaticism....
I have seen several fall in vision; but when I rebuked the spirit which controlled them, they immediately came out of vision and were in great distress of mind.
Such experiences as these came to be very common. Several in one family were under this species of deception. One would see that sister which was exalted....Another would see that he must go to a certain place and remain there two, three, or four weeks. These visions found credit with some who were lacking in wisdom....
The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" [Proverbs 29:18]. Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God's remnant people in the true testimony. He will bring in spurious visions to mislead and mingle the false with the true, and so disgust people that they will regard everything that bears the name of visions as a species of fanaticism; but honest souls, by contrasting false and true, will be enabled to distinguish between them.
Likewise, he works through persons who have been reproved for some inconsistency in their religious life, for some course of action which was dangerous to themselves and others. Instead of receiving the testimony as a blessing from God, they refused the means God uses to set them right. Such apparently may be very zealous for God, but they put their own interpretation upon the word and make it contradict what the Lord has revealed in the testimonies. They think they are doing God's service, but such work has not been given them to do....
The present is a time of great peril to the people of God. God is leading out a people, not an individual here and there. He has a church on earth that abides in the truth....
The evils which have existed in all ages will continue to exist till the close of probation. We
need to understand the cause of these evils, and the modes of Satan's attacks, that we may be
able to resist them. We have to meet not only men who fall into error, but principalities and
powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. Satan is battling for his empire which the
servants of God are determined to wrench from him.
Letter 109, December 6, 1890, (see also 7ABC 426; 3SM 83)
It is a critical time now with many. There are a number in the valley of decision, right upon the point of taking their stand. One...is a man of ability, but as soon as he takes his position then he can no more keep his place, and his wife is a bitter opposer. Oh, may the Lord help these poor souls. I think we must pray more for these persons, convinced by those who see the cross and dare not lift it, for to do so would take away the support, and they have families. They know the truth and feel deeply, but dare not venture....
There are so many influences to draw away from heavenly realities to the earthly that my soul
trembles with apprehension for those who see the truth and have not faith that they dare venture
to obedience. Oh, that the compassionate Redeemer may be to those dear souls a present help in
every time of need and they may have grace to sing, "Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave
and follow Thee."...
The enemy has made his masterly efforts to unsettle the faith of our people in the Testimonies, and when these errors come in, they claim to prove all the positions by the Bible, but they misinterpret the Scriptures. They make bold assertions...and misapply the prophecies of the Scriptures to prove falsehood. And after men have done their work of weakening the confidence of the church in the Testimonies, they have torn away the barrier that unbelief in the truth shall become widespread, and there is no voice to be lifted up to stay the force of evil.
This is just as Satan has designed it should be, and those who have been preparing the way for the people to pay no heed to the warnings and reproofs of the Testimonies of the Spirit of God will see that a tide of errors of all kinds will spring to life. They will claim Scripture as their evidence, and deceptions of Satan in every form will prevail.
I know that Elder [Uriah] Smith and Elder [G.I.] Butler and [J.H.] Morrison and [L.] Nicola have been doing a work in their blindness that they will not wish to meet in the judgment....
I have loved Brother Smith next to my own husband and children....I have highly esteemed Elder
Butler. But these men have left me alone--these men, to whom the Lord has spoken several
times that they should stand united with my husband and myself in closest union till the close of
time. They have caused me such sadness and grief of spirit as I cannot describe. I felt my
husband's death, oh, how keenly God alone knows, but I have felt the cruel course of these men
toward the work of God He has given me to do, more keenly than the death of my husband....I
know their position perfectly. It is kept before me in many ways, until the only relief I can get is
to keep away from Battle Creek where the influence of these things is prevailing and active.
Letter 23c, July 20, 1894, (see also 3SM 387)
In the night season I was in a dream or vision, which revealed some things in Battle Creek. My guide said, "Follow me." I was directly in Battle Creek; the streets were alive with bicycles ridden by our own people. There was a witness from heaven beholding our people indulging their desire for selfish gratification, and using the money in this way that should be invested in foreign missions to unfurl the banner of truth in the cities, and in the by-ways of the land. There was an infatuation, a craze upon the subject. The course of those who invest money in these things when starvation is at the very door of thousands, does not bear a telling testimony to the truth that the end of all things is at hand. These things are counterworking against the messages that God has given his messengers to proclaim in order to arouse the world to the great event which is just before us.
The Witness from heaven said, "I will turn my face from you for your pleasant picture and your selfish practices which are misrepresenting the religion of Jesus Christ, and preparing a people, through denying him in practice, to be ensnared by the deceptions of these last days." Every device that Satan can invent to make our people disloyal to Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation, will be ready at hand. The notices given in our papers extolling bicycles might better be cut out and in their place the destitute foreign fields be represented. "My people," saith the Lord, "do err and separate from the Source of their strength. In their works they deny men, and I will turn my face from them, unless they repent and do their first works."
America, and especially Battle Creek, where the greatest light from heaven has been shining
upon the people, can become the place of greatest peril and darkness because the people do not
continue to practice the truth and walk in the light. What was the meaning of the movement last
winter (1893-94) in giving up jewelry and ornaments? Was it to teach our people a lesson?
Were they prompted by the Holy Spirit to do those things, and to use the avail in the advancement of the work of God in foreign countries? And has Satan been counteracting the movement
of the Holy Spirit upon human hearts, that reaction shall be allowed to take place, and another
evil exit? The present manifestation is strikingly inconsistent with that movement of stripping
off the ornaments and giving up selfish indulgences which absorb the means, the mind, and the
affections, diverting them into false channels.
The light given me of God is that there is a work to be wrought in the heart which will not permit the mind and means to be thus perverted from the great subject that should absorb every mind,--the kingdom of god and his righteousness. Prepare, prepare for the great day of God. How can the people of Battle Creek interpret such movements, so difficult to harmonize one with the other? May the Lord help his representative men to turn their influence into channels which he can approve.
It is the work of the Holy spirit to act as reprover. This I am bidden to say to you, is the work that has been and must continue to be carried on in every church in our land. The more nearly we approach the closing scenes of this earth's history, the more pronounced will be the work of Satan; every species of deception will take the lead to divert the mind from God through Satan's devices. The imagination will be intensely awakened in human minds to absorb money in buildings for convenience or to expend it unnecessarily through some excuse or invention of Satan; so that there will be less money to support laborers in the field, and less money for the opening of new fields, and money will be unwisely appropriated to do things that are really good works, but by doing which the larger and more essential work is cramped, and many things cannot be undertaken at all, in the lifting of the banner of truth in new fields, with the proper dignity that should characterize the proclamation of warning that should be given to our world. If at the great heart of the work the pulse beats are violent and erratic, the peril to spiritual life affect the whole body.
Brethren and sisters in Battle Creek, I inquire, Who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, not only by profession, but by practice? Shall the idols be expelled from the heart, and Jesus be enthroned there? He is standing knocking at the door of every heart; do you hear his voice saying, Open unto me, I have heavenly treasures, goods of imperishable value; buy of me gold tried in the fire that you may be rich; buy white raiment and eye-salve? These are the goods you need, which, if you possess, will open to you the pearly gates of the city of God. He has been calling, calling in the rich gospel feast he has presented to you, that you may be fed with the Bread of Life, and Christ is still knocking at the door of your hearts.
Many go to Battle Creek expecting to find an influence similar to that of heaven, but they soon find practices not at all in accordance with their ideas of truth, and the separate, peculiar people who are to represent the most pure, holy principles of religion that were ever given to the world. Many have been led to walk in false paths through being brought in connection with those who are not consecrated, self-denying followers of Jesus Christ. These false professors have served as decoys to divert souls from the principles of truth and righteousness.
Where are the faithful sentinels in Battle Creek to keep the fort? Where are the minute men to be on guard and not relax their vigilance for one moment,--men who watch, men who pray, men who walk humbly in meekness and lowliness, after the example of the greatest Missionary that ever visited our world, who is our Pattern?
My soul is weighed down continually as a cart beneath sheaves. O why do men become so spiritually blind? Poor triflers prefer their idols to Jesus Christ, admitting them into the heart, while Jesus is left standing without. Will you compel God to work, and dash one after another of your idols to the ground, that those who claim to be Christians may be driven from the perishable to the eternal?
You have been made the depositaries of sacred, solemn messages of warning to an idolatrous
and impenitent world, and the Lord is not pleased with your ways; he cannot prosper you in thus
misrepresenting the truth, denying the message by your own course of action. Will our people
awake? Will they continue to strain every nerve to purchase things they do not positively need,
which are making them a by-word before the world? The Lord has money in the hands of his
stewards, which they are misappropriating, binding it up in idols of some description.
We have set before you our wants in this foreign field, but you have not had ears to hear and
hearts to feel, and instead of considering our position in this new region beyond, instead of
denying yourselves that we may have facilities, you bind up the things of God in the things
which he names idols. It is time that there was a different order of things in Battle Creek, else
the judgments of God will surely fall upon the people. His blessing has rested upon you in large
measure; has it made you laborers together with him? Are not our people in Battle Creek
demonstrating to unbelievers that they do not believe the truth which they claim to advocate?
God has been calling them away from every species of self-indulgence, and all manner of
extravagance. When the church has had great light, then is her peril if she does not walk in the
light, and put on her beautiful garments, and arise and shine; darkness will becloud the vision, so
that light will be regarded as darkness, and darkness as light. When the believers in Battle Creek
shall not only be penitent occasionally, but shall walk in humility, doers of the word, the world
will take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus. O how can the Spirit speak to
impress hearts so that they will obey his voice.
Letter 83, May 22, 1896, (see also 7ABC 295, PM 71, 129, 258, 389-90)
Much that has been revealed to me crowds upon my mind, which I hardly know how to express. Yet I cannot hold my peace. The Lord is indignant at men who set themselves up to rule their fellowmen, and to carry out plans which the Holy Spirit has condemned....
The natural heart is not to bring its own tainted, corrupting principles into the work of God. There must be no concealing of the principles of our faith. The third angel's message is to be sounded by God's people. It is to swell to the loud cry. The Lord has a time appointed when He will bind off the work; but when is that time? When the truth to be proclaimed for these last days shall go forth as a witness to all nations, then shall the end come. If the power of Satan can come into the very temple of God, and manipulate things as he pleases, the time of preparation will be prolonged....
Men in responsible positions have manifested the very attributes that Satan has revealed....There has been an effort to bring God's servants under the control of men....Principles have been born that should never have seen the light of day....Finite men have been warring against God and the truth and the Lord's chosen messengers, counterworking them by every means they dared to use....
It is an offense to God that His work should be restricted by human beings....Nothing that man can manufacture can take the place of God's Holy Spirit! Nothing that man's wisdom can invent will justify the violation of truth, or a disregard of the rights of humanity....The enemy would clog the wheels of progress, and prevent the truths of the gospel from being circulated everywhere. With this object he leads men to feel that it is their privilege to control the consciences of their fellow-men according to their own perverted ideas. Then dismiss the Holy Spirit from their counsels, and then, under the power and name of the General Conference, they invent regulations through which they compel men to be ruled by their own ideas and not by the Holy Spirit.
The plans to obtain control of human minds and abilities are as strange fire, which is an offense to God....There is need of an education in regard to the rights and duties of men in authority....Until the day of trial comes, how little men know of their own weaknesses. They think themselves wise, and make themselves fools. There is nothing that men may pride themselves in. Even those in most responsible positions do fall into sin, while apparently surrounded by the best religious privileges....
God reads the motives that underline the work of which I have spoken. These motives have been revealed to me, and I feel a depth of sorrow that is beyond expression. I cannot vindicate motives or methods, because they are an offense to God. I must take my stand fully. But what need for me to say more? I have written over and over again, but what has been the effect of the testimonies? What reformations have they wrought?...
Justification by faith will be manifest in transformation of character. This is the sign to the world of the truth of the doctrines we profess. The daily evidence that we are a living church is seen in the fact that we are practicing the Word. A living testimony goes forth to the world in consistent Christian action. It declares to a world apostatized that there is a people who believe that our safety is in clinging to the Bible. This testimony is in unmistakable distinction from that of the great apostate church, which adopts human wisdom and authority in place of the wisdom and authority of God....
The Lord Jesus is needed to cleanse the institution at Battle Creek as verily as He was needed to cleans the temple when he was on earth. O that our institutions might be purified from the buyers and the sellers, and the merchandise....
Men have come to Battle Creek who have been accompanied by the Holy Spirit; but unless they
fought every inch of ground over and over again, in seeking to maintain correct methods, they
were at last overborne. Right at the point where our work centers, they have seen
corruption....God would have His temple no longer a den of thieves and moneychangers....The
Lord will not be trifled with. He will test and try his people; He will thoroughly purge His floor,
and will gather His wheat into His garner.
Manuscript 46, March 31, 1898, (see also CWE 66-67; TDG 99; WM 199-200, 311-312)
We should be careful to avoid leaving an impression on human minds that will cut off our influence with them and hedge up our way. We may tie our hands and hinder our work because by some unadvised word or action of ours, we may have awakened prejudice. "For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God" [1 Peter 2:15, 16].
There must be no sharp retaliation between brother and brother, or against those who know not God, or Jesus Christ whom He has sent. These men are in darkness and error, and what we as a people restrain from doing that we may leave a correct impression upon their minds will do more to give a correct knowledge of the work in which we are engaged than all efforts to maintain the liberty given us by God. But when any requirement is made that shows disrespect to the seventh-day Sabbath, we are to refuse compliance. Here eternal interests are involved, and we are to know the ground we should occupy.
Those who compose our churches have traits of character that will lead them, if they are not very careful, to feel indignant because, on account of misrepresentation, their liberty in regard to working on Sunday is taken away. Do not fly into a passion over this matter, but take everything in prayer to God. He alone can restrain the power of rulers. Walk not rashly. Let none boast unwisely of their liberty, using it for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king" [Verse 17].
This advice is to be of real value to all who are to be brought into straight places. Nothing that shows defiance, or that could be interpreted as maliciousness, must be shown. "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully, For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable to God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" [Verses 18-24].
This instruction is given to us all. Ministers are to take heed, and with pen and voice echo the words of God. When we are called upon to violate the law of God, we shall be given wisdom from above to answer as did Christ, "It is written." Speak as few words of your own arrangement as possible, but have your heart supplied with the sharp arrows of God's furnishing. If God, the Great Master-Workman, is with us, we shall pass through the perplexing ordeals before us, as firm as a rock to principle, obeying God rather than man. This attitude will bring victories which our lack of faith has led us to regard as hopeless and impossible. These definite instructions were for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Our greatest necessity is a pure, clean heart, and an understanding mind. All kinds of malicious falsehoods were circulated against Christ, and they will be circulated against God's commandment-keeping people. How shall we prove these to be false? Shall it be by building up a wall between us and the world? Christ's prayer answers this point. "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil" [John 17:15]. While our work is aggressive, it must be conducted on Bible principles. All our enterprises are to be carried forward with Christ-like simplicity, patience, forbearance, and love for God and for Christ. Our work is to convince, not to condemn. The human beings around us possess like infirmities with ourselves. They have been educated by the clergy that Sunday is the Sabbath, and, so long has this error been cherished, that it has become hoary with age. But this does not make it truth.
We must stand on the platform of eternal truth, as laborers together with God. We are not to hurl thunderbolts at those in error, but uplift Christ before them, and bid them behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. We are not to storm their ears with prejudice, because this is not the way to break down prejudice. Paul, the faithful witness for Christ, gave this dying charge to Timothy: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry, For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing" [2 Timothy 4:1-8]. Read also 1 Timothy 2:1-12 and 3:10-17.
In dealing with unreasonable and wicked men, those who believe the truth are to be careful not
to bring themselves down to the same level, where they will use the same satanic weapons that
their enemies use, by giving loose rein to strong personal feelings, and arousing against
themselves and against the work the Lord has given them to do, passion and bitter enmity. Keep
Jesus uplifted. We are laborers together with God. We are provided with spiritual weapons,
mighty to the pulling down of the strongholds of the enemy. We must in no case misrepresent
our faith by weaving unChrist-like attributes into the work. We must exalt the law of God, as
binding us up with Jesus Christ and all who love Him and keep His commandments. We are
also to reveal a love for the souls for whom Christ died. Our faith is to be demonstrated as a
power of which Jesus is the author. And the Bible, His word, is to make us wise unto salvation.
Letter 96, July 5, 1900, (see also IHP 255)
From this time on to the end, men will spring up, men who are remarkably sharp, with whom those who have not an intelligent knowledge of the truth or who do not have special help from God, can in no way contend. Some human agents will be imbued with the spirit of the great fallen angel, who will be present in every meeting to help the human agent to voice his words and to speak in such a manner that many will be deceived, if possible, the very elect....
The brother who many suppose that he can meet the adversaries of the truth is to know that he is directed of the Lord. What can be done, may be asked?--unless we know that we have a commission from on high, we are to refuse to enter into controversy with anyone, because this is not our work. We are none of us to seek to cast out devils, lest we ourselves be cast out.
Let all remember how adroitly and cunningly did Satan command Christ to cast himself from the temple, quoting scripture to show Him that was the very thing to do, for in this way He could give evidence to all the people that He was what He claimed to be.
[Matthew 4:6 quoted].
In quoting this scripture, Satan left out a very important point, which reads in Psalms 91:11, "He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they will bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." In consenting to do Satan's bidding, Christ would be venturing into Satan's ways, not in ways that God had devised for His son. That was a dare and Satan's agents are full of presumptuous dares to get a chance to work his will with those who will accept his dare. But Christ would not accept the dare of Satan. Christ would not enter into controversy with the arch deceiver and tempter....
Angels, as ministering spirits, are in the path where duty calls the heirs of salvation to travel, and
God will protect them from all evil....We are to remember what Christ, our head, did and never
to step out of the path of God's providence, and place ourselves in a position where we might be
weakened by the enemy and overcome to our own hurt, and to the injury to the cause of God.
Letter 131, October 14, 1900, (see also Ev 220; TDG 296)
Those who exalt self place themselves in Satan's power, preparing to receive his deceptions as truth. There are ministers and workers who will present a tissue of nonsensical falsehood as testing truths, even as the Jewish rabbis presented the maxims of men as the bread of heaven. Sayings of no value are given to the flock of God, as their portion of meat in due season, while the poor sheep are starving for the bread of life.
There seem to be a burning desire to get up something fictitious and bring it in as new light.
Thus men try to weave into the web as important truths a tissue of lies. This fanciful mixture of
food that is being prepared for the flock will cause spiritual consumption, decline and death.
Letter 98, June 19, 1901, (see also 7ABC 406; CDF 272-73, 352)
Those in the synagogue of Satan will profess to be converted and, unless God's servants have
keen eyesight, they will not discern the working of the power of darkness.
Letter 155, September 15, 1901,
There are false teachers, bearing false doctrines, coming under the guise of godliness, but bearing Satan's science, which once received, pollutes the whole being, body, soul, and spirit. These teachers are wells without water. They put on an appearance of righteousness, but they lead minds into heresy and darkness. They speak great swelling words of vanity about their own power. Thus did Satan, when he promised Eve, "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). They turn men and women from obedience to disobedience, from the pure doctrines of righteousness, which drag them down to ruin.
False teachers have always abounded, and in the future they will increase in number and power
to deceive, apparently working miracles. All should beware of placing themselves in association
with such teachers. Their doctrines are attractive, and their deceptions so carefully hidden under
a garb of righteousness that, if it were possible, they will deceive the very elect.
Manuscript 124, December 9, 1901, (see also PM 168)
Satan is watching all the outposts to see where he can steal an entrance. For years he has been working with all his deceivableness of unrighteousness to find standing room in the Review and Herald Publishing House. And he has found it. He has been allowed to come into the very place that should ever have been regarded as a sacred, holy place, the temple of God, from which the Lord would send forth clear, bright rays of light to all parts of the world. Satan has succeeded in placing in the hands of the employees of our publishing houses a class of literature that is prepared to deceive, if possible, the very elect....The employees have worked on books containing spiritualistic, demoralizing theories....
Books containing false theories have been permitted to come from an office controlled by Seventh-day Adventists, while the very books that the managers should have been active and zealous in circulating everywhere have been left to lie unused on the shelves. When the pure truth is mingled with the slime of satanic deceptions, how can God work for the advancement of His cause?
The very fact that satanic literature has come from the presses of the Review and Herald Office, is a victory for the forces of Satan....The very class of literature that God has especially condemned has been allowed to come in.
Some in responsible positions are not controlled by the Holy Spirit....Why has this blindness been upon those to whom have been entrusted grave responsibilities in connection with our publishing houses? Why have they walked like blind men? Because they have disregarded the light that God has given them; because they have heeded neither the Scriptures nor the testimonies of warning sent them....By many the Lord has been dismissed from the Office as unnecessary....
"It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126]. The
law has been made void by those who have followed the wrong principles that have
characterized the work for the past twelve years....The backsliding of those who have been
placed at the head of the work--the very men who through communications have been informed
that they were out of place and in error in representing the voice of the General Conference as
being the voice of God. For many years it has not been thus, and it is not thus now; nor will it
ever be thus again, unless there is a thorough reformation.
Manuscript 169A, July 14, 1902,
Brethren, let us come to our senses. In more ways than one are we departing from God. Oh, how ashamed I was of a recent number of the Signs of the Times! On the first page is an article on Shakespeare, a man who died a few days after a drunken carousal, losing his life through indulgence of perverted appetite. In this article it is stated that he did many good works. Man is extolled. The good and the evil are placed on the same level and published in a paper that our people use to give the third angel's message to many of those who cannot be reached by the preached word.
The publication of this article robbed me of my rest last night. I was thrown into an agony of distress. If our brethren have not discernment enough to see the evil of these things, when will they have? Why can they not understand the tenor of such things? We are to stand on the elevated platform of eternal truth. The edge of the sword of truth is not to be dulled. We must take a straightforward course, using the truth as a mighty cleaver to separate from the world men and women who will stand as God's peculiar people.
When we give the message in its purity, we shall have no time for pictures illustrating the birthplace of Shakespeare, or for pictures similar to the page of a recent number of the Review and Herald. We are not to educate others along these lines. God pronounces against such articles and illustrations.
I have a straightforward testimony to bear in regard to them. We are to extol neither idolatry nor
men who did not choose to serve God. Years ago reproof was given our editors in regard to
advocating the reading of even such books as Uncle Tom's Cabin, Aesop's Fables, and Robinson
Crusoe. Those who begin to read such works usually desire to continue to read novels. Through
the reading of enticing stories they rapidly lose their spirituality. This is one of the principal
causes of the weak, uncertain spirituality of many of our youth.
Manuscript 118, October 6, 1902, (see also Ev 57, 65, 333)
Men's plans will be overthrown, and the Lord God of heaven will reveal His glory. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will work out heaven's law. These three great Powers have pledged themselves to bring to naught the inventions of idolatrous minds. They have put the infinite treasures of heaven at the command of God's struggling people. [God says,] "As the wheel is turned by a divine hand, the philosophy of the wisest men who are working contrary to My purposes will become intricate and confused."...
In the great closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we know not how to deal with, but
let us not forget that the three great Powers of heaven are working, that a divine hand is on the
wheel, and that God will bring His purposes to pass.
Letter 83, May 13, 1903,
Satan will use every opportunity to seduce men from their allegiance to God. He and the angels
who fell with him will appear on the earth as men, seeking to deceive. God's angels also will
appear as men, and will use every means in their power to defeat the purposes of the enemy. We
have a part to act. We shall surely be overcome unless we fight manfully the battles of the Lord.
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904,
After seducing Adam and Eve, Satan was sentenced to confinement to this globe. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" [Genesis 3:15]. This curse has reference chiefly to the originator of sin, the Devil, and not to the serpent, the medium. Satan and his associates fell under the curse.
Unless man is given the converting grace of heaven, he will have no disposition to oppose
Satan's counsels, and will become the enemy's willing dupe. It is God alone who puts enmity to
sin in the human heart. The Lord gives man a new mind. He causes the conflict that will not
submit to Satan's deceptive reasoning. It is God who makes a conflict where heretofore there
has been unity of action. It is the Lord's purpose that depraved human nature should, through his
divine power, be provided with a renovating energy.
Letter 59, January 22, 1904, (see also 1SM 172-74)
Be very careful not to entertain speculative ideas, or to teach that which does not properly represent the truth for this time. We are not to speculate regarding what will be in heaven. To pry into these mysteries and present fanciful theories regarding them is to do great harm. The people of God need not be aroused on this point. Suppositions regarding these mysteries are not to be received as truth. No one should dare pry into subjects that God has not revealed.
I am instructed to bear a message of warning against the theory that in the new earth children will be born. There is a strain of spiritualism coming in among our people, and it will undermine the faith of those who give place to it, leading them to give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
I have seen the arch-deceiver tempting several of our ministers, teachers, and medical workers, presenting to them in the most subtle and charming manner, fanciful theories to wean their affection from those whom they should love and cherish. He shows them charming pictures of women whom they have found congenial, suggesting that in the future life they will be united to the one who is so congenial.
The enemy of souls has gained much when he can lead the imagination of Jehovah's watchmen to dwell upon the possibilities of association with women in the world to come whom they love, and of them raising up families. We need no such pleasing picture. All such views originate in the mind of the tempter. We have the plain assurance of Christ that in the world to come the redeemed "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30).
Manuscript 36, March 24, 1906, (see also 3SM 427; UL 97)
Men who are under the sway of a spirit, not pure, not true, must not be allowed to deceive to
their ruin, if possible, the very chosen of God. I testify in the name of the Lord that step by step
erring, unsanctified, unholy influences will be exerted to deceive those who suppose that these
men are true and loyal, when they are working to deceive, if possible, the very elect. And
through the deceptive influences, through the way they present the testimonies given, they seek
to destroy those souls who will listen to their satanic sophistries.
Letter 136, April 27, 1906, (see also 2SM 53; 3SM 54; TDG 126)
I am instructed that the Lord, by His infinite power has preserved the right hand of His messenger for more than half a century, in order that the truth may be written out as He bids me write it for publication, in periodicals and books. Why?--Because if it were not thus written out, when the pioneers in the faith shall die, there would be many, new in the faith, who would sometimes accept as messages of truth teachings that contain erroneous sentiments and dangerous fallacies. Sometimes that which men teach as 'special light' is in reality specious error...and errors of this sort will be entertained by some until the close of this earth's history....
The seductive fallacies of Satan undermined confidence in the true pillars of the faith, which are grounded on bible evidence. Truth is sustained by a plain 'thus saith the Lord' but there has been a weaving of error, and the use of scriptures out of their natural connection, in order to substantiate fallacies, which would deceive, if possible the very elect....
Throughout the world satanic science will become stronger and more fully developed, from this time henceforth until Christ rises from His throne and puts on the garments of vengeance....
If we accept not the truth in the love of it, we may be among the number who will see the
miracles wrought by Satan in these last days and believe them. Many strange things will appear
as wonderful miracles, which should be regarded as deceptions manufactured by the father of
lies.
Manuscript 35, March 7, 1908,
A battle is continually going on between the forces of good and the forces of evil, between the angels of God and the fallen angels. We are beset before and behind, on the right hand and on the left. The conflict that we are passing through is the last that we shall have in this world. We are now in the midst of it. Two parties are striving for the supremacy. In this conflict we cannot be neutral. We must stand either on one side or on the other. If we take our position on the side of Christ, if we acknowledge Him before the world in word and work, we are bearing a living testimony as to whom we have chosen to serve and honor. In this important period of earth's history, we cannot afford to leave anyone in uncertainty as to whose side we are on....
"Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" [Revelation 3:10]. We are now in this great hour of temptation that is to try all the world. In order to gain the victory over every besetment of the enemy, we must lay hold on a power out of and beyond ourselves....
There are severe trials before every one of us, yet we need not fail. In the hour of temptation
Christ will not leave His children, but will send His angels to minister unto them. He will
answer their prayers for deliverance.
- Apostasy -
Letter 51, September 6, 1886
Letter 16, April 30, 1888
Letter 4, 1889
Letter 71, April 8, 1894
Letter 31, February 28, 1897
Letter 156, April 8, 1897
Letter 98a, April 9, 1897
Letter 143, May 6, 1897
Letter 126, May 18, 1897
Manuscript 68, June 21, 1897
Manuscript 78, July 28, 1897
Manuscript 87, August 19, 1897
Manuscript 13, February 9, 1898
Manuscript 97, August 11, 1898
Manuscript 154, November 22, 1898
Letter 20, February 3, 1899
Manuscript 44, 1900
Manuscript 82, 1900
Manuscript 33, April 27, 1903
Letter 127, July 1, 1903
Letter 237, July 14, 1904
Letter 141, 1905
Manuscript 122, August, 1905
Manuscript 127, 1905
Letter 90, March 6, 1906
Manuscript 61, June 3, 1906
Letter 266, August 5, 1906
Letter 50, February 6, 1907
Manuscript 125, July 4, 1907
Letter 410, August 26, 1907
Manuscript 13, March 25, 1908
Letter 330, November 11, 1908
Manuscript 1, February 24, 1915
Letter 51, September 6, 1886, (see also 7ABC 93-94)
We must do something to stop this terrible tide of moral impurity. Self-abuse stands as the most degrading sin, polluting the whole character of the man. Unless those who are practicing this vice break off their sin and repent before God, they will find no place in the city of God. There entereth into that city nothing that defileth or maketh a lie. Such characters are living a lie continually....
If the people of God will walk in the ways of the Lord and keep His charge, which is the ten commandments, then the promise is that they shall judge His house and have places to walk among the angels. Now the question is, will those who profess the truth comply with the conditions? Will the characters of those who profess to believe the truth correspond with its sacredness? Satan's special efforts are now directed toward the people who have great light. He would lead them to become earthly and sensual. There are men who minister in sacred things whose hearts are defiled with impure thoughts and unholy desires....
I tell you the truth, Elder Butler, that unless there is a cleansing of the soul-temple on the part of many who claim to believe and to preach the truth, God's judgments, long deferred, will come. These debasing sins have not been handled with firmness and decision. There is corruption in the soul, and unless it is cleansed by the blood of Christ, there will be apostasies that will startle you.
The thoughts will be pure, if the heart is pure. If the fountain is corrupt, the streams will be corrupt. Shall men who are conversant with the Scriptures, and who are standing in vindication of the fourth commandment, be charged in the books of heaven with transgressing the seventh? Shall Satan be given occasion to taunt the angels of God with the filthy characters of those who claim to be Christians?...
I address you who shall have this epistle brought before you, who are leaders, who may be termed princes among the people: "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" [Isaiah 52:11]. Humble your souls before God. Jesus is in the sanctuary. We are in the great day of atonement, and if the investigative judgment has not already commenced for the living, it will soon begin, and to how many are the words of the True Witness applicable?--"I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" [Revelation 3:1-3].
The cases of all will be brought up in the judgment, and, if their sins are not confessed, their
names will then be blotted out of the Book of Life, and their lot will be with the adulterers and
fornicators, and deceivers, and those who love and make a lie. "Thou hast a few names even in
Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are
worthy. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his
angels" [Revelation 3:4-5].
Letter 16, April 30, 1888, (see also 3SM 44, 68-69)
We are living in these last days, when lukewarmness and apostasy abound....This is the state of a
large share of those who have the form of godliness in these last days. The doom of the withered
fig tree has a personal application. Who cannot see the living counterpart in the men and
women who claim to have great light, in advance of every other people on the face of the earth,
whose daily life and unholy characters belie their profession of godliness?...The mold of Christ
is not upon them, leaves of profession to conceal their deformity, but no fruit. There is more
hope of the open sinner than of such.
Letter 4, 1889, (see also Ev 594; IHP 23, 109; 1MCP 322; 2MCP 535-36, 787; OHC 51)
There is an alarming condition of things in our churches. Says the word of God, "Your iniquities
have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among
my people are found wicked men: they set a trap, they catch men....The prophets prophesy
falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will
ye do in the end thereof?" [Jeremiah 5:25-26]. "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter
of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace" [Jeremiah 6:14]. "And now,
because ye have done all these works, saith Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and
speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this
house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and
to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out
all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim" [Jeremiah 7:13-15]. God will surely fulfill
his word to those who will not hear, will not see, and refuse the light that He sends.
Letter 71, April 8, 1894, (see also PM 144, 147-48, 156-57, 228-29)
The work is not to be centered in any one place, not even in Battle Creek...mistakes have been made in this line. Individual and personal responsibility are thus repressed and weakened. The work is the Lord's, and its strength and efficiency are not all to be concentrated in any one place.
Already it has been proved that there was a lack of faithfulness in the men placed in important
positions of trust. The simplicity of the work was forgotten. The principles God had laid down
were ignored....Selfishness was indulged, because the men in positions of trust were not with
heart and soul relying upon divine wisdom and power but walking after the imagination of their
own hearts. This scripture was presented to me as applicable: "The word that came to Jeremiah
from the Lord, saying, Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and
say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will
cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the
Temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye
thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; If ye oppress not the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other
gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your
fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal,
murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after
other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by
my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called
by my name, become a den of robbers in our eyes: Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.
But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what
I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these
works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I
called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my
name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have
done to Shiloh....But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your
God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it
may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels
and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward" [Jeremiah 7:1-14, 23, 24].
Letter 31, February 28, 1897, (see also PM 227-28, 323-25)
The great apostasy is working to a point, and will develop into darkness deep as midnight, impenetrable as sackcloth of hair....Darkness will become more dense in human minds after the truth has penetrated and been rejected. But there are some minds where the darkness will be removed. They will recognize the light.
The apostasy will exist in this night of spiritual darkness. It will be destroyed by the brightness and exceeding glory of Christ's coming....Then the system of satanic delusions which souls have preferred to the truth that involves a cross will be broken up.
The powers of deception are working upon minds in every country to gain a foothold.... The night of trial, the night of weeping, the night of persecution for the truth's sake is not far distant. It is through much tribulation that we shall stand as faithful sentinels for God, not swerving one hair from truth and righteousness. Famines will increase. Pestilences will sweep away thousands. Dangers are all around us from the powers without and satanic workings within, but the restraining power of God is now being exercised....
The night of trial is nearly spent. Satan is bringing in his masterly power because he knows that his time is short. The chastisement of God is upon the world to call all who know the truth to hide in the cleft of the Rock and view the glory of God. The truth must not be muffled now. Plain statements must be made. Unvarnished truth must be spoken in leaflets and pamphlets, and these must be scattered like the leaves of autumn....
Those who have not been sanctified through the truth will be subject to Satan's temptations. They will be his most successful allies to criticize, to speak evil, and work unrighteousness. There are not those who will show just what they will do under temptation and in an emergency, they cannot be depended upon....
The clouds with which human agencies have covered the truth will soon be dissipated. The truth
that has not been clearly discerned, will be opened before those who search for it as for hidden
treasure. The Holy Spirit will descend in power upon His people, explaining many mysteries.
Letter 156, April 8, 1897, (see also 7ABC 47, 173-74)
Apostasy has come in to our ranks as it came into heaven, and all who unite with Satan in this kind of work will act on the same principles Satan worked. Not open, not frank, but in secrecy. Satan must deceive in order to succeed. In vain the net is set in the sight of any bird.... Is not Satan the life and soul of every species of rebellion which he himself has instigated? By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned....Thou hast defiled thy sanctuary by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick. In this place 'traffick' is the emblem of corrupt administration....
Christ came to our world not to aid Satan in working in rebellion, but to put down rebellion.
Letter 98a, April 9, 1897, (see also 3SM 348-49)
At times I have had to face nearly the whole church in defense and vindication of the heaven-sent light....With every departure of our institutions from straight lines, with every new departure from right principles, strange methods and principles are brought in....
God is calling for volunteers, for men who will not turn away from the truth they have strenuously advocated for years to advocate erroneous doctrines....At the eleventh hour, when the work grows harder and the people are more hardened, there will be a variety of talent brought in. These workers will prove faithful and receive their penny. Sacrificing men will step into the places made vacant by those who would not be fitted for a place in the heavenly temple....He [God] will call upon the youth to fill up the places made vacant by deaths and apostasies. He will give young men and women, as well as those who are older, the cooperation of the heavenly intelligences. They will have converted characters, converted minds, converted hands, converted feet, and converted tongues. Their lips will be touched with a living coal from the divine altar....
Satan is moving with intensity from beneath and is bringing all his forces to bear to unsettle
those who have once been established in the truth which they have once advocated, can do the
greatest harm to the cause of God. Quite a large number will enter this path because the truth
they once believed has not been brought into their life-practice. But those who depart from the
faith and refuse to give the last message of warning to the world will walk in paths in which the
Lord does not lead. Satan goes before them as an angel of light. They will follow on in false
paths until they shall discern what is comprehended in the wrath of the Lamb.
Letter 143, May 6, 1897,
Those who have known the truth, who have been blessed by the influence of the Holy Spirit, who have appreciated the truth, but have turned from it, will not be treated merely as impenitent sinners. Their guilt is aggravated, because they have had a knowledge of the truth....
Nothing is scarcely semblance of truth in their reports. These false witnesses would just as
readily swear to their fabricated lies as to the truth itself.
Letter 126, May 18, 1897,
In our experience we have seen some who although they apparently believe the truth, were not in the truth, and the truth was not in them. Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, and when once they open the heart to unbelief, Satan comes in to possess the soul. The rapid change that takes place in the character and in the countenance, show whom they have chosen as leader.
The men who have lately apostatized say that the Sabbath does not amount to much. It makes
no difference whether we keep it, or do not keep it.
Manuscript 68, June 21, 1897, (see also CG 263; 1MCP 112-13)
When the test and trial comes to every soul, there will be apostasies. Traitors, heady,
highminded and self-sufficient men will turn away from the truth, making shipwreck of the faith.
Why?--Because they did not dig deep and make their foundation sure. They were not riveted to
the Eternal Rock. When the words of the Lord, through His chosen messengers, are brought to
them, they murmur and think the way is made too strait. Like those who were thought to be
disciples of Christ, but who were displeased with His words, and walked no more with Him, they
will turn away from Christ.
Manuscript 78, July 28, 1897, (see also DA 628-30)
Many false Messiahs will appear, claiming to work miracles, and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead many....The same deceptions practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem will be practiced again. The same events that took place at the overthrow of Jerusalem will take place again....
Seventh-day Adventists will fight the battle over the seventh-day Sabbath. The authorities in the United States and in other countries will rise up in their pride and power, and make laws to restrict religious liberty....They will assume the right that is God's alone, and like Nebuchadnezzar, they will think they can force the conscience, which God only can control. Even now they are making a beginning which they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary over which they cannot step. God will interpose on behalf of His loyal, commandment-keeping people....
On every occasion that persecution takes place, the witnesses make decisions, either for Christ or against Him. Those who show sympathy for the men wrongly condemned, who are not bitter against them, show their attachment for Christ. Many will be offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practices. Many will stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Many who have professed to love the truth will then show that they had no vital union with the true vine. They will be cut away as branches that bear no fruit, and will be bound up with unbelievers, scoffers, and mockers....
Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness and betray their brethren. They will tell where they are concealed, putting the wolves on their track. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural and cruel course of friends and relatives.
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" [Matthew 24:11]. False christs did
arise [before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70] deceiving the people and leading great
numbers into the desert. Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people
after them into mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was also spoken for the last days. This
sign is given as a sign of the second advent. Companies inspired by Satan will be formed to
deceive and delude.
Manuscript 87, August 19, 1897, (see also TDG 140; 3RH 561, col 3)
Many have tried neutrality in a crisis, but they have failed in their purpose. No one can maintain a neutral ground. Those who endeavor to do this will fulfill Christ's words, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" [Matthew 6:24]. Those who begin their Christian life by being half and half, whatever may be their intentions, will at last be found enlisted on the enemy's side.
Double-minded men and women are Satan's best allies. Whatever favorable opinion they may have of themselves, they are dissemblers. All who are loyal to God and the truth must stand firmly for the right because it is right. To yoke up with those who are unconsecrated and yet be loyal to the truth, is simply an impossibility. We cannot unite with those who are serving themselves, who are working on worldly plans, and not lose our connection with the heavenly counselor. We may recover ourselves from the snare of the enemy, but we are bruised and wounded, and our experience is dwarfed....
When a man loses the shield of a good conscience, he knows that he has lost the cooperation of
heavenly angels. God is not working in him. Another spirit inspires him. And to be an apostate,
a traitor to the cause of God, is much more serious than death, it means the loss of eternal life.
Manuscript 13, February 9, 1898, (see also 7ABC 171)
It is not the fault of the gospel that apostasies occur. Those who apostatize are not truly converted. They have received the truth by halves. The light of truth has not been strengthened by practice, and it is soon quenched, leaving them in greater darkness than before....
Each man in this world is charged also with the souls that might have been saved had he used
aright his God-given talents.
Manuscript 97, August 11, 1898, (see also 7ABC 284, 404; MAR 200; 3SM 421-22; TDG 232)
Many who have had great light have not appreciated and improved it as it was their privilege to do. They have not practiced the truth. And because of this the Lord will bring in those who have lived up to all the light they have had. And those who have been privileged with opportunities to understand the truth and who have not obeyed its principles will be swayed by Satan's temptations for self-advancement. They will deny the principles of truth in practice and bring reproach upon the cause of God.
Christ declares that He will spew these out of His mouth, and leave them to follow their own course of action to distinguish themselves. This course of action does indeed make them prominent as men that are unfaithful householders....
We are now living in the last days, when the truth must be spoken...irrespective of consequences. If there are some who will become offended and turn from the truth, we must bear in mind that there were those who did the same in Christ's day....Those who will maintain the truth, irrespective of consequences, will offend some whose hearts are not in harmony with the truth as it is in Jesus. These persons cherish theories of their own, which are not the truth. The truth does not harmonize with their sentiments, and rather than give their own ideas, they walk away from those who obey the truth. But there are men who will receive the truth, and these will take the places made vacant by those who become offended and leave the truth.
"They went out from us, but they were not of us" [1 John 2:19]. Men of true Christian principle
will take their place, and will become faithful, trustworthy householders, to advance the Word of
God in its true bearings and in its simplicity. The Lord will work so that the disaffected ones
will be separated from the true and loyal ones....The ranks will not be diminished. Those who
are firm and true will close up the vacancies that are made by those who become offended and
apostatize.
Manuscript 154, November 22, 1898, (see also IHP 49; 3SM 411)
We shall in the future, as we have in the past, see all kinds of characters developed. We shall witness the apostasy of men in whom we have had confidence, whom we trusted, who, we supposed, were as true as steel to principle. Something comes to test them, and they are overthrown....Those who fall have evidently corrupted their way before the Lord, and they are beacons of warning, teaching those who profess to believe the truth that the word of God alone can keep men steadfast in the way of holiness, or reclaim them from guilt.
The word of God is the pearl of great price. It is unchangeable, eternal. Truth as it is in Jesus sets men right and keeps them so. But when men show themselves to be unimpressible, unable to appreciate the pearl of great price, when they deal dishonestly with God and unrighteously with their fellow men, it is not best to link up with them. We shall meet those who have so perverted their conscience that they are unable to discern the precious truth of God's word. Then let all be careful with whom they connect. The truth is no truth to those who do not obey it.
Those who are doers of the Word have found the pearl of great price. The truth is as an anchor
to the soul, both sure and steadfast. When men drift away from the principles of truth, they
always betray sacred trusts. Let every soul, whatever may be his sphere of action, make sure that
the truth is implanted in the heart by the power of the Spirit of God.
Letter 20, February 3, 1899,
We are living in the last days. God will be our strength, our support, our ever present helper, if
we will only trust in Him. We are to make the best of our present opportunities. There will be
no other probation given to us in which to prepare for heaven. This is our only and last
opportunity to form characters which will fit us for the future home which the Lord has prepared
for all who are obedient to His commandments.
Manuscript 44, 1900, (see also CG 113; Ev 118; WM 232-33, 238)
The church has taken the world into her fellowship, and has given her affections to the enemies
of holiness. The church and the world are standing on the same ground in transgression of the
law of God. The church prefers to assimilate to the world rather than separate from its customs
and vanities.
Manuscript 82, 1900, (see also 7ABC 156; FLB 69, 72; IHP 179, 189, 260; 3SM 332; Te 69, 239)
When we see those who for nearly a lifetime have been standing on the platform of truth,
deciding that they can just as well as not unite with the men who do not recognize the law of
Jehovah, seeking their influence and support, our hearts are made sad. They think they can
occupy a non-committal position. Thus believers slip away from the truth to the side of
unbelievers, and the enemy exults. There are before us issues that will bring those who sincerely
desire to do right to the true position. But there are those who will never again stand safe. In
trying to break down the barriers between him that serves God and him that serves him not, they
have placed themselves where their feet will never again find solid ground.
Manuscript 33, April 27, 1903, (see also 7ABC 110, 160-61; CG 275; UL 131)
Although a man may be entrusted with great responsibilities, his high position may not be the measure of his character. The responsibilities accepted do not make him perfect or trustworthy. His acceptance with God depends upon his fear to offend, and his obedience to God's requirements. If he departs from the counsel of God, he is no longer under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
When men who profess to keep God's commandments, often dwelling on the importance of obeying the law of God, fail to work righteousness and walk against the law of God, He sends messengers to warn them and turn them to the paths of righteousness. But many who have not that faith that works by love and purifies the soul will refuse to heed God's warnings.
To all who seek Him God will grant special manifestations of His presence and favor. But to those who forsake Him He gives the warning, "I also will forsake them."...Obedience to the Lord always brings favor, and a faithful discharge of righteous principles will bear the divine credentials; but the Lord is dishonored when those who are placed as stewards, guardians of God's flock, sustain and sanction an evil work....
God gives men the light, but many are filled with self-sufficient, masterly spirit; and they strive by carrying out their own ideas to reach a height where they will be as God. They place their mind first, as if God must serve with them. Herein lies the danger in this: Unless God shall in some way make these men understand that He is God, and that they are to serve Him, human inventions will be brought in that will lead away from Bible truth, notwithstanding all the cautions that have been given.
The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of Life, He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it to the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the Word of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer work with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities. But if these in turn do not purify their lives from every wrong action;
if they do not establish pure and holy principles in all their borders, then the Lord will grievously
afflict and humble them, and, unless they repent, will remove them from their place and make
them a reproach.
Letter 127, July 1, 1903, (see also 7ABC 330; 2MCP 492; TDG 191)
We know that unconsecrated Seventh-day Adventists who have a knowledge of the truth, but
who have linked themselves with worldlings will depart entirely from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits. The enemy will gladly hold out inducements to them, to lead them to carry on a
warfare against the people of God.
Letter 237, July 14, 1904, (see also 3SM 411-12)
At this crisis all are called upon to take their position. We must stand apart from those who are determined to make shipwreck of faith. We must not sell our Lord at any price....
The time has come when even in the church and in our institutions, some will depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. But God will keep that which is
committed to Him. Let us draw near to Him, that He may draw near to us. Let us bear a plain,
clear testimony right to the point, that hypnotism is being used by those who have departed from
the faith, and that we are not to link up with them. Through those who depart from the faith, the
power of the enemy will be exercised to lead others astray.
Letter 141, 1905,
Christ is our sufficiency. Those who indeed receive Him as a personal Saviour will reveal
honesty and integrity in all their dealings. There will be no robbery, no underhand dealing. We
are to be rooted and built up in Christ, that we may not be carried away by the science of the
great deceiver. Already some are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and
doctrines of devils. There are those who boast that they have been studying science for years.
But what has this science done for them? Just what it did for Satan in the heavenly courts.
Manuscript 122, August, 1905, (see also PM 174-75)
Satan has his allies in men, and evil angels in human form will appear to men, and present
before them such glowing representations of what they will be able to do, if they will only heed
their suggestions, that often they change their penitence for defiance.
Manuscript 127, 1905, (see also CWE 157-58)
Our greatest danger will come from men who have lifted up their souls unto vanity and who have not heeded the words of reproof and warning coming from God. When men choose their own way and their own mind, there is always danger, for the tempter, clothed in angel robes, is close beside them, uniting his power and influence with theirs. The enemy of Christ and God will open before them many things, presenting his bribes in an attractive character, which are deceptive and alluring. These they will present to the people of God, and many will be deceived, and will work in wrong lines.
Without an entire transformation of character, human beings cannot enter the holy city. Amidst
the abounding iniquity, we are to receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. Only thus
can we receive power to become the sons of God. The striving soul, cooperating with Christ,
becomes a partaker of the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The power of a godly example will often be effective in the conversion of the most bitter
persecutors of God's people. A righteous example, so contrary to the policy of the world,
surprises worldlings, and leads them to bow at the cross of Christ. Not one soul with sins
unconfessed and unrepented of will enter through the gates into the city of God.
Letter 90, March 6, 1906, (see also 7ABC 375; 3SM 122; TDG 74)
Those who are departing from the faith are at work to undermine the confidence of others, and have been thus at work for years....One jot of our faith yielded through the wily presentation of the foe opens the way for departure from another principle of Bible Truth. We have established truth, which is not to be changed by the presentations of medical men, even though these men may have been greatly honored of God, or by the presentations of ministers, even though these ministers may long have preached the truth. Not one pin or pillar is to be removed....
The straying ones, giving heed to seducing spirits, will have the sympathy and sustaining influence of those who know not God, those who have forfeited their allegiance to God and stand in rebellion against the truth....
Ministers and doctors may depart from the faith, as the Word declares they will, and as the
messages that God has given His servants declare they will. Thus believers will be given
evidence that the word of God, the warnings He has given, are being fulfilled right among us.
Some may make light of these messages, misinterpret them, and say untruthful things, which
lead others' minds astray. Our only hope is in the God of truth....The more plainly the testing
truth is brought before the people, the more bitter will be the hatred manifested by those who
have departed from the faith and given their attention to sentiments of Satan's presentations.
Manuscript 61, June 3, 1906, (see also 7ABC 378; 5RH 263)
As has been foretold in the Scriptures, there will be seducing spirits and doctrines of devils in the midst of the church, and these evil influence will increase, but hold fast the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end....
The time is at hand when Satan will work miracles to confirm the belief that he is God. All the people of God are now to stand on the platform of truth as it has been given in the third angel's message. All the pleasant pictures, all the miracles wrought, will be presented in order that, if possible, the very elect shall be deceived. The only hope for anyone is to hold fast the evidences that have confirmed the truth in righteousness. Let these be proclaimed over and over again until the close of earth's history.
The perils of the last days are upon us. Devote not precious time in trying to convince those who
would change the truth of God into a lie....Whoever is determined to depart from the faith cannot
be helped by you. All your reasoning will be as idle tales.
Letter 266, August 5, 1906,
Never before have I carried so sad a heart as since I have seen the apostasy of men and women
who have had great light, and an abundance of evidence of the truth for this time. This brings to
me a grief that should be spared me, in these closing days of earth's history. But I have no power
to change the seductive working of the enemy. The Scripture has said that such things will
come. I accept the word of the Lord, and submit to the conditions that arise.
Letter 50, February 6, 1907,
Many have received all the evidence of truth that God will ever give them. They have permitted
and encouraged false sentiments; and they have practiced deception to cover up their apostasy.
Manuscript 125, July 4, 1907,
In the twenty-fourth chapter, Ezekiel records the representation that was given to him of the punishment that would come upon all who would refuse the word of the Lord....
"Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein,
and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust...
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned....
"She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused My fury to rest upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.
"Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
"And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God" [Ezekiel 24:6-7, 9-10, 12-24].
I am instructed to present these words before those who have had light and evidence, but who have walked directly contrary to the light. The Lord will make the punishment of those who will not receive his admonitions and warnings as broad as the wrong has been. The purposes of those who have tried to cover their wrong, while they have secretly worked against the purposes of God, will be fully revealed. Truth will be vindicated. God will make manifest that He is God.
There is a spirit of wickedness at work in the church that is striving at every opportunity to make void the law of God. While the Lord may not punish unto death those who have carried their rebellion to great lengths, the light will never again shine with such convincing power upon the stubborn opposers of truth. Sufficient evidence is given to every soul regarding what is truth and what is error. But the deceptive power of evil upon some is so great that they will not receive the evidence and respond to it by repentance.
A long-continued resistance of truth will harden the most impressionable heart. Those who reject the Spirit of truth place themselves under the control of a spirit that is opposed to the word and work of God. For a time they may continue to teach some phases of the truth; but their refusal to accept all the light God sends will after a time place them where they will do the work of a false watchman.
The interests of the cause of present truth demand that those who profess to stand on the Lord's side shall bring into exercise all their powers to vindicate the advent message, the most important message that will ever come to the world. For those who stand as representatives of present truth to use time and energy now in attempting to answer the questions of the doubting ones, will be an unwise use of their time. It will not remove the doubts. The burden of our work now, is not to labor for those who, although they have had abundant light and evidence, still continue on the unbelieving side. God bids us give our time and strength to the work of preaching to the people the messages that stirred men and women in 1843, and 1844....Instead of going over and over the same ground to establish the faith of those who should never have accepted a doubt regarding the third angel's message, let our efforts be given in making known the truth to those who have never heard it....
God is speaking to His people today as He spoke to Israel through Moses, saying, "Who is on the
Lord's side?" My brethren, take your position where God bids you. Leave alone those who after
light has been repeatedly given them have taken a stand on the opposite side. You are not to
spend precious time in repeating to them what they already know, and thus lose your opportunities of entering new fields with the message of present truth.
Letter 410, August 26, 1907, (see also MM 153; 2SM 53-54; 3SM 408-09)
During the past night I have been unable to sleep. My mind has been deeply exercised, and I am now writing, though it is several hours before daylight....
All who profess to be the children of God need now to realize that we are living in perilous times: The end of all things is near at hand. The signs are rapidly fulfilling, yet it would seem that but few realize that the day of the Lord is coming swiftly, silently as a thief in the night. Many are saying, Peace and safety. Unless they are watching and waiting for their Lord, they will be taken as in a snare....
We see and feel keenly the unbelief of some who have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, refusing to acknowledge the light, because it has not coincided with their own ideas. My heart is pained as I see that many, and some even amongst our own people are fulfilling the words written by Paul: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." [1 Timothy 4:1]. The time of this apostasy is here. Every conceivable effort will be made to throw doubt upon the positions that we have occupied for over half a century.
The work that the Lord has laid upon me is held up to ridicule and scorn. But even in this I am in good company, for so did the Pharisees regard the Saviour and His works. Some declare their unbelief in the work that the Lord has given me to do because, as they say, "Mrs. E.G. White works no miracles." But those who look for miracles as a sign of divine guidance are in grave danger of deception. It is stated in the Word that the enemy will work through agents who have departed from the faith, and they will seemingly work miracles, even to the bringing down of fire out of heaven in the sight of men. By means of "lying wonders" Satan would deceive, if possible, the very elect.
Multitudes have heard me speak, and have read my writings, but no one has ever heard me claim to work miracles. I have at times been called upon to pray for the sick, and the word of the Lord has been verified: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" [James 5:14, 15].
Christ is the great miracle worker. To Him be all glory....
If those who were exalted to heaven in point of privilege, and who should have been especially wise in spiritual discernment, failed to recognize in Christ the promised Messiah, shall we think it strange if His followers are not recognized by the world?
"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
We need the true discernment. He alone who receives the Son of God as his Saviour stands on vantage ground. Many are in confusion because of their failure to receive the truth. Every soul in these days of terrible wickedness needs especially to search the scriptures. The less they associate with the elements of unbelief, the safer will it be for those who desire a genuine experience in the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
As I realize the accountability of those who know the truth, I cannot sleep. I pray earnestly for the light of Jesus' countenance, that I may not become confused. I shall continue to use pen and voice in accordance with the word of God. As representations are given to me, I shall endeavor faithfully to write them out.
It is a terrible thing to be self-deceived; for many will, because of self-confidence and self-sufficiency, be eternally lost. Now, just now, is the time to wash our robes of character, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. We cannot afford to lose heaven. Awful will be the revelation to those who find that the books of heaven testify that they have permitted themselves to become Satan's helpers in deceiving other souls, and causing them also to lose eternal life. Inexpressibly sad is the picture of those whom others will charge with the loss of their souls. Eternal life was within their reach, but their deluded, proud hearts were not broken, and they refused to confess their sins....
"Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. But I say unto thee, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."
"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him."...
There is hope for them if they will heed the gracious invitation: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My
burden is light."
Manuscript 13, March 25, 1908,
We hope that no means will be drawn from you to help those who have gone out from us
because they are not of us....The message of present truth must be carried to those who have
never heard it. We pray that the Lord will give you wisdom to place your name where it will
build up the cause of God in the earth.
Letter 330, November 11, 1908,
We shall be called to meet those who, notwithstanding definite reproof and warning through the
Testimonies have gone on in an evil course. We are bidden of God to hold ourselves separate
and distinct from these men who have not given heed to His warnings....For they will deceive, if
possible, the very elect.
Manuscript 1, February 24, 1915,
I want to tell you. I hate sin. I hate sin. I hate sin. I am charged to tell our people, that do not realize, that the devil has device after device, and he carries them out in ways that they do not expect. Satan's agencies will invent ways to make sinners out of saints.
I tell you now, that when I am laid to rest, great changes will take place....
I want the people to know that I warned them fully before my death.
- The Latter Rain -
Letter 15, June 25, 1892
Letter 6, January 16, 1896
Letter 8, February 6, 1896
Manuscript 148, October 8, 1899
Letter 15, June 25, 1892, (see also 7ABC 340; Ev 172; SD 180, 248; 1SM 158)
The Lord will soon come. There must be a refining, winnowing process in every church, for there are among us wicked men who do not love the truth or honor God. There is need of a transformation of character. Will the church arise and put on her beautiful garments, the righteousness of Christ? Soon it is to be seen who are the vessels unto honor.
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" [Revelation 18:1-2].
"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch" [Malachi 3:18-4:1].
Here are plainly brought to view those who will be vessels unto honor, for they will receive the latter rain. Every soul who, in the light now shining upon our pathway, continues in sin will be blinded and will accept the delusions that come from Satan. We are now nearing the close of this earth's history. Where are the faithful watchmen on the walls of Zion who will not slumber but faithfully declare the time of night?...How painful it is to contemplate that the Lord Jesus is being kept in the background!...
Never was the confederacy of evil greater than at the present time. Spirits of darkness combined with human agencies set themselves firmly against the commandments of God. They confederate together to make of none effect the law of God. Traditions, falsehoods are exalted above the Scriptures; reason and science above revelation; human talent, above the teaching of the Spirit; forms and ceremonies, above the vital power of godliness....
Time, precious time, has been lost in wanderings and backslidings from God. Every character is to be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary; if the moral character and spiritual advancement do not correspond to the benefits, opportunities and blessings bestowed, "wanting" is written against the name.
All who claim to be children of God should seek daily to understand why they believe [what they believe] by diligently searching the Scriptures for themselves. They who with humble hearts study the character of Jesus, will come more and more to reflect His image. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as [being something to be bestowed] in the future, but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it; pray for it; believe for it. We must have it, and heaven is waiting to bestow it....
The history of the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram...will be repeated till the close of time. Who
will be on the Lord's side? Who will be deceived, and in turn become deceivers? Everything is
to be shaken that can be shaken, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Letter 6, January 16, 1896,
Dear Brethren who occupy Responsible Positions in the Work:
The Lord has a controversy with you...Religious principles have been corrupted. We will either make more pure, noble, and holy the principles held by God's heritage, or else we will mislead by false proposition, unholy schemes, saying, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we" [Jeremiah 7:4]. The work and cause of the Lord is sacred. There is to be no mingling of human, common, unholy fire with God's offering. This has been and is still being done. But men are blind, and see not the result of their zealous efforts. The question is, Shall those who are called from place to place act a part in the sacred work of God, use the fire of God's own kindling, or shall they use the common fire, of which not one spark should be used, to kindle the incense upon the censors which are offered to God....
Obedience is the first price of eternal life. "But the comforter, which the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you" [John 14:26]. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Comforter is to reveal himself, not in any specified, precise way that man may mark out, but the order of God; in unexpected times and ways that will honor his own name.
Now, just now is our day of mercy and salvation. The Lord God who dwelleth in the holy place, sees every soul that shows contempt for the manifestations of his Holy Spirit. God has revealed himself again and again in a most marked manner in Battle Creek. He has given a large measure of his Holy Spirit to the believers there....Some felt annoyed at this out pouring, and their own natural dispositions were manifested. They said, This is only excitement; it is not the Holy Spirit, not showers from heaven of the latter rain....
On many occasions the Holy Spirit did work, but those who resisted the Spirit of God at Minneapolis were waiting for a chance to travel over the same ground again, because their spirit was the same....They pronounced in their heart and soul words that this manifestation of the Holy Spirit was fanaticism and delusion. They stood like a rock, the waves of mercy flowing upon and around them, but beaten back by their had and wicked hearts, which resisted the Holy Spirit's working. Had this been received, it would have made them wise unto salvation; holier men, prepared to do the work of God with sanctified ability. But all the universe of heaven witnessed the disgraceful treatment of Jesus Christ, represented by the Holy Spirit. Had Christ been before them, they would have treated him in a manner similar to that in which the Jews treated Christ....
Those who opened the door of their hearts to temptation at Minneapolis and carried the same spirit home with them, will realize, if not now, in the near future, that they resisted the Holy Spirit of God, and did despite to the spirit of grace. Will they repent, or will they harden their hearts, and resist evidence?
There is much that needs to be set in order in every institution that is in operation in our world. Finite men are not to make themselves lords, and seek to govern men's minds and principles, when their own minds, and their own principles, are very shaky. This uncertainty is being communicated to the churches by men in prominent positions....
Some have been and are still, refusing to put on the wedding garment. They still wear their citizen's dress, and despise the garment woven in the loom of heaven, which is, "Christ our Righteousness."...
The Spirit of the Lord has been upon His messengers whom He hath sent with light, precious light; but there were so many who had turned their face away from the Sun of Righteousness that they saw not its bright beams. The Lord says to them, They have turned their backs to Me, and not the face....
This lording over God's heritage as though the endowment of the talents of the mind, the soul, the principles of men, are to be under the jurisdiction of men, is permeating our churches with a spirit after the same order. There are many getting where the Lord can do nothing for them. They will not recognize the spirit or voice of God, but treat His words as idle tales. Many have breathed the atmosphere that has surrounded the souls of men in positions of trust, who have not only thought in their hearts but expressed with their lips, "My Lord delayeth His coming" [Matthew 24:48] and their acts reveal the sentiment.
Who will now understand these things that I write. There are men who have known the truth,
who have feasted upon the truth, who are now divided between infidel sentiments. There is only
a step between them and the precipice of eternal ruin. The Lord is coming, but those who
ventured to resist the light that God gave in rich measure at Minneapolis, who have not humbled
their hearts before God, will follow on in the path of resistance, saying, "Who is the Lord that I
should obey His voice?" [Exodus 5:2]. The banner all will bear who voice the message of the
third angel, is being covered with another color that virtually kills it. This is being done. Will
our people now hold fast to the truth? "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Revelation 14:12]. This is our standard.
Hold it aloft; for it is truth.
Letter 8, February 6, 1896, (see also UL 51)
The Holy Spirit has been insulted and light has been rejected. Is it possible for those who for years have been so blind to see? Is it possible that in this late stage of their resistance their eyes will be anointed? Will the voice of the Spirit of God be distinguished from the deceiving voice of the enemy?
There are men who will soon evidence which banner they are standing under, the banner of the Prince of Life, or the banner of the Prince of Darkness....
These are poor, honest, humble souls whom the Lord will put in your places [men in responsible places] who never had the opportunity you have had, could not, because you were not worked by the Holy Spirit.
We may be sure that, when the Holy Spirit is poured out, those who did not receive and
appreciate the early rain will not see or understand the value of the latter rain.
Manuscript 148, October 8, 1899, (see also 7ABC 99; 3SM 427)
We have the assurance that in this age of the world the Holy Spirit will work with mighty power, unless by our unbelief we limit our blessings, and thus lose the advantage we might obtain....
Personal religious experience is needed in every church. Why?--because those who are not under the working of the Holy Spirit will not stand amid the perils of the last days....
Unless the revival of the Spirit of God shall come, all their professions will never make the members of the church Christians. There are sinners in Zion who need to repent of sins that have been cherished as precious treasures. Until these sins are seen and thrust from the soul, until every faulty, unlovely trait of character is transformed by the Spirit's influence, God cannot manifest Himself in power. There is more hope for the open sinner than for the professedly righteous who are not pure, holy, and undefiled....The spiritual anointing of the Lord will never come to self-sufficient men and women...you will certainly be weighed in the golden scales of the heavenly sanctuary and found wanting....
What kind of witnesses are we for truth and righteousness? Are we striving with all our God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever reaching higher and higher, trying to attain the perfection of His character? When God's servants reach this point, they will be sealed in their foreheads. The recording angel will declare, "It is done." They will be complete in Him whose they are by creation and by redemption....
We must be laborers together with God, else we shall fail in the work of overcoming, and our
irreligious influence will cause other souls to fail. No soul is lost that does not draw other souls
down with it.
- The Third Angel's Message & Rev. 18 -
Letter 34, October 12, 1875
Letter 51, September 6, 1886
Letter 22, January 18, 1889
Manuscript 31, 1890
Letter 86a, January, 1893
Manuscript 32, 1896
Letter 73, October 12, 1896
Manuscript 91, July 17, 1898
Manuscript 92a, 1898
Manuscript 121b, October 1, 1898
Manuscript 172, 1899
Manuscript 175, 1899
Letter 28, February 17, 1900
Letter 74, May 20, 1900
Letter 86, June 18, 1900
Letter 92, July 2, 1900
Letter 121, August 13, 1900
Manuscript 60, August 20, 1900
Manuscript 135, October 31, 1902
Letter 210, September 21, 1903
Manuscript 122, October 9, 1903
Manuscript 53, May 11, 1905
Manuscript 31, April 2, 1906
Manuscript 39, 1906
Manuscript 75, September 20, 1906
Manuscript 37, May 30, 1909
Letter 34, October 12, 1875,
While the false prophets are crying, "Peace and Safety," and are seeking to soothe the
consciences of men, saying to the sinner, "Don't be alarmed. It shall be well with thee," the
voice of God's servants must be heard to arouse them that are asleep, crying, "Sudden destruction
cometh upon every soul of man who is not awake, watching and waiting for the appearing of
their Lord in the clouds of heaven." The third angel's message in power will go forth and the
earth will be lightened with his glory....The message of warning must be carried to every nation
upon the globe....Satan is always astir to hedge up the way, we must be wise or he will prevail.
Letter 51, September 6, 1886, (see also 7ABC 93-4)
We are in danger of becoming a sister to fallen Babylon, of allowing our churches to become corrupted, and filled with every foul spirit, a cage for every unclean and hateful bird....I tell you the truth, Elder Butler, that unless there is a cleansing of the soul temple on the part of many who claim to believe and to preach the truth, God's judgments, long deferred, will come.
I address you who shall have this epistle brought before you, who are leaders, who may be
termed princes among the people. "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" [Isaiah 52:11].
Humble your souls before God. Jesus is in the Sanctuary. We are in the great Day of
Atonement, and if the investigative Judgment has not already commenced for the living, it will
soon begin....
Letter 22, January 18, 1889, (see also 1SM 23; 3SM 337)
I stated [at the 1888 General Conference Session] that...there was to be special light for God's
people as they neared the closing scenes of this earth's history. Another angel was to come down
from heaven with a message, and the whole earth was to be lighted with his glory. It would be
impossible for us to state just how this additional light will come. It might come in a very
unexpected manner, in a way that would not agree with the ideas that many have conceived. It is
not at all unlikely, or contrary to the ways and works of God to send light to His people in
unexpected ways. Would it be right that every avenue should be closed...?
Manuscript 31, 1890, (see also in 7ABC 308, 458; CM 107-8, 115, 128-9; TMK 208)
The warnings and entreaties of the word of God and the fulfillment of prophecy in events daily taking place around us are but dimly comprehended by many who profess to believe the present truth. Satan would have men sleep, while he is actively at work sowing the seeds of error. Every eye in the unfallen universe is bent on the scenes unfolding before us,--the final scenes of the great controversy,--the consummation of the long struggle of evil against good, of hell with heaven. Satan with his miracle working power is to deceive the world of the ungodly. But Christ, the atoning sacrifice, will be a refuge to every soul that trusts in Him. In the cleft of the Rock we may hide, secure from all the power and arts of the wicked one.
Satan will take possession of every mind given to his control, and will work through every agency that he can secure, to further his plans. And the greater the necessity of shedding light into the darkness of the world, the greater and more varied will be Satan's efforts to intercept the light.
The Lord has revealed the perils that are around and before us. Through the agency of the Spirit of Prophecy, He has unveiled the delusions that will take the world captive, and has spoken to His people, saying, "This is the way; walk ye in it." Volume Four of The Great Controversy unmasks the deceptions of Satan; and we may expect that the enemy of all righteousness will put forth every effort in his power to keep away from the people that which unveils his arts.
By His Spirit the Lord has given the very instruction that is needed at this time. The special movement under the messages of Revelation 14, in its relation to the past and the future, the closing work of Christ in heaven and of His people upon the earth, has been unfolded. The Lord placed upon me the burden of bringing out these things, and in Volume Four (Spirit of Prophecy Series) I have presented them; I still feel a burden that the message shall go to the people. In that book are warnings to guard the people of God against the many errors that shall be promulgated as truth. Every family among our people should study it. The truths which it presents will arouse the conscience, and to many will prove a safeguard against deception. It will confirm their faith in the past work of the messages. The warning, reproof, and instruction given by the Spirit of God are needed by all. There is need of an awakening, a searching of heart, in the light that God has given.
The truths presented in Volume Four are needed by the people, and have been needed for years. The Lord bade me make no delay in bringing out these warnings, and I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. I have done all that I could do. Other agencies must act their part in giving the book the circulation it should have.
But since the General Conference of 1888, Satan has been working with special power through unconsecrated elements to weaken the confidence of God's people in the voice that has been appealing to them for these many years. If he can succeed in this, then through misapplication of scripture he will lead many to cast away their confidence in the past work under the messages. Thus he would set them adrift, with no solid foundation for their faith, hoping to bring them fully under his power. Let the attention of our people be called to the special work of the Spirit of God as it has been connected with the rise and progress of the three messages, and a blessing will result to the whole body. A revival of faith and interest in the testimonies of the Spirit of God will lead to the obtaining of a healthful experience in the things of God.
God has given the messages of Revelation 14 their place in the line of prophecy, and their work is not to cease till the close of this earth's history. The first and second angel's messages are still truth for this time, and are to run parallel with this which follows. The third angel proclaims his warning with a loud voice. "After these things," said John, "I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory" [Revelation 18:1]. In this illumination, the light of all the three messages is combined.
In Volume Four the Lord has revealed to us the coming crisis, which is almost upon us. He has warned us of the dangers that beset our way, in order that we may lay hold upon His strength, and get the victory over the beast and his image, and stand at last on the sea of glass to sing the song of everlasting triumph. But the Lord does not intend that we shall keep these warning to ourselves. The light He has given in Volume Four is for the world.
Today iniquity prevails, not only in the world, polluting it as in Noah's day, but it exists in the church. As a counter influence, the cross of Calvary must be lifted up, the atoning sacrifice must be kept before the people, that men may behold sin in its true hateful character, and may lay hold upon the righteousness of Christ, which alone can subdue sin, and restore the moral image of God in man.
Many in the church allow things of an earthly nature to interpose between the soul and heaven. They have not a right conception of the character of God. They do not perceive His matchless love; and faith and love die out of their hearts. Many minds are confused. They cannot discern spiritual things, and they are made unable to distinguish the voice of the true Shepherd from that of a stranger. How necessary it is that such should study the message that God has given, lest they be swept away by the overwhelming delusions of the enemy.
The whole world lieth in darkness. Darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people, and the Lord calls upon the members of the church to labor together with Him in awakening the world, if possible, to their peril. We cannot do this of ourselves. We must derive our efficiency from Christ. Jesus says, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me" [John 12:32]. Here is the secret of power, of effectiveness; for though human instrumentalities are employed in the work of salvation, it is the light shining from the uplifted cross that alone can attract hearts heavenward. We must present the truth as it is in Jesus. The light and power of an indwelling Saviour must be ours, or we cannot draw others to Him. We must be imbued with the spirit of truth, the spirit of Christ. There is no power in humanity to draw humanity to Christ. We are as iron that cannot attract unless it be magnetized. We must be sanctified through the truth if we would have a sanctifying influence upon others. Jesus says, "Thy word is truth" [John 17:17]. It is through a sanctified knowledge of the word of God that we shall be able to overcome the powers of darkness and win souls for the Master.
I have felt to urge upon all the necessity of searching the Scriptures for themselves that they may know what is truth, and may discern more clearly the compassion and love of God. Yet there is need of carefulness and earnest prayer in the study of the Bible, that none may fall into error by a misconception of its teachings. There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of the Scriptures:--Christ and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and power corresponding to its relation to this theme. It is only in the light of the cross that we can discern the exalted character of the law of God. The soul palsied by sin can be endowed with life only through the work wrought out upon the cross by the Author of our salvation. The love of Christ constrains man to unite with Him in His labors and sacrifice. The revelation of divine love awakens in them a sense of their neglected obligation to be lightbearers to the world, and inspires them with a missionary spirit. This truth enlightens the mind and sanctifies the soul. It will banish unbelief and inspire faith. It is the one great truth to be constantly kept before the minds of men. Yet how dimly is the love of God understood; and in the teaching of the word it makes but a faint impression.
When Christ in His work of redemption is seen to be the great central truth of the system of truth, a new light is shed upon all the events of the past and the future. They are seen in a new relation, and possess a new and deeper significance. It is thus that God by His Holy Spirit has opened these things to His people. From this stand-point Volume Four of The Great Controversy presents to our view the past experience of the church, and the great events of the future. In that book God has laid out before us in their true relation the events that are to take place upon our earth.
But Satan is constantly seeking to intercept every ray of light that God sends to prepare the people for what is before them. To those who should give the light to the world, he will present plans which appear to be for the promulgation of truth, but which will in reality hinder the work. These plans appear so plausible, however, that they are accepted, and thus his object is accomplished. This is why Volume Four has not received the attention it should have had....
If it is a book which the people need, if the Divine Watcher has therein condescended to unveil the scenes of the great contest in which every soul living will have a part to act, should there not be an earnest effort to circulate it? Should not the canvasser be encouraged to handle it? Should not our people be encouraged to do their utmost to bring it before the world?...
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." Whenever a book is presented that will expose error, Satan is close by the side of the one to whom it is offered, and urges reasons why it should not be accepted. But a divine agency is at work to influence minds in favor of the light. Ministering angels will oppose their power to that of Satan. And when through the influence of the Holy Spirit the truth is received into the mind and heart, it will have a transforming power upon the character....
It is not the ability of the agent or the worker, but it is the Spirit of God moving upon the heart that will give true success.
Many of our brethren do not think but that other publications may be fully as effective in bringing souls to a knowledge of the truth as Volume Four.
There are some occupying positions of responsibility who have had little experience in the working of the Holy Spirit. They do not appreciate the light in warnings, reproofs, and encouragement given to the church in these last days, because their hearts and minds have not been receiving the Spirit of divine grace. These persons are disposed to conceal the fact that in connection with the work of the third angel's message the Lord through the Spirit of Prophecy has been communicating to His people a knowledge of His will. They think that the truth will be received more readily if this fact is not made prominent. But this is mere human reasoning. The very fact that this light coming to the people is not presented as having originated with human minds will make an impression upon a large class who believe that the gifts of the Spirit are to be manifested in the church in the last days. The attention of many will thus be arrested, and they will be convicted and converted. Many will thus be impressed who would not otherwise be reached....
I testify to the churches that Volume Four should have had just as wide a circulation as any other work we have published....But no one seems to feel that they have any special duty in the matter. Now I present it to you, my brethren, in the name of the Lord. I think that many of you do not know what it contains, and I ask you to study it carefully and prayerfully. Then you will see the force of my words; you will see the necessity of urging that it find a place in every family among us, and that it be carried to the world.
The results of the circulation of this book (Vol 4 Spirit of Prophecy) are not to be judged by
what now appears. By reading it, some souls will be aroused, and will have courage to unite
themselves at once with those who keep the commandments of God. But a much larger number
who read it will not take their position until they see the very events taking place that are
foretold in it. The fulfillment of some of the predictions will inspire faith that other predictions
also will come to pass, and when the earth is lightened with the glory of the Lord in the closing
work, many souls will take their position on the commandments of God as the result of this
agency.
Letter 86a, January, 1893, (see also 2MCP 736-37; TMK 323)
While this message [of Revelation 18] is sounding, while the proclamation of truth is doing its
separating work, we as faithful sentinels of God are to discern what our real position is. We are
not to confederate with worldlings, lest we become imbued with their spirit, lest our spiritual
discernment becomes confused, and we view those who have the truth and bear the message of
the Lord from the standpoint of the professed Christian churches.
Manuscript 32, 1896, (see also CWE 26-7; 2SM 104-17)
The proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages has been located by the Word of Inspiration. Not a peg or a pin is to be moved. No human authority has any more right to change the location of these messages than to substitute the New Testament for the Old....The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are under the proclamation of the third, but all three messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated....There cannot be a third without the first and second. These messages we are to give to the world in publications, in discourses, showing the line of prophetic history the things that have been, and the things that will be...."And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" [Rev. 14:6-7].
This message, if heeded, will call the attention of every nation and kindred and tongue and people to a close examination of the Word, and to the true light in regard to the power that has changed the seventh-day Sabbath to a spurious sabbath. The only true God has been forsaken, His law has been discarded, His sacred Sabbath institution has been trampled in the dust by the man of sin. The [Sabbath] memorial, declaring who the living God is, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, has been torn down, and a spurious sabbath has been given to the world in its place. Thus a breach has been made in the law of God. A false sabbath could not be a true standard.
In the first angel's message men are called to worship God, our Creator who made the world and all things that are therein. They have paid homage to an institution of the papacy, making of no effect the law of Jehovah, but there is to be an increase of knowledge on this subject....
The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the everlasting gospel, the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" [Genesis 3:15]. Here was the first promise of a Saviour who could stand on the field of battle to contest the power of Satan and prevail against him. Christ came to our world to represent the character of God as it is represented in His Holy Law; for His law is a transcript of His character. Christ was both the law and the gospel. The angel that proclaims the everlasting gospel proclaims the law of God; for the gospel of salvation brings men to obedience of the law, whereby their characters are formed after the Divine similitude....
All who will search the scriptures for themselves will see that the law of God stands immutable, eternal, and His memorial, the Sabbath, will endure through eternal ages, pointing to the only true God in distinction from all false gods.
But if in one jot or tittle the law of God has been changed, Satan has gained on earth that which he could not gain in heaven. He has prepared his delusive snare, hoping to take captive the church and the world. Not all will be taken in the snare. A line of distinction is being drawn between the children of obedience and the children of disobedience; the loyal and true, and the disloyal and untrue. Two great parties are developed, the worshipers of the beast and his image, and the worshipers of the true and living God.
The message of Revelation 14, proclaiming that the hour of God's judgment is come, is given in the time of the end, and the angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, showing that the message will be carried to distant lands; the ocean will be crossed, and the islands of the sea will hear the proclamation of the last message of warning to our world.
"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and things that are herein, that there should be time no longer" [Revelation 10:5-6]. This message announces the end of the prophetic periods. The disappointment of those who expected to see our Lord come in 1844 was indeed bitter to those who has so ardently looked for His appearing. It was in the Lord's order that this disappointment should come, that hearts should be revealed.
Not one cloud has fallen upon the church that God has not prepared for; not one opposing force has risen to counterwork the work of God but He has foreseen. All has taken place as He has predicted through His prophets. He has not left His church in darkness, forsaken, but has traced in prophetic declarations what would occur, and through His providence, acting in its appointed place in the world's history. He has brought about that which His Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to foretell. All His purposes will be fulfilled and established.
God's law is linked to His throne and satanic agencies combined with human agencies cannot destroy it. Truth is inspired and guarded by God. It will live and succeed, although it may at times appear to be overshadowed. The gospel of Christ is the law exemplified in character. The deceptions practiced against it, every device for vindicating falsehood, every error forged by satanic agencies, will eventually be eternally broken, and the triumph of truth will be like the appearing of the sun at noon day. The Sun of Righteousness shall shine forth with healing in His wings, and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.
All that God has in prophetic history specified to be fulfilled in the past has been, and all that is yet to come in its order will be. Daniel, God's prophet, stands in his place. John stands in his place. In the Revelation the lion of the tribe of Judah has opened to the students of prophecy the book of Daniel, and thus is Daniel standing in his place....
In history and prophecy the Word of God portrays the long continued conflict between truth and error. That conflict is yet in progress. Those things which have been, will be repeated. Old controversies will be revived and new theories will be continually arising. But God's people, who in their belief and fulfillment of prophecy have acted a part in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages, know where they stand. They are to stand firm as a rock, holding the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end.
A transforming power attended the proclamation of the first and second angels' messages, and it attends the message of the third angel....
Satan is working that the history of the Jewish nation may be repeated in the experience of those who claim to believe present truth....Christ's mission was misunderstood. The delusive hope for a temporal prince led to misapplication of Scripture....The very ones who ought to have been the first to welcome Jesus did not discern him. He was not the one their ambitious hopes desired. The false path they had entered, they continued to follow to the end. They became unteachable, self-righteous, and self-sufficient, fancying they possessed true light and that they were the only safe instructors of the people.
The very same Satan is at work to undermine the faith of the people of God at this time.... But these messages, (first, second, & third) received and acted upon, are doing their work to prepare a people to stand in the great day of God. If we search the Scriptures to confirm the truth God has given His servants for the world, we shall be found proclaiming the first, second, and third angels' messages....
The work to be done now is that of sounding this last message of mercy to a fallen world. A new light is coming from heaven and taking possession of all of God's people. But divisions will come in the church. Two parties will be developed. The wheat and the tares grow up together for the harvest.
The work will grow deeper and become more earnest to the very close of time. And all who are laborers together with God will contend most earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. They will not be turned from the present message which is already lightening the earth with its glory. Nothing is worth contending for but the glory of God. The only rock that will stand is the Rock of Ages. The truth as it is in Jesus is the refuge in the days of error.
God has warned His people of the perils before them. John beholds the things that will be in the last days and he sees a people working counter to God. [Read Revelation 12:17; 14:10-12; and chapters 13 & 17]. John see a company who have been deceiving. He says, "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" [Revelation 16:13-15].
From those who have rejected truth, the light of God has departed. They did not heed the messages of the true Witness, "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see" [Revelation 3:18]. That message will do its work, and people will be prepared to stand without fault before God.
John beheld this company, and he says, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" [Revelation 19:7-8].
Prophecy has been fulfilling, line upon line. The more firmly we stand under the banner of the third angel's message, the more clearly shall we understand the prophecy of Daniel, for the Revelation is the supplement of Daniel. The more fully we accept the light presented by the Holy Spirit through the consecrated servants of God, the deeper and surer (even as the eternal throne) will appear the truths of ancient prophecy. We shall be assured that men of God spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. Men must themselves be under the influence of the Holy Spirit in order to understand the Spirit's utterances through the prophets. These messages were given, not for those who uttered the prophecies, but for us who are living amid the scenes of their fulfillment....
The everlasting gospel is to be proclaimed by human agents. We are to sound the messages of the angels, which are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, with the last warning to a fallen world. If we are not called upon to prophesy, we are called to believe the prophecies, and to cooperate with God in giving light to other minds. This we are trying to do....
Theories will be continually agitated to divert the mind, to unsettle the faith. Those who have had the actual experience in the unfolding of the prophecies that have made them what they are today,--Seventh-day Adventists,--are to stand with their loins girt about with truth and with the whole armor on...."Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Revelation 14:12].
Here we stand, under the third angel's message. "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" [Revelation 18:1-5].
Thus the substance of the second angel's message is again given to the world by that other angel
who lightens the earth with his glory. These messages all blend in one [and are] to come before
the people in the closing days of this earth's history. All the world will be tested, and all who
have been in the darkness of error in regard to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will
understand the last message of mercy that is to be given to man....The great burden of every soul
should be, is my heart renewed? Is my soul transformed? Are my sins pardoned through faith in
Christ? Have I been born again? Am I complying with the invitation, "Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Do you count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus? And do you feel it your duty to believe every word
that proceeds out of the mouth of God?
Letter 73, October 12, 1896, (see also CDF 89-90, 187-8, 400; MM 229, 275-6, 282-3)
Men are taking sides, according to their choice. Those that are feeding on the Word of God will show this by their practice. They are on the Lord's side, seeking by precept and example to reform the world. All that have refused to be taught of God will hold the traditions of men. They at last pass over to the side of the enemy, against God, and are written--"Antichrist."
The people of God who understand our position in this world's history, are with ears open and
hearts softened and subdued pressing together in unity--one with Jesus Christ. Those who will
not practice the lessons of Christ, but keep themselves in hand, to mold themselves, find in
Antichrist the center of their union. While the two parties stand in collision, the Lord will
appear and shine before His ancients gloriously. He will set up a kingdom that shall stand
forever....The time is now come when one moment we may be on solid earth, the next the earth
may be heaving beneath our feet. Earthquakes will take place when least expected.
Manuscript 91, July 17, 1898,
The whole earth is to be lightened with the glory of the Lord. The pure in heart shall see God. It is those who are following the Lamb whithersoever He goeth that will receive the power from that angel that came down from heaven "having great power." The first message is to be repeated, proclaiming the second advent of Christ to our world. The second angel's message is to be repeated, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies" [Revelation 18:2, 3].
This prophecy will be fulfilled, and the earth will know that the Heavens do rule. Christ is coming with power and great glory. He will come with all the holy angels with Him. He will come with His own glory and with the glory of the Father. While all the world is plunged in darkness, there will be light in every dwelling of the saints. They will catch the first light of His second appearing.
What a day that will be, when the unsullied light will shine from His splendor, and Christ, the
Redeemer, will be admired by all who have received Him. All who have served Him will catch
the undimmed rays of the glory and brightness of the King in His majesty. In that day those who
have been counted as the lowly ones will be the truly lofty.
Manuscript 92a, 1898,
[Matthew 25:1-13 quoted].
A special message has come to our world in the messages of the first and second angels [Revelation 14:6-8 quoted].
Under the proclamation of these messages, the midnight cry was made, and the believers in the messages were compelled to go out from the churches because they preached the second appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven. The whole world was to hear that message, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him." Here is the parable of the ten virgins.
When the ten virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom, their lamps were trimmed and burning. Five of these virgins were wise. They anticipated delay, and filled their flagons with oil, prepared for any emergency. From those flagons their lamps were supplied, and not left to go out. But five of their number had not this foresight. They made no provision for disappointment or delay.
The second call is made, and the ten virgins are still watching for the bridegroom. Hour after hour passes. Their eyes are anxiously looking for the appearance of the bridegroom. But there is a delay, and the weary, watching ones fall asleep. But at midnight, at the very darkest hour, when their lamps are most needed, the cry is heard, "Behold the bridegroom cometh." The sleeping eyes are opened. Everyone is astir. They see the procession they are to join moving on, bright with torches and with music. They hear the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. The five wise virgins trim their lamps from oil in their flagons, and their lamps burn brightly.
"But five of them were foolish." These had made no provision wherewith to replenish their lamps, and when aroused from their slumbers they found their lights going out. Their flagons were empty.
Their first thought was to borrow of their neighbors, and they said to the wise virgins, "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the answer comes back, "Not so; lest there be not enough for yourselves and for us. Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." And while they went to buy, the procession moved on and left them behind. The bridal train entered within the house, and the door was shut. When the foolish virgins reached the banqueting hall, an unexpected denial was given them. They were left outside in the blackness of the night. The door was shut.
All the Christian world is represented in this parable. The bride constitutes the church that is waiting for the second appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some who have a nominal faith are not prepared for His coming. The oil of grace is not feeding their lamps, and they are not prepared to enter in to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The representation is such as to call forth our earnest study, that we may know what preparation we who are living in the last days are to make, that we may enter in and partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb. We are to accept the last message of mercy given to a fallen world: "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city" [Revelation 22:14].
There is a delay in the coming of the Bridegroom in order that all may have an opportunity to hear the last message of mercy to a fallen world. The first and second angel's messages are all united and complete in the third: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."
John was shown these things in holy vision. He saw the company represented by the five wise virgins, with their lamps trimmed and burning, and he exclaimed in rapture, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them" [Revelation 14:13].
Many who heard the first and second angels' messages thought they would live to see Christ coming in the clouds of heaven. Had all who claimed to believe the truth acted their part as wise virgins, the message would ere this have been proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. But five were wise and five were foolish. The truth should have been proclaimed by the ten virgins, but only five had made the provision essential to join that company who walked in the light that had come to them. Many who went forth to meet the Bridegroom under the messages of the first and second angels, refused the third angel's message, the last testing message to be given to the world.
A similar work will be accomplished when that other angel, represented in Revelation 18, gives his message. The first, second, and third angels' messages will need to be repeated. The call will be given to the church, "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins." "Babylon, the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies....Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" [Revelation 18:2-5].
Take each verse of this chapter, and read it carefully, especially the last two: "And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth" [Verses 23-24].
The parable of the ten virgins was given by Christ Himself, and every specification should be carefully studied. A time will come when the door will be shut. We are represented either by the wise or the foolish virgins....There are those who hold the truth in unrighteousness, and these appear outwardly like the wise.
Said Christ, "Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up....Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart: and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these things which defile a man" [Matthew 15:13, 18-20]....
[Matthew 7:15-23 quoted].
This is the test. Those who are counted among the wise virgins will let their light burn in good works. There are many who will not remain at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him. They have not a knowledge of His ways. Let none rest in the idea that baptism has saved them, while they give no evidence that they are conformed to the image of Christ, while they cling to their old habits, while they exert their influence on the side of the world, and weave their fabric with the treads of worldly ideas and customs. These have not kept the oil in the vessels with their lamps. They are not ready for the Bridegroom. The oil is the holy grace that is sent from heaven, and there must be an inward adorning with that grace, that they may be enabled to stand when He appeareth. The parable of the talents is given to represent the kingdom of heaven, and show the necessity of an accurate use of the endowments that God has entrusted to us. It is of the highest importance that we understand these parables and know wherein they have any bearing upon us individually. The ten virgins are represented as watching in the evening of this earth's history. They represent the church of professed Christians. This lesson should fill our minds with serious thought, and drive us to our Bibles, the Word of the living God. It should lead us to most earnest supplication that God will lead us into all truth.
Said Christ: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" [Matthew 7:24-27]....Those who are superficial in their piety may be willing to take the name of Christians, but they will not comply with the conditions laid down in the Word of God. They do not conform their characters to the Word of God and to the pattern He has given. All are hearers of the word. They comment upon that which they hear, but some, while they assent to the message sent by God to them, do not have the faith that will enable them to place the word of God in their hearts. God knows full well that if self does not die, it will become a controlling power in the soul. When the transforming power of God works upon the hearts of men, then they are represented by the wise virgins....
The five wise virgins represent those who have perfected a Christian character, who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. God's message to His people is: [Revelation 3:3-5 quoted].
A great price has been paid for the redemption of man, and none who are untruthful, impure, or unrighteous can enter the kingdom of heaven. If men do not make Christ their personal Saviour, and become true and pure and holy, there is only one course for the Lord to pursue. He must destroy the sinner, for evil natures cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Thus it is that sin, if not destroyed, will destroy the sinner, just as Satan designed it should.
As God made man, he was perfect, reflecting the moral image of God. He was left free to choose good or evil. If he should decide to choose the evil, he must have the evil. And man abused the high prerogative of his nature. Christ gave His life to make it possible for all to be wise virgins, partakers of the divine nature, that they might become complete in Jesus Christ, perfect without spot, and blameless. Thus through Jesus Christ human nature was placed on vantage ground with God, before the heavenly universe and the fallen world....
Christ has made it possible for man to rise in moral value with God. By resisting all wrong, by subduing the evil temper, selfishness, and pride, he may attain to the righteousness of Christ. Man is to become one with Christ in God. Sin is degrading, and there is no place for it in heaven. It is our privilege to have the power of self-control, and if we do not have it we reveal that sin still reigns in our mortal bodies. "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me," He says, "and he shall make peace with Me" [Isaiah 27:5].
The ten virgins all claim to be Christians, but five are true and five are false. All have a name, a call, a lamp, and all claim to be doing God service. All apparently watch for His appearing. All started apparently prepared, but five were wanting. Five were found surprised, dismayed, without oil, outside the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. There are many who cry peace, when there is no peace. This is the most perilous belief for the human soul to entertain. Christ speaks to all who bear His name, who claim to be His followers, to eat His flesh and drink His blood, else they can have no part with Him. Be not like the foolish virgins, who take for granted that the promises of God are theirs, while they do not live as Christ has enjoined upon them. Christ teaches us that profession is nothing....Let no one take for granted that he is saved....
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem," Christ said, "thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" [Matthew 23:37].
In this lamentation over Jerusalem is given the assurance of protection to all who will come unto Christ. He will accept and protect them, poor, defenseless, dependent, even as the hen spreads her protecting wings over her brood.
What a touching figure is this! What an idea it gives us of the watchful care of Christ for all who
trust in Him. Christ longed to gather Israel under His mediatorial wings....But Christ could not
do for Israel all that He desired to do, because they would not respond to His invitations. "Ye
would not," He said. Their will was stubborn and unyielding. His last words to the impenitent
nation were, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see
Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" [Matthew
23:38, 39].
Manuscript 121b, October 1, 1898, (see also TM 300)
Unless those who can help are roused to a sense of their duty, they will not recognize the work of God when the loud cry of the third angel shall be heard. When light goes forth to lighten the earth, instead of coming up to the help of the Lord, they will want to bind about His work to meet their narrow ideas. Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to any human planning.
There will be those among us who will always want to control the work of God, to dictate even
what movements shall be made when the work goes forward under the direction of the angel
who joins the third angel in the message to be given to the world. God will use ways and means
by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His own hands. The workers will be
surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of
righteousness.
Manuscript 172, 1899, (see also 7ABC 426; MM 159-61, 166-67, 259)
Health reform is to stand out more prominently in the proclamation of the third angel's message....It is the Lord's design that the restoring influence of health reform shall be a part of the last great effort to proclaim the gospel message. Our physicians are to be God's workers. They are to be men whose powers have been sanctified and transformed by the grace of Christ. Their influence is to be knit up with the truth that is to be given to the world. In perfect and complete unity with the gospel ministry, the work of health reform will reveal its God-given power. Under the influence of the gospel great reforms will be made by medical missionary work....
The message in regard to the fall of Babylon must be given. God's people are to understand in regard to the angel who is to lighten the whole world with his glory, while he cries mightily, with a loud voice, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen" [Revelation 18:2]. The solemn events which are now taking place belong to a series of events in the chain of history, the first link of which is connected with Eden. Let the people of God prepare for what is coming upon the earth. Extravagance in the use of means, selfishness, heresies, have taken the world captive. For centuries satanic agencies have been at work. Will they now give up without a struggle?
There are only two parties in our world, those who are loyal to God, and those who stand under the banner of the prince of darkness. Satan and his angels will come down with power and signs and lying wonders to deceive those who dwell on the earth, and, if possible, the very elect. The crisis is right upon us. Is this to paralyze the energies of those who have a knowledge of the truth? Is the influence of the powers of deception so far-reaching that the influence of the truth will be overturned?
The battle of Armageddon is soon to be fought. He on whose vesture is written the name, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, leads forth the armies of heaven on white horses, clothed in fine linen, clean and white. John writes: "I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes are as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.
"And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war
against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. And the beast was taken, and with him
the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These were both cast alive
into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him
that sat upon the horse" [Revelation 19:11-21].
Manuscript 175, 1899, (see also 7ABC 427)
Satan's agents have not been sparing of the blood of the saints. Christ's true followers are kind, tender, pitiful. They will realize the meaning of the work of the angel of Revelation eighteen, who is to lighten the whole earth with his glory, while he cries with a loud voice, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen..." [Revelation 18:2]. Many will heed this call.
We need to study the pouring out of the seventh vial. The powers of evil will not yield up the
conflict without a struggle. But Providence has a part to act in the battle of Armageddon. When
the earth is lighted with the glory of the angel of Revelation 18, the religious elements, good and
evil, will awake from slumber, and the armies of the living God will take the field.
Letter 28, February 17, 1900, (see also MAR 191)
The Third Angel's message is to be given to our world in clear, distinct lines. Some have thought that it is best to gradually prepare the way for the presentation of the Sabbath question.
The Sabbath truth is the message to be proclaimed with a loud voice, as represented in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. And in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation we read, "The third angel followed them, "saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" [verses 9, 10]. This message embraces the two preceding messages. It is represented as being given with a loud voice, that is, with the power of the Holy Spirit. The impression made by this message will be proportionate to the earnestness with which it is proclaimed.
John beholds the loyal people of God, and he exclaims, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Rev. 14:12]. Babylon is represented as holding a wine cup in her hand, from which she makes all nations drink. The nations commit spiritual fornication by divorcing themselves from God and trampling on His commandments. The time in which the saints live is a trying one for those who refuse to receive the mark of the beast and his image. But through it all the saints show their patience. They continue to be steadfast in the faith, even should their firmness cost them their lives.
We know that now everything is at stake. The third angel's message is to be at this time regarded as of the highest importance. It is a life and death question.
The eighteenth chapter of Revelation reveals the importance of presenting the truth in no measured terms, but with boldness and power. There must be no toning down of the truth, no muffling of the message for this time. Satan has devised a state of things whereby the proclamation of the third angel's message shall be bound about. We must beware of his plans and methods. The third angel's message is to be strengthened and confirmed.
John writes, [Revelation 18:1-5 quoted]. This call is similar to the call made by the first and second angels. By the third angel the call is again repeated, "Come out of her, my people."
Satan will so mingle his deceptions with truth that side issues will be created to turn the attention of the people from the great issue, the test to be brought upon the people of God in these last days. From the light God has given me, I know that the gospel message for this time is being turned aside...and the work of preparing people to stand amid the perils of the last days will never be done....
Tell the people that the Lord is coming in judgment, and that neither rulers or kings, wealth nor influence, will be able to stand against or ward off the judgments soon to fall. In many places these judgments are already falling, yet by their attitude worldlings and church members say plainly, "We want none of these rebukes. We want none of your warnings. We will not hear." There are only two parties upon the earth--those who stand under the bloodstained banner of Jesus Christ and those who stand under the black banner of rebellion. Those who stand under Christ's banner bear the sign of obedience spoken of in Exodus 31;12-18. Please read this Scripture carefully.
In the twelfth chapter of Revelation is represented the last great conflict between the obedient and the disobedient. "The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" [Rev. 12:17]. "I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which has the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" [Rev. 13:11-17].
Satan will work miracles to deceive those who dwell upon the earth. Spiritualism will do its work, by causing the dead to be personated. Those religious bodies who refuse to hear God's message of warning will be under strong deception, and will unite with the civil power to persecute the saints. The Protestant churches will unite with the papal power in persecuting the commandment-keeping people of God. This is that power which constitutes the great system of persecution that will exercise spiritual tyranny over the consciences of men.
"He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake like a dragon." Though professing to be followers of the lamb of God, men become imbued with the spirit of the dragon. They profess to be meek and humble, but they speak and legislate with the spirit of Satan, showing by their actions that they are the opposite of what they profess to be. This lamb-like power unites with the dragon in making war upon those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And Satan unites with Protestants and papists, acting in concert with them as the god of this world, dictating to men as if they were the subjects of his kingdom, to be handled and governed and controlled as he pleases.
If men will not agree to trample underfoot the commandments of God, the spirit of the dragon is revealed. They are imprisoned, brought before councils, and fined. "He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." "He had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the beast should be killed." Thus Satan usurps the prerogatives of Jehovah. The man of sin sits in the seat of God, proclaiming himself to be God, and acting above God.
There is a marked contrast between those who bear the seal of God and those who worship the beast and his image. The Lord's faithful servants will receive the bitterest persecution from false teachers, who will not hear the word of God, and who prepare stumbling blocks to put in the way of those who would hear. But God's people are not to fear. Satan cannot go beyond his limit. The Lord will be the defense of His people. He regards the injury done to His servants for the truth's sake as done to Himself. When the last decision has been made, when all have taken sides, either for Christ and the commandments, or for the great apostate, God will arise in His power, and the mouths of those who have blasphemed against Him will be forever stopped. Every opposing power will receive its punishment. [Jeremiah 25:30-33 quoted]....
Now is the time to give the Third Angel's message.
Letter 74, May 20, 1900, (see also CG 489)
The day of woe, of wasting and destruction, is upon all who do unrighteousness. Especially will the Lord's hand fall upon the watchmen who have failed to place before the people in clear lines their obligation to God, who by creation and by redemption is their owner....
The third angel's message, embracing the messages of the first and second angel, is the message for our time. We are to lift the banner on which is inscribed, "The Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" [Revelation 12:17]. This is not the time to put out of sight the great issues before us. The work to be done is solemn and important....
Opposition we shall have as we voice the message of the third angel. Satan will bring up every
device he possibly can to make of none effect the truth once delivered to the saints. "Many shall
follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment
of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not" [2 Peter 2:2, 3]. But, in spite
of opposition, all are to hear the words of truth.
Letter 86, June 18, 1900, (see also Ev 151; MAR 290; TDG 179)
The message must go from east to west, and from west to east again. A great shaking must come up. The professed believers in the truth for this time are asleep. They need to awake because the light of truth has not only flashed upon them, but rightly done its work. God will have representatives in every place in all parts of the world.
The message of the angel following the third is now to be given to all parts of the world. It is to
be the harvest message, and the whole earth will be lighted with the glory of God. The Lord has
this one [last] call of mercy to [give to] the world, but the perversity of men diverts the work
from its true bearing, and the light has to struggle amid the darkness of men who feel themselves
competent to do a work that God has not appointed them to do.
Letter 92, July 2, 1900, (see also 3SM 30; TDG 192)
The last message of mercy is to be given in clear, simple lines. The message of truth, lifting up
the downtrodden Sabbath, is to be translated into different languages. In no one place is all the
time and money and talent to be abundantly and exhaustively absorbed....He [God] wants His
servants to voice the first, second, and third angel's messages. Thus the churches are to be
prepared for the coming of another angel from heaven [who is] to lighten the earth with his
glory.
Letter 121, August 13, 1900, (see also Ev 571-72; LLM 602)
Influences of various kinds and order will come in to sway the people of God from the saving tests for this time....There will be brought in a vast amount of man-made tests that have not the least bearing upon the work given us of God to prepare a people to stand with the whole equipment of the heavenly armor on, without leaving off one piece.
The Word of God and His downtrodden law are to be made prominent in so marked a manner that men and women, members of other churches, shall be brought face to face, mind to mind, heart to heart with truth. They will see it superiority over the multitudinous errors that are presented and are pushing their way into notice to supplement, if possible, the truth for this time. Every soul is taking sides. All are ranging themselves under the banner of truth and righteousness or under the banner of the apostate powers that are contending for the supremacy....
The truth for this time, the third angel's message, is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, meaning with increasing power as we approach the great final test. This test must come to the churches in connection with the true medical missionary work, a work that has the Great Physician to dictate and preside in all it comprehends. Under the Great Head we are to present God's word requiring obedience to the system of Bible truth which is a system of authority and power, convicting and converting the conscience. The demand of the Word to obedience is a life and death question.
The present truth for this time comprises the messages [given us to proclaim]--the third angel's message succeeding the first and the second. The presentation of this message with all it embraces is our work. We stand as the remnant people in these last days to promulgate the truth and swell the cry of the third angel's wonderful, distinct message, giving the trumpet a certain sound. Eternal truth, which we have adhered to from the beginning, is to be maintained in all its increasing importance to the close of probation. The trumpet is to give no uncertain sound....Faith, eternal faith in the past and in the present truth, is to be talked, is to be prayed, is to be presented with pen and voice.
The Third angel's message in its clear, definite terms is to be made the prominent warning. All that it comprehends is to be made intelligible to the reasoning minds of today. While we bind ourselves to the development of the truth in the past angels' messages, we are announcing the message of the third angel and of the other angel's that follows the third, the second time proclaiming the fall of Babylon.
We are to give the message, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird....Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" [Revelation 18:2, 4]. This message is to come to the churches. We are to consider the best plans for accomplishing this. The message must be so presented as to command the attention of reasoning minds....There should be no striving for recognition by worldly men in order to give character and influence to the work in these last days....The truth in all its bearings is to be acted, showing the consistency of faith with practice. The value of our faith will be shown by its fruit....
As the last conflict with Satan will be the most decisive, the most deceptive and terrible that has
ever been, so also will his overthrow be the most complete. The final resurrection to judgment
will complete on the one hand the triumph of Christ and His church, and on the other will be the
destruction of Satan and his followers.
Manuscript 60, August 20, 1900,
In this age of the world the masses of the people have turned away their ears from hearing the word of the Lord, lest they should be disturbed by His plainly specified requirements....
The prevalence of sin is alarming. The world is being filled with violence as in the days of Noah. Would the world be in this present condition if those who claim to be the people of God had reverenced and obeyed the law of the Lord? It is the rejection of the truth, man's dispensing with the commandments of God, that has produced the condition of things which now exists. God's Word is made of none effect by false shepherds....
It is coming now to be seen that the false shepherds have turned men away from the laws of the kingdom of God to exalt their own theories and suppositions....Their work will soon react upon themselves. Then will be witnessed the scenes described in Revelation 18, when the judgment of God shall fall upon mystical Babylon.
Then will be seen the fulfillment of the word of the Lord by the prophet Hosea: "There is no
truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and
stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the
land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish...."My people are destroyed for
lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee....Seeing thou
has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they
sinned against Me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They eat up the sin of My
people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people like priest: and I
will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their doings" [Hosea 4:1-3, 6-9].
Manuscript 135, October 31, 1902, (see also 7ABC 424, 429; UL 318)
The third angel's message increases in importance as we near the close of this earth's history....God has presented to me the dangers that are threatening those who have been given the sacred work of proclaiming the third angel's message. They are to remember that this message is of the utmost consequence to the whole world. They need to search the Scriptures diligently, that they may learn how to guard against the mystery of iniquity, which plays so large a part in the closing scenes of this earth's history.
There will be more and still more external parade by worldly powers. Under different symbols, God presented to John the wicked character and seductive influences of those who have been distinguished for their persecution of His people. The eighteenth chapter of Revelation speaks of mystic Babylon, fallen from her high estate to become a persecuting power. Those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus are the object of the wrath of this power....
John writes: [Revelation 18:1-8 quoted].
This terrible picture drawn by John to show how completely the powers of earth will give themselves over to evil, should show those who have received the truth how dangerous it is to link up with secret societies or to join themselves in any way with those who do not keep God's commandments.
[Revelation 13:11-13 quoted.]
Religious powers, allied to heaven by profession, and claiming to have the characteristics of a lamb, will show by their acts that they have the heart of the dragon, and that they are instigated and controlled by Satan. The time is coming when God's people will feel the hand of persecution because they keep holy the seventh day. Satan has caused the change of the Sabbath in the hope of carrying out his purpose for the defeat of God's plans. He seeks to make the commands of God of less force in the world than human laws. The man of sin, who thought to change times and laws, and who has always oppressed the people of God, will cause laws to be made enforcing the observance of the first day of the week. But God's people are to stand firm for Him, and the Lord will work in their behalf, showing plainly that He is the God of gods....
The message given man to proclaim in these last days is not to be amalgamated with worldly
opinions. In these days of peril, nothing but obedience will keep man from apostasy. God has
bestowed on man great light and many blessings. But unless this light and these blessings are
received, they are no security against apostasy and disobedience. When those whom God has
exalted to positions of high trust turn from Him to human wisdom, their light becomes darkness;
and how great is that darkness! Their entrusted capabilities are a snare to them. They become an
offense to God. There can be no mockery of God without the sure result. There always has
been, and till the conflict is ended there always will be, a departing from God.
Letter 210, September 21, 1903, (see also LLM 87-91; MM 158-9; NBL 96)
The closing scenes of this earth's history are near at hand. The unfulfilled predictions of the book of revelation are soon to be fulfilled. This prophecy is now to be studied with diligence by the people of God, and should be clearly understood. It does not conceal the truth; it clearly forewarns, telling us what will be in the future....
The Lord himself will call men, as of old He called the humble fishermen, and will Himself give
them instruction regarding their field of labor and the method they should follow. He will call
men from the plow and from other occupations to give the last note of warning to perishing
souls.
Manuscript 122, October 9, 1903, (see also 4RH 83; 3SM 76-7)
The prophecies of the eighteenth of Revelation will soon be fulfilled. During the proclamation
of the third angel's message, "another angel" is to "come down from heaven, having great power"
and the earth is to be "lightened with his glory" [Revelation 18:1]. The Spirit of the Lord will so
graciously and universally bless consecrated human instrumentalities, that men, women, and
children will open their lips in praise and testimony, filling the earth with the knowledge of God,
and with His unsurpassed glory, as the waters cover the sea.
Those who have held the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end will be wide awake during the time that the third angel's message is proclaimed with great power. During the loud cry, the church, aided by the providential interpositions of her exalted Lord, will diffuse the knowledge of salvation so abundantly that light shall be communicated to every city and town. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of salvation. So abundantly will the renewing Spirit of God have crowned with success the intensely active agencies, that the light of present truth will be seen flashing everywhere.
The saving knowledge of God will accomplish its purifying work on the mind and heart of every believer. The Word declares: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes" [Ezekiel 36:25-27]. This is the descent of the Holy Spirit, sent from God to do its office-work....All who have not received the light will be convicted. All who will turn unto the Lord with full purpose of heart will confess their sins.
Amidst the confusing cries, "Lo, here is Christ! Lo, there is Christ!" will be borne a special testimony of truth appropriate for this time, which message is to be received, believed, and acted upon....The eternal truth of the Word will stand forth free from all seductive errors and spiritualistic interpretations, free from all fancifully drawn, alluring pictures. Falsehood will be urged upon the attention of God's people, but the truth is to stand clothed in its beautiful, pure garments as the Spirit of truth....
As men, women, and children proclaim the gospel, the Lord will open the eyes of the blind to see His statutes, and will write upon the hearts of the truly penitent His law. The animating Spirit of God, working through human agencies, leads the believers to be as one mind, one soul, unitedly loving God and keeping His commandments--preparing here below for translation....
Let not one believer, in the day of trial and proving, listen to the devising of the enemy. The
living Word is the Sword of the Spirit. Mercies and judgments will be sent from heaven. The
workings of Providence will be revealed both in mercies and judgments. The judgments will
sometimes follow.
Manuscript 53, May 11, 1905, (see also IHP 297; MAR 252; UL 145)
There will be many voices to divert the minds of the people of God from the true issues, and Satan is leading them, disguised as an angel of light. Beware of those who would bring in false theories and would deceive, if possible, the very elect....
There is soon to be tremendous crisis. It is making its way with mighty strides, while the men who ought to be catching the life-giving message from the Word of Life, and sounding the last warning to a fallen world, have put out their spiritual eyesight and placed themselves with the deceivers. "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" [Revelation 18:1-4].
The whole of the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of Revelation will surely be fulfilled. The Bible, the precious Bible, has become to some a cunningly devised fable, because Satan is deceiving them as an angel of light. There are those who have so long resisted the counsel of God that the Lord will soon give them up to cunningly devised fables. They will proclaim these fables with all their fraudulent influences.
The truth that we are to proclaim is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This truth is to be developed in the closing scenes of this earth's history....
Those who receive Christ as a personal Saviour will stand the test and trial of these last days. Strengthened by an unquestioning faith in Christ, even the illiterate disciple will be able to withstand the doubts and questions that infidelity can produce, and put to blush the sophistries of scorners.
The Lord Jesus will give the disciples a tongue and wisdom that their adversaries can neither gainsay nor resist. Those who could not by reasoning overcome satanic delusions, will bear an affirmative testimony that will baffle supposedly learned men. Words will come form the lips of the unlearned with such convincing power and wisdom that conversions will be made to the truth. Thousands will be converted under their testimony.
Why should the illiterate man have this power, which the learned man has not?--The illiterate one, through faith in Christ, has come into the atmosphere of pure, clear truth, while the learned man has turned away from the truth. The poor man is Christ's witness. He cannot appeal to histories, or to so-called high science, but he gathers from the Word of God powerful evidence. The truth that he speaks under the inspiration of the Spirit, is so pure and remarkable, and carries with it a power so indisputable, that his testimony cannot be gainsaid....His faith in Christ is his anchor, holding him to the Rock of Ages....
Satan brings all his powers to the assault in the last, close conflict, and the endurance of the follower of Christ is taxed to the utmost. At times it seems that he must yield. But a word of prayer to the Lord Jesus goes like an arrow to the throne of God, and angels of God are sent to the field of battle. The tide is turned....
God calls upon His people to prepare themselves for the scenes of severe conflict. Take up your
duties in a meek and lowly spirit. Ever face your enemies in the strength of Jesus....In the trials
of these last days, Christ will be made unto His people wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Christ is to be formed in His people, the hope of glory. They are to
develop an experience that will be a convincing power in the world.
Manuscript 31, April 2, 1906, (see also 3SM 412)
The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth, and drunkenness, insanity, revelry, and crime are rapidly increasing. There is before us a terrible crisis. The lives of many will go out in darkness....
The last great conflict is before us, all about help is coming to all who love God and obey His law; and the earth, the whole earth, is to be lighted with the glory of God. "Another angel" is to come down from heaven. This angel represents the giving of the loud cry, which is to come from those who are preparing to cry mightily with a strong voice, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird" [Revelation 18:1, 2].
We have a testing message to give, and I am instructed to say to our people, "Unify, unify." But
we are not to unify with those who are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils. With our hearts sweet and kind and true, we are to go forth to proclaim
the message, giving no heed to those who lead away from the truth.
Manuscript 39, 1906, (see also 7ABC 412)
The fullness of iniquity will be reached when piety and the truth of the Word of God are ignored, and when the words of David are appropriate: "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126].
Any fallacy is likely to be received by a people who make void the law of God. There is a crisis just ahead of those who are acting on a shortsighted policy. The rulers of the land will take their position above the great Creator of the world. The claims of a false sabbath will be brought to the front, and the rulers and the people will act upon the principle of a shortsighted policy. The false sabbath, the first day of the week, will be accepted, and the rulers will unite with the man of sin to restore his lost ascendancy. Laws enforcing the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath will bring about a national apostasy from the principles of republicanism upon which the government has been founded. The religion of the papacy will be accepted by the rulers, and the law of God will be made void.
When the fifth seal was opened, John the Revelator in vision saw beneath the altar the company
that were slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. After this came the
scenes described in the eighteenth chapter of Revelation, when those who are faithful and true
are called out from Babylon. "And after these things I saw another angel come down from
heaven, having great power; and the earth was lighted with his glory. And he cried mightily with
a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of ever foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all
nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have
committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her,
my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her
sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" [Revelation 18:1-5].
Manuscript 75, September 20, 1906, (see also CDF 270; UL 277)
Every feature of the third angel's message is to be proclaimed in all parts of the world. This message is a much greater work than many realize...."Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" [Mark 16:15]. In this work we are to study simplicity. This message is a testimony message. Received into honest hearts, it will prove an antidote for all the world's sins and sorrows. No conditions of climate, of poverty, or ignorance, or of prejudice can hinder its efficiency, or lessen its adaptability to the needs of mankind.
The proclamation of the great gospel message is the work of the disciples of Christ. Some will labor for this in one way, and others will carry on another branch of work, as the Lord calls and directs them individually. Not all have the same line of work, but all may unite in their efforts....
All are to hear the last message of warning. The prophecies of the book of Revelation, chapters
12 and 18, are being fulfilled. In the eighteenth chapter is recorded the very last call to the
churches. This call is now to be given. In the nineteenth chapter, the time is pictured when the
beast and the false prophet are taken, and cast into the lake of fire. The dragon, who was the
instigator of the great rebellion against heaven, is bound, and cast into the bottomless pit for a
thousand years. Then follows the resurrection of the wicked and the final destruction of Satan
and all the wicked, and the final triumph and reign of Christ on this earth.
Manuscript 37, May 30, 1909,
The remnant people of God must be a converted people. The presentation of this message is to
result in the conversion and sanctification of souls. We are to feel the power of the Spirit of God
in this movement. This is a wonderful, definite message. It means everything to the receiver,
and it is to be proclaimed with a loud cry. We must have a true, abiding faith that this message
will go forth with increasing importance till the close of time.
- Separating Line -
Manuscript 7, August 24, 1850
Letter 2, 1851
Manuscript 3, July 2, 1853
Manuscript 30, June, 1889
Manuscript 25, 1891
Letter 16F, May 9, 1892
Letter 12, August 22, 1892
Letter 119, 1895
Manuscript 4, January 9, 1898
Letter 3, January 1, 1900
Letter 171, January 9, 1900
Manuscript 32, April 21, 1903
Letter 103, June 3, 1903
Manuscript 139, October 23, 1903
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904
Letter 237, July 14, 1904
Letter 87, February 25, 1905
Manuscript 106, November 20, 1905
Letter 256, August 1, 1906
Manuscript 9, February 10, 1908
Manuscript 7, August 24, 1850,
I saw that God wanted His people to be separated from the world, for wicked persons were the
lawful prey of the enemy and he would work through them in every way to perplex and destroy
the saints, and if we were obliged to be in company with the wicked persons we must pray and
watch every moment lest we should partake of their spirit, for they corrupted the atmosphere
where they were and their very breath was darkness, and that the wicked would wax worse and
worse, and we must cut loose from them and be free and free indeed, and God does not want His
people to mingle with the wicked more than they are obliged to.
Letter 2, 1851, (see also 7ABC 383, 410; 2SM 347)
I saw that many, very many, had been truly converted through the influence of persons who were living in open violation of the commandments of God.
I saw that God would separate the precious from the vile. There would be truth or something
from God to call for a decision, and the corrupt have no disposition to receive that call for a
decision, but are separated from the precious by the precious receiving this truth...God will work
in mysterious ways to save the true, honest ones.
Manuscript 3, July 2, 1853, (see also EW 118, 124-25; 1T 77)
I then saw the third angel. Said my accompanying angel, "Fearful is his word, awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal or bind the wheat for the heavenly garner." These things should engage the whole mind, the whole attention.
Again I was shown the necessity of those who believe we are having the last message of mercy,
being separate from those who are daily receiving or imbibing new error. I saw that neither
young or old should attend the assemblies of those who are in error and darkness. Said the
angel, "Let the mind cease to dwell on things of no profit."
Manuscript 30, June, 1889, (see also MAR 194; 3SM 385-87)
The Lord was working [at Minneapolis] and I must be faithful to speak the words given men of God, although I was passing through the most grievous trial of my life, for, from this hour, that confidence which I had hitherto had that God was leading and controlling the minds and hearts of my brethren was not as heretofore. I had felt that when a call came to me, "We want you at our meeting, Sister White; your influence is needed," I should not consult my choice or my feelings, but should arise by faith and try to act my part and leave the Lord to do the work that was essential to be done. Now a greater burden falls upon me. From this time I must look alone to God, for I dare not rely upon the wisdom of my brethren. I see they do not always take God for their Counselor, but look in a large degree to the men they have set before them in the place of God....I stated that I stood nearly alone at Minneapolis. I stood alone before them in the conference [at Battle Creek], for the light that God had seen fit to give me was that they were not moving in the counsel of God....
I then felt my spirit stirred with me, and I bore a very plain testimony to these brethren. I told them a little of how matters had been carried at Minneapolis and stated the position I had taken, that Phariseeism had been at work leavening the camp here at Battle Creek, and the Seventh-day Adventist churches were affected, but the Lord had given me a message and pen and voice I would work until this leaven was expelled and a new leaven was introduced, which was the grace of Christ.
I was confirmed in all I had stated in Minneapolis, that a reformation must go through the churches. Reforms must be made, for spiritual weakness and blindness were upon the people who had been blessed with great light and precious opportunities and privileges. As reformers they had come out of the denominational churches, but they now act a part similar to that which the churches acted. We hoped that there would not be the necessity for another coming out.... Many will close their ears to the message God sends them, and open their ears to deception and delusion....
I labored with pen and voice, doing all in my power to change this order of things....I stated that the course that had been pursued at Minneapolis was cruelty to the Spirit of God; and those who went all through that meeting and left with the same spirit were carrying on the same line of work they did at that meeting and since they had come from it, would--unless they were changed in spirit and confessed their mistakes--go into greater deceptions. They would stumble and know not at what they were stumbling. I begged them to stop just where they were. But the position of Elder Butler and Elder Smith influenced them to make no change, but stand where they did. No confession was made. The blessed meeting closed. Many were strengthened, but doubt and darkness enveloped some closer than before. The dew and showers of grace from heaven which softened many hearts did not wet their souls....
The first step taken in the path of unbelief and rejection of light is a dangerous thing, and the only way for those who have taken this step to recover themselves from the snares of Satan is to accept that which the Lord sent them, but which they refused to receive. This will be humiliating to the soul, but will be for their salvation. God will not be trifled with. He will not remove all reason to doubt, but he will give sufficient evidence upon which to base faith....
If my brethren had sensed their own weakness, their own inability, and had never lost sight of this, they would have humbled their hearts before God, confessed their errors, and come into light and freedom....What shall we name this element? It is rebellion as in the days of Israel, when they stubbornly wanted their own way and would not submit to God's way and God's will....
Those who close their eyes to evidence God is pleased to give--as did the Jews--will be passed by. The evidence they refused to receive, others will receive, and others will receive the blessing God tendered to them but which they refused because they were proud, self-sufficient, and self-righteous....
Unbelief is the occasion of all sin and is the bond of iniquity. It's work is to make crooked things that are straight....A woe is pronounced upon all such unbelief and criticism, as was revealed in Minneapolis, and as was revealed in Battle Creek. By their fruits ye shall know them....
We are years behind, and yet men in responsible positions will in their blindness keep the key of
knowledge, refusing to enter themselves and hindering those who would enter. The message
must be broadcast, that those who have been imperceptibly tampering with popery, not knowing
what they were doing, may hear. They are fraternizing with popery by compromises and by concessions which surprise the adherents of the papacy....Standout of the way, brethren. Do not
interpose yourselves between God and His work....
The darkest pages of history will be opened in that great day when it will be too late for wrongs to be righted. Registered in the book are crimes that have been committed because of religious differences. We are not ignorant of the history. Europe was shaken as though with an earthquake, when a church lifted up in pride and vanity, haughty and tyrannical, devoted to condemnation and death all who dared to think for themselves, and who ventured to take the Bible as the foundation of their faith....
Warnings have been scorned, grace resisted, privileges abused, conviction smothered, and the
pride of the human heart strengthened. The result is the same as with the Jews--fatal hardness of
heart.
Manuscript 25, 1891,
We were anxious to present, and to leave on every soul, [the truth] that feeling is no criterion of our advancement in spirituality. The Word of God must be studied and practiced, and it will be a solid rock under our feet....
They [our people] should not place themselves in connection with any man that has pursued the course [of evil] that he has done, whatever may be his calling or apparent success; for in thus doing they make themselves serve with his sins, and the Lord is not pleased with their course of action. The Lord's Spirit has been grieved by the unstable course pursued by some of those who profess to believe the truth. Is on the Lord's side, or on the enemy's side? Is he working in harmony with the heavenly intelligences? Is he a laborer together with God? No! No!
When our people have so little discernment that they will strengthen the hands of him who lies and continues to do evil, they make themselves accountable for his evil course. God is not with him. In the judgment some things will be seen that men do not now discern; then will they be ashamed with linking up with such influences. [When] anyone has a burden of God in love to his soul to try to recover him from the snare of Satan, then they may do this and God will give them grace that they will not endanger their souls. But when men and women will take the side of those who are working against the truth, the Lord will not keep them.
Those who walk through the world trampling upon the laws of God and righteousness, and [those who] link up and associate with them, will be partakers with their evil doings. Some will fabricate reasons for welcoming them, as inclination to cover their course of action; but it is not a necessity that God creates. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be Father to you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" [2 Corinthians 6:17, 18]. There is caution to be exercised. Now we cannot come into willing association and intercourse with the workers of evil unless we catch their spirit. They may appear as an angel of light and deceive the very elect; but none need in this particular to be deceived.
The words of Paul are appropriate in this case: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness" [Ephesians 5:11].
Letter 16F, May 9, 1892,
My mind is exercised day and night in regard to our missionary work. I am alarmed because there is so little genuine burden for perishing souls. The church knows her duty well, if she would only contemplate the situation. There is work to be done in home missionary efforts. There is work to be done in far-off lands. Why are there not hundreds giving themselves to the performance of the work, where there is [but] one? The truth of God which they profess to believe should sanctify the soul, stirring every power that God has given them--the deep and living fountains of motives and sympathies, that they will cooperate with the heavenly intelligences. It is the Holy Spirit that accomplishes the work. [Said Jesus], "Without me, ye can do nothing" [John 15:5]. Keep this before every congregation, that it is earnestness, wholeness of purpose, that God will accept.
But what is the matter, that the church does not arouse and seek with earnest prayer and determined effort to set their people in the church to work? Are elders of these churches carrying any burden? Do they feel any love for the souls of the sheep of God's pasture? Do they humble their hearts before God and by faith lay hold on the grace of Christ and put away their sins, and believe their repentance is accepted of God? Have they piety? Have they devotion to God? Will the elders of the church--the officers of the church--draw nigh to God? Will they now, in probationary time, learn the lessons of Jesus Christ and practice them, until they shall ascend the high places of faith and command a clearer, more spiritual view of the situation?
There has been an abundance of slipshod work done. The only conclusion the world can come to is that those who profess to believe the end of all things is at hand do not really believe the tremendous truth that Christ is at the door. Do they believe the mission of Christ was to save the lost and perishing, that Christ is the only remedy for sin, and that the world's Redeemer came to the world, all seared and marred with the curse, to lift up fallen man, to reveal to the perishing the love of the Father and bring them to look and live and thereby bring many sons and daughters to glory? But everyone must strive lawfully to win the crown of everlasting life. They must believe the only name "given among men, whereby we must be saved" [Acts 4:12] is Jesus Christ. And this must be no pretentious faith, but that faith that makes Christ a personal Saviour.
There has been very little deep piety and wholeness to God. When the spirit of Christ takes possession of the heart, then there is a missionary for God. The most grievous sin of idolatry exists in the church. And he who interposes between the professed Christian and his whole-hearted service to God, takes the form of an idol, and the most grievous sin of idolatry is idolatry itself.
The testimonies of God's word are plain and clear in regard to the snares of the devil. Yet there are not only church members on the devil's ground, but those who are opening the Scriptures to others practice evil and defile the soul and body. They are guilty before God because they are unholy. Were the church living by faith, had the oil of faith been in their vessels with their lamps, their guilty repose would end. They who believe the sacred, elevating truths for this time cannot sleep over them. A burden is upon them to reiterate the words of Christ, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" [Revelation 22:17].
"Ye are the light of the world" [Matthew 5:14]. Is this addressed exclusively to a few men who have been ordained to the ministry? No! but to every Christian, young or old, rich or poor. If Christ has forgiven them of their sins, if the truth has made them free, have they not a work to do for the Master? If they are Christians, they will present the truth to others. They will not consider that all that they have to do is to serve themselves--to please themselves and glorify themselves. They will have a sense that they are Christ's, bought with a price, and will concentrate their energies to the work of building up a kingdom of God by raising souls that are ready to perish, seeking to save the lost. When believers are rejoicing in God because they see the beauty there is in Jesus, because they see He is Chief among ten thousand, the One Altogether Lovely, do they consider how many know nothing of the saving grace of Christ? Many have not the joy and happiness of anticipating the heaven of bliss awaiting the faithful. While the church is indolent, not doing the work God has given it to do, men are sickening and dying without a ray of saving light, without being pardoned of their sins.
And what are we as a people doing, to whom Christ has entrusted precious light and a knowledge of the truth? Jesus has made us the depositories of sacred truth, but so many are burying their talents in the earth, and point not out the antidote for sin. If they thus neglect their duty, God will pronounce them slothful servants, and will not, cannot, commend them. They will not receive the benediction, "Well, done, good and faithful servant" [Matthew 25:43].
Elder Haskell, our testimony must be clear cut--there must be no daubing with untempered mortar. Sins of a grave character are cherished in our borders, and unless there is an awakening such as we have not seen for some time, which will convict and convert professed Sabbath keepers, they will die in their sins. The punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah will be light in comparison with that of those who have had great light and precious opportunities, and have been earthly minded, corrupt in thoughts and practices, and have not purified their souls by obeying the truth.
Now we see need of workers in the opening fields before us, but where are the men that can be trusted? Where are the men who year by year have been growing into a better knowledge of God and His ways and the moving of His providence? I want to sound in the ears of these sleepy, half-paralyzed souls the words spoken to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" [John 3:5]. There is need to seek God with all the heart. Elevate the standard. The commonness, the cheapness of conversation, reveal the measure of the spirituality of members of the church.
Now, those who have had years in this same experience, know not God nor Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and should such go forth as representatives of Jesus Christ? These men will never give the right mold to other minds; they have not grown up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. They simply have the name of Christians but are not fitted for the work of God, and never will be until they are born again, and learn the A.B.C. in true religion of Jesus Christ. There is a little hope in one direction: Take the young men and women, and place them where they will come as little in contact with our churches as possible, that the low grade of piety which is current in this day shall not leaven their ideas of what it means to be a Christian.
The worshipers of God are in need of transforming grace to subordinate the world to religion. In the place of making the temporal interests first, exhausting soul, body, and spirit to secure temporal advantages, Jesus points us to the heavenly treasure, and tells us to lay not up treasures in this earth, which will perish, but "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven," which will not perish, "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" [Matthew 6:20-21].
Jesus would have all who profess to believe in Him deal in the currency of heaven, handling those things upon which God has stamped His image and superscription. These He presents before us as of infinite value. We see the need of a deep and thorough work in our churches but the Lord alone can by His Spirit make the hearts that are as steel, soft and sympathetic and true to the service of Christ. We are far behind because the churches have folded their hands in a peace and safety attitude, and are at ease in Zion, doing almost nothing.
When the living zeal should be in their hearts, now as before Satan is stirring the powers from beneath to make one last desperate effort to convert the world to his principles. He has his plans laid with Satanic subtlety, and destruction cometh suddenly, while those who have the light, the warnings that such a crisis is before us, are almost unmoved.
I can but feel deeply over the indifference of those who claim to be the repositories of sacred truth. They seem to be blinded in the way they view sin. They cannot see afar off, and have forgotten they were purged from their old sins. Why? Because they did not advance in the knowledge of the truth. They did not practice the truth; they were not sanctified through the truth. The Pattern was before them but they did not copy the Pattern. So perfect was the example and life of Christ, that not the least jot of inconsistency existed between His instructions and His life. Now, what a marked contrast is seen to exist in the truth we profess to believe as a people, and the life and character!
Then there is not a vigilant supervision over self. There is not felt a necessity of placing self
under control of the Spirit of God, and of shunning as they would a serpent all facilities and
temptations to evil. The Holy Spirit alone can be the positive remedial agent. We can put no
confidence in humanity. Perfect humanity without Christ does not exist in human society.
Watch it, and degeneracy will be revealed. Active agencies are at work to pollute and stain the
soul. The cross, the cross of Calvary, presented again and again and plainly dwelt upon in every
discourse, will prove the life-healing balm; [it] will reveal the beauty and excellence of virtue.
Those who quibble over the authenticity of the Scriptures and question the authority of revelation, will not be influenced. Their hearts are not sound. They are not at enmity with Satan. The heart is the treasure house of sin. Not being expelled, sin is hidden until an hour of opportunity, and then it is revealed and springs into action. The first work is with the heart. Truth--the love of Jesus--must supply the vacuum. Said Christ, "Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good" [see Matthew 12:33].
Elder Haskell, the Lord is waiting to do great things for His people. But they must be pure in heart before they can see God or know Him as a pure and Holy God. Jesus led His disciples into the audience chamber of the Most High; He impressed upon their minds what was to be the burden of their prayer. They were to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which would supply every need of the soul, for it would work by love and purify the soul. The Spirit taking Its abode in the heart, will transform the entire being, conforming it to the likeness of Christ. Let us humble our hearts before God and believe He has pardoned all our transgressions and forgiven all our sins. We cannot honor God unless we do believe this, and make Jesus our personal Saviour. We must as a people rise up from our formality. We must enter the strait gate.
Satan has placed his active agents along the passage to dispute the way of every soul. Christ has encouraged His followers not be intimidated. Press on; urge your way through. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able" [Luke 13:24]. Darling, cherished idols will have to be given up, and the sins that have been indulged, even if it comes as close as the plucking out of the right eye or cutting off the right arm. Agonize! force your way through the very armies of hell that oppose your passage.
Oh! we must be terribly in earnest to impress upon every soul that there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun. Every energy of the soul must be aroused to force their passage, and seize the kingdom by force. Satan is active, and we must be active too. Satan is untiring and persevering, and we must be the same. There is no time to make excuses and blame others for our backslidings; no time now to flatter the soul [that] if circumstances had only been more favorable, how much better, how much easier [it would be] for us to work the works of God. We must tell even those who profess to believe in Christ, that they must cease to offend God by sinful excuses.
Jesus has provided for every emergency. If they will walk where He leads the way, He will make rough places plain. He, with His experience will create an atmosphere for the soul. He closes the door and brings the soul into seclusion with God, and the need of the soul is to forget everyone and everything, but God. Satan will talk with him, but speak aloud to God and He will drive back the hellish shadow of Satan. With humble, subdued, thankful hearts they will come forth saying, "Thy gentleness hath made me great" [Psalms 18:35]. The sincere seeker comes forth from the alliance with God, rich in the assurance of His love, to go forth to distill a heavenly prayer wherever he goes. He can talk of the righteousness of Christ; he can talk [of] the love of God with sincerity. He has trusted and he knows the Lord is good.
Thus, work is to be done in all our churches. Christ--His love, His forgiveness, His purity--is to be the theme upon which we are to dwell.
The charms of Jesus are to be kept ever before our minds. Charged with the elevated character of the true model every soul must copy, let us turn our eyes from everything that would dishearten or discourage.
Satan will work to distort everything to our vision, and make a mountain of a mole-hill. Our eyes must be steadfastly fixed upon Jesus. The Lord Jesus is our leader; we must follow where He leads the way. We are not to commence to plan for the second step. We are not to say, "Lord, after I take that step, then what shall I do, for I shall meet with difficulties"? But by faith we must take that one step, come what will, and trust in Jesus.
Elder Haskell, the reason our ministers are so inefficient is because they go to their work and come form their labors, if they have any success, full of themselves. The disciples of Christ did this when they said, "Even the spirits are subject unto us" [Luke 10:17]. Jesus could discern their danger, and He said, "come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile" [Mark 6:31]. Come out of the din of battle, away from the conflict, and hold communion with God. Thus it is with many workers. They are too strong, too full of self. The Lord cannot lead them or teach them or use them to His glory, for they are wise in their own conceits, and vainly imagine that the Lord cannot do without them. Self must be buried. We must educate the people to seek the Lord. We must speak plain words to ministers who are walking in the sparks of their own kindling.
Praise of men and flattery makes ministers hungry for more until they think, as did Elder [E.P.]
Daniels,--that the praise of man is of more value than the approval of God. We must, if saved,
imbibe the Spirit and power of Christ. Self must be hidden in Christ, and Christ alone appear.
Our work is to elevate not by praising anyone, but by upholding Jesus. Bring the mind to Jesus;
lift Him up, the man of Calvary, before the people and He can do all things for the humble,
trusting believer.
Letter 12, August 22, 1892, (see also 7ABC 356-57, 474-75, 479-80; AH 472-73, 476; WM 76, 105, 166)
As character develops, men and women will take their positions; for varied circumstances
brought to bear upon them will cause them to reveal the spirit which prompts them to action.
Everyone will reveal the character of the bundle with which he is binding himself. The wheat is
being bound up for the heavenly garner...the true people of God are now pulling apart, and the
tares are being bound in bundles to burn. Decided positions will be taken.
Letter 119, 1895, (see also TMK 12, 116)
Many are strongly convinced of the truth, but either husband or wife prevents them from stepping out. How can one who is in fellowship with Christ's sufferings refuse to obey His will and do His work?...It is by following in the path of obedience in simple faith that the character attains perfection....
Shall I refuse light, the evidence of truth which leads to obedience, because my relations and
friends choose to follow in the paths of disobedience lead away from God?...We cannot
overestimate the value of simple faith and unquestioning obedience.
Manuscript 4, January 9, 1898,
Those who hide their light will soon lose all power to shine. They are represented by the foolish virgins, and when the crisis comes and the last call is made, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him," they will find that while they have been mingling with the world, their light has gone out. They did not continue to provide themselves with the oil of grace. The peace and safety cry hushed them to slumber and made them careless in regard to their light....
Those who are watching and waiting for the appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven will not
be mingling with the world in pleasure societies and gathering merely for their own amusement.
As faithful watchmen they will be found proclaiming, "The morning cometh, and also the
night."...The time is coming when it will be too late to use the light we may have. Then the
decree will go forth: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be
filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as
his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may
enter in through the gates into the city" [Revelation 22:11-14].
Letter 3, January 1, 1900,
He [Christ] bids us, Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and
the House of Jacob their sins....The time is soon coming when the work of God's judgments will
begin at His sanctuary. God Himself is now drawing the separating line. He says, "As for Me
also, Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon
their head" [Ezekiel 9:10].
Letter 171, January 9, 1900, (see also UL 23)
When man has taken the lines in his own hands to guide and drive, he will be rewarded, for the
work of God will reveal terrible mistakes. Reason becomes blinded, even with the greatness of
light, unless that agency is under the yoke of Christ. Every day some plan will be devised when
Satan thinks he can lend a hand to sow his tares among the wheat. Vice is not to be commingled
with virtue, and the cry may have to go forth in no measured tones, even now while missionary
work is being done, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" [2 Corinthians 6:17]. God is now working for His
people, but how many do not recognize the work of God from strange work.
Manuscript 32, April 21, 1903,
The powers from beneath are stirred with deep intensity. War and bloodshed are the result. The moral atmosphere is poisoned with cruelty and horrible satanic doings. The spirit of strife is spreading. It abounds in every place. Many souls are being taken possession of by the spirit of fraud, of underhanded dealing. Many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They do not discern what spirit has taken possession of them....
What stronger delusion can beguile the mind than the pretense that you are building on the right foundation, and that God accepts your work, when in reality you are working out many things on a worldly policy, and, regardless of the Bible standard, are sinning against the law of Jehovah, which guards the interests of every being for whom Christ has given His life? Oh, it is a great deception, a fascinating delusion, that takes possession of minds, when men who have once known the truth, mistake the form of godliness for the spirit and power thereof; when they suppose that they are rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, whereas they are poor and in need of everything.
God has not changed toward His faithful servants who are keeping their garments spotless. But
many are crying, "Peace and safety," while sudden destruction is coming upon them. Unless
there is a thorough repentance, unless men humble their hearts by confession, and receive the
truth as it is in Jesus, they will never enter heaven. When purification shall take place in our
ranks, we shall no longer rest at ease and boast of being rich and increased with goods and in
need of nothing.
Letter 103, June 3, 1903, (see also TDG 163)
Those who stand obstinate, unconvinced by the warnings that God sends, will be bound up in
bundles ready to burn....Peter and James and John left their nets to follow Christ. And today,
men and women will leave their vocations to proclaim the message of the gospel. Multitudes
are to be gathered into the fold. Many who have known the truth have corrupted their way
before God and departed from the faith. The broken ranks will be filled up by those represented
by Christ as coming in at the eleventh hour. There are many with whom the Spirit of God is
striving. The time of God's destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who have no
opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the Lord look upon them. His heart of mercy is
touched; His hand is still stretched out to save, while the door is closed to those who would not
enter. Large numbers will be admitted who in these last days hear the truth for the first time.
Manuscript 139, October 23, 1903, (see also 7ABC 410, 421-2; Ev 26; UL 310)
There are dangers before us that we are to avoid. Christ has laid down for His church
great principles that are to be made known to the world in good works. His instruction on this point is given with authority. The principles to be maintained are valid for all time, shedding from age to age a clear, definite, steady light to be regarded by every tempest-tossed church that shall exist in our world. These principles are not to be confused with worldly-policy plans, but are to stand free from any binding about of God's people....
The Lord has presented before me the dangers that are threatening His people who have the sacred work of proclaiming the third angel's message with clearness and distinctness. God's people must beware lest they be ensnared by unsanctified propositions....The truth is not to be blanketed. The message for these last days is to be given in no indistinct utterance....
The churches, represented by Babylon, are represented as having fallen from their spiritual state to become a persecuting power against those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. To John this persecuting power is represented as having horns like a lamb, but as speaking like a dragon.
Revelation 13:11-17 quoted.
By a variety of images the Lord Jesus represented to John the wicked character and seductive influence of those who have been distinguished for their persecution of God's people. All need wisdom carefully to search out the mystery of iniquity that figures so largely in the winding up of this earth's history....More and more will all false religionists of the world manifest their evil doings; for there are but two parties--those who keep the commandments of God and those who war against God's holy law.
One of the marked characteristics of these false religious powers is that while they profess to have the character and features of a lamb, while they profess to be allied to heaven, they reveal by their actions that they have the heart of a dragon, that they are instigated by and united with Satanic power, the same power that created war in heaven when Satan sought the supremacy and was expelled from heaven....
Satan is seeking to intrude his own inventions upon the children of God through human methods. He is seeking to be received as God, or even to be placed above God....Through human policy he leads men to regard the expressed commandments of God as of less force than human tradition, and to regard a deviation from that law which is always holy and just and good, as of little account. He sees that by thus preventing human agencies from walking as obedient children in harmony with God, he can hinder the accomplishment of God's work in our world....
I am instructed to say that the men who are placed in positions of responsibility in the work of God have overestimated their right to control others....The influence of man's having his own way in the place of firmly standing on the solid foundation that God alone has laid, has been repeated over and over again. Refusing to walk in the straight paths that God has signified will bring them to confusion and will not teach wisdom to others who have the same test and trial. When will man learn that God is God, and not a man that He should change?...
There is no middle path to Paradise restored. The message given to man for these last days is not to become amalgamated with human devising. We are not to lean upon the policy of worldly lawyers. We must be humble men of prayer, not acting like those who are blinded by Satan's agencies....
The greatest light and blessing that God has bestowed is not a security against transgression and apostasy in these last days. Those whom God has exalted to high positions of truth may turn from heaven's light to human wisdom. Their light will then become darkness, their God-entrusted capabilities a snare, their character an offense to God. God will not be mocked. A departure from Him has been and always will be followed by its sure results. The commission of acts that displease God will, unless decidedly repented of and forsaken, instead of seeking to justify them, lead the evildoer on step by step in deception till many sins are committed with impunity. All who would possess a character that would make them laborers together with God and receive the commendation of God, must separate themselves from the enemies of God, and maintain the truth which Christ gave to John to give to the world....
Those who claim to be disciples of Christ often express hardness of heart and blindness of mind,
because they do not choose and practice God's way instead of their own. Selfish motives come
in and take possession of mind and character, and in their self-confidence they suppose their
own way to be full of wisdom. They are not particular to follow the ways and words of God.
Circumstances, they say, alter cases. Worldly policy comes in and they are tempted and drawn
away. They move according to their own unsanctified desires, making crooked paths for their
own feet and for the feet of others to tread in. The lame and weak suppose them to be led by
God, and therefore think that their judgment must be right. Thus many follow in false paths that
are not cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in.
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904,
There may be a necessity of doing the very work that the Lord has in the past inspired His
messengers to do, in order to save the largest number of souls from the satanic influences that
would lead them astray. The world's opinion will oppose the very work that must be done in
order that the safety of the flock of God shall not be imperiled.
Letter 237, July 14, 1904, (see also 3SM 411-12)
There is to be a turning and an overturning, but our work is not to stop. We are to instruct and
enlighten those who have not heard the truth for this time....At this crisis all are called upon to
take their position. We must stand apart from those who are determined to make shipwreck of
the faith. We must not sell our Lord at any price. We are to refuse to listen to the sophistries
that have been brought in to make of no effect the truth for this time. Not a stone is to be moved
in the foundation of this truth--not a pillar moved.
Letter 87, February 25, 1905,
I am weary of trying to withstand the attempts that are being made to do violence to the truth that should be proclaimed at this time. If my words are taken by some to sustain error, I shall not be led into controversy, but I shall continue to set before the people the truth as God designs them to understand it. I shall endeavor to make my words so plain that they cannot be misinterpreted. The truth of God will be vindicated, and effect the purpose that God designed it should. The mind can only be freed from error when every thread is cut that binds it to the fallacy of the enemy.
A great reformation is needed among the people of God. Many sapless and unfruitful branches are to be removed from the parent vine. Everything will be shaken that can be shaken, that which cannot be shaken may remain.
The enemy has worked upon the minds of some, and has led them to do violence to our past experience by mingling with the truth erroneous and false theories. He has led ministers and teachers to weave into their doctrines some pleasing figures of His own invention. Every deviation from the truth as we have advocated it in the past is a departure from truth that has been witnessed by the Holy Spirit, and upon which God has placed His seal.
Truth must stand in its own order, linked only with truth. Unbelief disturbs the balance of the system of truth, and tends to destroy the whole. The mind that cherishes sentiments that tend to destroy the foundation of the faith that has made us what we are becomes confused, and cannot discern between truth and error.
The truths that have been substantiated by the manifest working of God are to stand fast. Let no
one presume to move a pin or a foundation stone from the structure. Those who attempt to
undermine the pillars of our faith are among those of whom the Bible says that "in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils"
[1 Timothy 4:1]....These following in a path of error lose from the heart the genuine peace of
Christ, and become like a troubled sea, dashing up mire and dirt.
Manuscript 106, November 20, 1905, (see also CWE 105)
The same deceptive agency that seduced the angels in heaven is working in like manner upon human minds today. By means of his seducing statements he won the confidence of many of the angels, and there was a great war in heaven. Michael and His angels fought against Satan and his deceived followers....
Some who have received warning and instruction from God have deliberately turned from the messages sent them. They have, as it were, walked blindfolded into Satan's prepared snares. Satan is playing the game of life for their souls. And some who might be in a position to help these ensnared souls have themselves become ensnared as captives to the archdeceiver....
I am instructed to say that we must do all we possibly can for these deceived ones. Their minds must be freed from the delusions of the enemy, and if we fail in our efforts to save these erring ones, we must "come out from among them" and be separate....For years the backward tendencies of many have greatly hindered the work of God.
Now, just now, the Lord's people are to show their loyalty. The time has come when the Lord
would have all who will honor Him take their stand firmly on the side of truth and righteousness.
No longer are we to be a mixed multitude.
Letter 256, August 1, 1906, (see also TDG 222)
We see the need of earnest, devoted men to take up the work that must be carried forward in the future....We are not to regard any human being as one to be believed and trusted, unless it is evident that he is established in the truth of the word of God. Some who have been leaders in the work of God are seeking to make of none effect the work that God has placed in the world to educate His people, and to prepare them to stand the test of the miracle-working powers that would make void the precious facts of faith that have for the last sixty years been given under the power of the Holy Spirit....
Christ pronounces a woe upon all who transgress the law of God. He pronounced a woe upon the lawyers in His day because they exercised their power to afflict those who looked to them for justice and judgment. All the terrible consequences of sin will come to those who, even though they may be nominal church members, regard it as a light matter to set aside the law of Jehovah, and to make no distinction between good and evil.
In the representations the Lord has given me, I have seen those who follow their own desires,
misrepresenting the truth, oppressing their brethren, and placing difficulties before them.
Characters are now being developed, and men are taking sides, some on the side of the Lord
Jesus Christ, some on the side of Satan and his angels. The Lord calls for all who will be true
and obedient to His law to come out of and away from all connection with those who have
placed themselves on the side of the enemy.
Manuscript 9, February 10, 1908, (see also IHP 372)
The Lord has instructed me to say to our churches: There is no safety in placing confidence in human wisdom or strength. "Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
"Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place" [Isaiah 28:9-17].
"Who among us," He asks, "shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in His beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off" [Isaiah 33:14-17].
The government of the kingdom of Christ is like no earthly government. It is a representation of the characters of those who compose the kingdom. "Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God," Christ asked, "or with what comparison shall we compare it?" [Mark 4:30]. He could find nothing on earth that would serve as a perfect comparison. His court is one where holy love presides and whose offices and appointments are graced by the exercise of charity. He charges His servants to bring pity and lovingkindness, His own attributes, into all their office work, to find their happiness and satisfaction in reflecting the love and tender compassion of the divine nature on all with whom they associate.
The prophet continues: "Look unto Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see
Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes
thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the
glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with
oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king; He will save us. Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen
their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take
the prey..." [Isaiah 33:20-24].
- Sabbath vs Sunday Issue -
Manuscript 3, October 8, 1885
Manuscript 18, 1888
Manuscript 6, 1889
Manuscript 16, October 1, 1890
Letter 8, 1895
Manuscript 22a, November 20, 1895
Manuscript 7a, February, 1896
Manuscript 15, March 27, 1896
Letter 24, May 23, 1896
Manuscript 1, January 11, 1897
Letter 123, March 8, 1897
Letter 98a, April 9, 1897
Letter 138, 1897
Manuscript 34, April 16, 1897
Manuscript 65, June 6, 1897
Letter 90, August 18, 1897
Manuscript 163, December 17, 1897
Manuscript 27, March 19, 1899
Manuscript 39, March 23, 1899
Manuscript 51, April 2, 1899
Letter 77, May 1, 1899
Manuscript 77, May 14, 1899
Manuscript 82, May 21, 1899
Letter 98, July 10, 1900
Letter 47, February 5, 1902
Manuscript 153, November 5, 1902
Manuscript 38, April 9, 1903
Letter 21, January 16, 1905
Letter 38, January 23, 1906
Manuscript 125, July 4, 1906
Letter 38, February 11, 1909
Manuscript 29, November 14, 1910
Manuscript 3, October 8, 1885, (see also 7ABC 31-32, 326; HS 215-18; IHP 150-51; 3SM 259-60)
Our brethren cannot expect the approval of God while they place their children where it is impossible for them to obey the fourth Commandment. They should endeavor to make some arrangement with the authorities whereby the children shall be excused from attendance at school upon the seventh day. If this fails, then their duty is plain, to obey God's requirements at whatever cost....
If parents allow their children to receive an education with the world, and make the Sabbath a common day, then the seal of God cannot be placed upon them. They will be destroyed with the world; and will not their blood rest upon the parents? But if we faithfully teach our children God's commandments, bring them into subjection to parental authority, and then by faith and prayer commit them to God, He will work with our efforts; for He has promised it.
And when the overflowing scourge shall pass through the land, they with us may be hidden in
the secret of the Lord's pavilion.
Manuscript 18, 1888, (see also Ev 198 and 3SM 388-391)
There are many who are at ease, who are, as it were, asleep. They say, "If prophecy has foretold the enforcement of Sunday observance, the law will surely be enacted," and having come to this conclusion, they sit down in a calm expectation of the event, comforting themselves with the thought that God will protect His people in the day of trouble. But God will not save us, if we make no effort to do the work He has committed to our charge. We must be found faithfully vigilant soldiers, lest Satan shall gain an advantage, which it is our duty to prevent.
We should diligently study the Word of God, and pray in faith that God will restrain the powers of darkness, for as yet the message has gone to comparatively few, and the world is to be lightened with its glory. The present truth--the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus--has not yet been sounded as it must be. There are many, almost within the shadow of our own doors, for whose salvation no personal effort has been made.
We are not prepared for the time when our work must close. We must take a firm stand that we will not reverence the first day of the week as the Sabbath, for it is not the day that was blessed and sanctified by Jehovah, and in reverencing Sunday we should place ourselves on the side of the great deceiver. The controversy over the Sabbath will open the subject to the people, and an opportunity will be given that the claims of the genuine Sabbath may be presented. Blindness and disloyalty to God so prevail that His law is made void, but the Psalmist says of such a condition, "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126].
It is time for God's people to work as never before, because of the increase of wickedness. The God-fearing, commandment-keeping people should be diligent, not only in prayer, but in action, and this will bring the truth before those who have never heard it. The world is overborne with falsehood and iniquity, and those whom God has made the depositaries of His law and of the pure religion of Jesus must be determined to let their light shine. If they do nothing to disabuse the minds of the people, and through ignorance of the truth our legislators should abjure the principles of Protestantism, and give countenance and support to the Roman fallacy, the spurious sabbath, God will hold His people, who have had great light, responsible for their lack of diligence and faithfulness. But, if the subject of religious legislation is judiciously and intelligently laid before the people, and they see that through Sunday enforcement the Roman apostasy would be re-enacted, then, whatever comes, we shall have done our duty.
The man of sin thinks to change times and laws. He is exalting himself above God in trying to compel the conscience. But God's people should work with persevering energy to let their light shine upon the people in regard to the law, and thus to withstand the enemies of God and His truth. When the law of God is made void, and apostasy becomes a national sin, the Lord will work in behalf of His people. Their extremity will be His opportunity. He will manifest His power in behalf of His church....
As faithful watchmen you should see the sword coming and give the warning, that men and women may not pursue a course through ignorance which they would avoid if they knew the truth. The Lord has enlightened us in regard to what is coming upon the earth that we may enlighten others, and we shall not be held guiltless, if we are content at ease, with hands folded and quibble over matters of minor importance....
Light must come to the people through agents whom God shall choose, who will give the note of warning, that none may be in ignorance of the purposes of God or the devices of Satan. At the great heart of the work Satan will use his hellish arts to the utmost. He will seek in every possible way to interpose himself between the people and God, and shut away the light that God would have come to His children. It is his design to keep them in ignorance of what shall come upon the earth....
The people must not be left to stumble their way along in darkness, not knowing what is before them and [thus be] unprepared for the great issues that are coming. There is a work to be done for this time in fitting a people to stand in the day of trouble, and all must act their part in this work. They must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and be so fortified by the truth that the delusions of Satan shall not be accepted by them as genuine manifestations of the power of God....
It is a solemn time for God's people, but if they stand close by the bleeding side of Jesus, He will be their defense. He will open ways that the message of light may come to the great men, to authors and lawmakers. They will have opportunities of which you do not now dream, and some of them will boldly advocate the claims of God's downtrodden law....
There is now need for earnest working men and women who will seek for the salvation of souls, for Satan as a powerful general has taken the field, and in this last remnant of time he is working through all conceivable methods to close the door against light that God would have come to His people. He is sweeping the whole world into his ranks, and the few who are faithful to God's requirements are the only ones who can ever withstand him, and even these he is trying to overcome....
Go to God for yourselves; pray for divine enlightenment, that you may know the truth, that when the wonderful miracle-working power shall be displayed, and the enemy shall come as an angel of light, you may distinguish the genuine work of God from the imitative work of the powers of darkness....
A world is to be warned, and when the third angel's message goes forth with a loud cry, minds will be fully prepared to make decisions for or against the truth. The great charge is to be made by Satan and his evil angels, united with evil men, who will fix their destiny by making void the law of God in the face of convincing evidence from His word that it is unchangeable and eternal.
The very time of which the prophet has written will come, and the mighty cry of the third angel will be heard in the earth. His glory will lighten the world, and the message will triumph, but those who do not walk in its light will not triumph with it....
When the crisis comes, brought on by Satanic miracles, many will be prepared to make right decision as a result of house-to-house work. The bible will be opened from house-to-house, and men and women will find access to these homes, and minds will be opened to receive the word of God, and, when the crisis comes, many will be prepared to make right decisions, even in the face of formidable difficulties that will be brought about through the deceptive miracles of Satan....There will be an army of steadfast believers who will stand as firm as a rock through the last test....
Increased light will shine upon all the grand truths of prophecy, and they will be seen in freshness and brilliancy, because the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness will illuminate the whole....
When the angel [Gabriel] was about to unfold to Daniel the intensely interesting prophecies
recorded for us who are to witness their fulfillment, the angel said, "Be strong, yea, be strong"
[Daniel 10:19]. We are to receive the very same glory that was revealed to Daniel, because it is
for God's people in these last days, that they may give the trumpet a certain sound.
Manuscript 6, 1889, (see also IHP 86, 104; OHC 323; 3SM 394-400)
There has arisen in our conference questions that need to have careful attention, whether the Sabbath-keepers in the Southern States where they are liable to feel the oppressive power of their State laws if they labor on Sunday shall rest on Sunday to avoid the persecution which must come if they do any labor. Some of our brethren seem anxious that a resolution shall be passed by the General Conference advising our Sabbath-keeping brethren liable to imprisonment and fines, to refrain from labor on that day....
Some minds are so constituted that they can not treat these questions wisely. When the Sunday question is legislated to become law, there will not be so great a danger of taking steps that are not of a character to receive the sanction of heaven, though they may receive the sanction of the General Conference,--for the reason that the Lord gives light and knowledge just when it is most needed.
I am afraid of these many resolutions. One year ago resolutions were brought into the Conference for adoption that, had they all be accepted, would have bound about the work of God....Human traditions and permits and non-permits have been of a character that would have bound them about with restrictions that were wholly unnecessary, out of God's order, and that would have created a condition of things that would have been detrimental to the progress of the work....
In General Conference, many things are rushed through without being duly canvassed....They devise and execute without God's counsel....It has become habit to pass laws that do not always bear the signature of heaven....Then to toss these questions into the Conference without the prayerful consideration of the subject would be the greatest folly.
This is the third angel's message to our world and men had better keep their hands off the ark. There has been revealed the disposition to cavil over some questions that are plainly revealed in the Word of God....
If the decision is made that our people shall not labor on Sunday and that our brethren in the Southern States shall appear to harmonize with the Sunday law, because of oppression, how long before all over the world [our people] shall be in like circumstances as they are in the South? The decision is to be universal one. If it comes to the light of day as it will in degrees and there will be concessions and servile bowing to an idol god by those who claim to be Sabbath-keepers, there will be a yielding of principles until all is lost to them....
The counsel to be given is "Finally, my brethren, be strong, in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand"--in harmony in outward appearance. No, but "against the wiles of the devil" [Ephesians 6:10, 11].
There are some trying testimonies to be manfully borne by Sabbath-keepers and some bitter persecution finally endured, for, says Christ, "Ye are My witnesses" [see Isaiah 43:10-12]. Yes, witnesses for God, standing in defense of His holy law. We are a light to reveal the moral darkness, and the reward will be given to the overcomer.
Let no resolutions be passed here which will encourage half-hearted service or cowardly hiding our light under a bushel or under a bed for we will certainly be tried and tested. The Bible heroes of faith are to be our example and the Bible readers and Bible workers, if truly on the Lord's side, will be earnest, whole-souled, humble, meek, and lowly of heart, and God will teach them....Should resolutions be passed that because of the trials and inconveniences that arise because of our faith such ones should cease their labor on Sunday, bowing to the idol sabbath, will it give those who do this vigorous, spiritual sinew and muscle or will they grow into cowards and be swept away with the delusions of these last days? Leave these precious souls to God's dictation. Be sure the Sabbath is a test question and how you treat this question, places you either on God's side or Satan's side. The mark of the beast is to be presented in some shape to every institution and every individual.
The position taken by some is, that this civil enactment has no relation to the present observance of the Sabbath. Here again great blindness is shown to be upon them. In this they are not correct. For every move from the first made by Satan was the beginning of his work to continue to the end to exalt the false, to take the place of the genuine Sabbath of Jehovah. He is just as intent now and more determined to do this than ever before.
He has come down with great power to deceive them who dwell on the earth with his Satanic delusions. His work has a direct reference to the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and should the resolution be passed that because of inconveniences and loss of property, imprisonment and fines, the enactment of laws of the State shall compel Sunday observance, all must obey these laws God would certainly be dishonored; and the lesson given to those who need better advice shall be a character to open the way and make it easy for souls to be carried away with the bold, swift current of evil. They will be tempted strongly because of the universal scorn which they see thrown upon the law of God to think slightly of it and to place the laws of men on an equality with the laws of God and give less and less reverence to the laws of Jehovah. Shall the overseers of the flock work with the great deceiver to make apostasy from God easy?
We have all the way along known that this battle must come and the two great powers, the Prince of Darkness and the Prince of Light, will be in close battle, and not one of God's people who understand the truth, if in the light where God would have them to stand, will teach by precept or example any soul to shirk now. Give them strengthening Bible diet and Bible duty to strengthen and brace the soul for the coming conflict. But there will be need at this time of men who have been leaders in this work of keeping step where Jesus leads the way. If they do not walk in the light as Christ leads the way and advance with the increasing light of the third's angel's message, they will surely become blind leaders of the blind. [Exodus 31:12-17 quoted].
It is a time now when God calls for brave men having on the whole armor of God, presenting a united front to the foe. And as we meet the emergency the law of God becomes more precious, more sacred, and as it is more manifestly made void and set aside, in proportion should arise our respect and reverence for that law. David said, "They have made void Thy law; therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold" [Psalms 119:126, 127].
The Lord will be constantly leading and guiding His people to meet this emergency if they ask the help of God. It is a high point of spiritual advancement they have reached that the love of God's commandments grows with the contempt which is manifest to that law by those around them. There are great principles in the reformation which must not be overlooked or disregarded. God forbid we should be self-made invalids in this great crisis. Paul prayed for the removal of the aggravating thorn but God sees this is not the best and sends the blessed promise, "My grace is sufficient for thee" [2 Corinthians 12:9]. The Lord does not remove the trial, but gives him all that is needed that he can endure it.
In the exercise of the long suffering of God, He gives to nations a certain period of probation, but there is a point which if they pass, there will be the visitation of God in His indignation; He will punish. The world has been advancing from one degree of contempt for God's law to another, and the prayer may be appropriate at this time, "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126]. In answer to this prayer ere long the wrath of an offended God will be poured out without mercy, then as we approach this time, be careful what advice and counsel we give to the people who need to be strengthened in Christian experience, lest you prove yourself to be like Aaron who consented to make the golden calf.
This was a terrible thing for him to do because all Israel looked up to him as their leader, a good man. If he had given his voice against this in a certain, decided manner, this wicked worship of an idol would not have been to disgrace the people of God. We do not want to repeat Aaron's cowardice or Israel's sin. Let the Lord work for His people, and be careful that you give to the trumpet a certain sound now. We must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Let all be careful what they say and what they do; be careful to move in God's order. Keep step with the Captain of the Lord's host. Let not anyone make any proud boast either by precept or example to show that he is defying the laws of the land. Make no resolutions as to what persons in different States may do, or may not do. Let nothing be done to lessen individual responsibility. To their God they must stand or fall. Let none feel it his duty to make speeches in the presence of our own people, or of our enemies, that will arouse their combativeness and they take your words and construe them in such a way that you are charged with being rebellious to the government, for this will close the door of access to the people.
Let Christ be seen in all that you do. Let them see that you are living epistles of Jesus Christ. Let the soft fillings in the life of character appear. Be lovable. Let your life win the hearts of all who are brought in contact with you. There is too little done at the present time to render the truth attractive to others. There have been some who have in speaking to the people, felt like making a raid on the churches. They sour minds by their censoriousness. We want our hearts mellowed by the love of Jesus. That is in God's order. If not presented in the most pleasant, acceptable form, truth will be unpalatable to many. While we must present the truth in contrast with error, let it be presented in a manner that shall create as little prejudice as possible.
While we cannot bow to an arbitrary power to lift up the Sunday by bowing to it, while we will
not violate the Sabbath, which a despotic power will seek to compel us to do, we will be wise in
Christ,--Christ's wisdom and not in our own spirit. A consistent, substantial, lovable Christian is
a powerful argument for the truth. We must say no words that will do ourselves harm, for this
would be bad enough, but when you speak words, and when you do presumptuous things that
imperil the cause of God, you are doing a cruel work for you give Satan advantage. We are not
to be rash and impetuous, but always learning of Jesus how to act in His Spirit, presenting the
truth as it is in Jesus.
Do not in this critical time mark out ways for God's people, for how do you know what God designs to do with and for His people? He means to make exhibitions of His power before our enemies. The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, and His wisdom and His strength are then present and sufficient help in every time of need. He can work for them whatsoever seemeth good in His sight, and nothing can be done for or against them other than His providence shall permit to be done. The Children of Light are wise and powerful, according to their reliance upon God, and the wisdom and help of men may defeat the very purpose of God....
In all ages, the righteous have obtained help from God, and the enemies of His people can never put down those whom God would lift up...Then let no decision be made by this Conference to get in the way of the work of the Lord....Let everyone be careful and not step off from the ground where God is, on Satan's ground.
Many did this in the ranks of the reformers of past ages. Luther had great trouble because of these elements. Rash persons stepped out of their place and rushed needlessly forward when God did not send them to do a very objectionable, impulsive work. They ran ahead of Christ and provoked the devil's wrath. In their untimely, misguided zeal, they closed the door to great usefulness of many souls who might have done great good for the Master.
We have all kinds of material to deal with. There are those who will, through hasty, unadvised moves, betray the cause of God into the enemy's power. There will be men who will seek to be revenged who will become apostates and betray Christ in the person of His saints. All need to learn discretion; then there is danger on the other hand of being conservative, of giving away to the enemy in concession. Our brethren should be very cautious in this matter for the honor of God. They should make God their fear and their dread. Should this Conference make resolutions and pass them, that it would be right and proper for Seventh-day Adventists to rest on the first day of the week in order to avoid arrests and what might probably arise if they did not obey the laws, would this be showing that we stand in right relation to God's holy law? [Exodus 31:12-17].
I have been shown that from the first rebellion Satan was working to this end, to exalt his own power in contradiction to God's law and God's power. He does this in exalting Sunday observance, and anything that shall by this people go forth as their voice, to respect the idol sabbath, would it not dishonor God and confuse minds and place them where they will be deceived by Satan's devices? Anything we may do that lifts up the spurious to take the place of the true and genuine Sabbath, is disloyal to God and we must move very carefully lest we exalt the decision of the man of sin. We are not to be found in a neutral position on this matter of so great consequence. The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus must be from conviction of duty inscribed on our banners.
If we shall do as some of our brethren in sympathy with our brethren of the South have urged, then where do God's people stand? Where will be the distinction from the Sunday observers? How will we be recognized as the Sabbath-keeping people of God? How shall we show that the Sabbath is a sign?
The two armies will stand distinct and separate, and this distinction will be so marked that many who shall be convinced of truth will come on the side of God's commandment-keeping people. When this grand work is to take place in the battle, prior to the last closing conflict, many will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake in standing in defense of the truth. They will be brought before kings and rulers, and before councils to meet the false, absurd, and lying accusations brought against them, but they must stand firm as a rock to principle, and the promise is, "As thy days so shall thy strength be" [Deuteronomy 33:25]. You will not be tempted above what you are able to bear. Jesus bore all this and far more. The express command of God must be obeyed, for God has been working. [Luke 21:8-19 quoted].
An intelligent knowledge of His word has been given to prepare men and women to contend zealously for the law of Jehovah; to reestablish the holy law; make up the breech that
has been made in the law of God and restore the tables of stone to their ancient, exalted, honorable position. And God's faithful servants when brought into straight places should not confer with flesh and blood.
There will be, even among us, hirelings and wolves in sheep's clothing who will persuade the flock of God to sacrifice unto other gods before the Lord. We have reason to know how Paul would act in any emergency. "The love of Christ constraineth us" [2 Corinthians 5:13]. Youth who are not established, rooted and grounded in the truth, will be corrupted and drawn away by the blind leaders of the blind, and the ungodly, the despisers that wonder and perish, who despise the sovereignty of the Ancient of Days and place on the throne a false god, a being of their own defining, a being altogether such as one as themselves,--these will be agents in Satan's hands to corrupt the faith of the unwary.
Those who have been self-indulgent and ready to yield to pride and fashion and display, will sneer at the conscientious, truth-loving, God-fearing people, and will, in this work sneer at the God of heaven himself. The Bible is disregarded, the wisdom of men exalted, and Satan and the man of sin worshiped by the wisdom of this age, while the angel is flying through the midst of heaven crying, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth" [Revelation 8:13].
I have been shown that the hand of the Lord is stretched out already to punish those who will become monuments of divine displeasure and holy vengeance, for the day of recompense has come when men who exalted the man of sin in the place of Jehovah in worshiping an idol sabbath in the place of the Sabbath of the Lord Jehovah will find it a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, for He is a consuming fire.
We say to our brethren, Do not for Christ's sake, get in the place of God before the people. Enough of this kind of work has been done. Let God work human minds. Do not hinder the workings of God for His people in this important period of time, when tremendous interests are being enacted among God's people. Do not in your human wisdom fix up things too much bearing the human imprint. Leave God something to do. Let the hand of God appear in molding and fashioning men's minds and character, and let man walk softly and humbly with God. Lift no burdens from God's people that He would have them to bear. Jesus bore the cruel cross to Calvary. Do not cast burdens upon any class that He would have them released from.
Satan's work is constantly to perplex, to mix up things, to confuse, to get things into a tangle that is hard to straighten out. It is not a desirable job to be engaged in, to take the work out of God's hands into your own finite arms. It is best for all parties concerned to leave the people of God in God's hands for Him to impress and teach and guide their consciences. It is not safe for any one to attempt to be conscience for God's people. If the servants of God will patiently instruct them by precept and example, to patience, to faith, and to look to God for themselves, to understand their own duty as God would have them, then many, in trying circumstances would obtain a rich experience in the things of God. Teach man to ask wisdom of God. There should be precept and example in lessons given, that God is our only trust and wisdom, and we must pray to Him without ceasing for light and knowledge.
Many have not had that religious experience that is essential for them, that they may stand without fault before the throne of God. The furnace fires of affliction He permits to be kindled upon them to consume the dross, to refine, to purify and cleanse them from the defilement of sin, of self-love, and to bring them to know God and to become acquainted with Jesus Christ by walking with Him as did Enoch....
The Lord will lead His people and guide them. The commandment will go forth from God as to
Daniel, to help those making earnest intercession to the throne of His grace in their time of need.
Said Christ, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he
do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And Whatsoever
ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" [John 14:12-13].
In the name of the Lord I advise all His people to have trust in God and not begin now to prepare to find an easy position for any emergency in the future, but to let God prepare for the emergency. We have altogether too little faith....
This history [Elijah's experience after the priests of Baal were slain] carefully and prayerfully studied will be a help to the people of God under difficulties. Let man be careful not to assume responsibilities that God does not require of him, and interpose himself between the Lord and His tempted and tried ones so that the purposes of God shall not be carried out in the experiences of these persons. Difficulties will arise before the people of God, but every soul must put his trust not in the wisdom of men but in the Lord God of Israel. He will be his defense....In trusting implicitly in God, we shall see the wonderful display of His power, if we wait patiently and prayerfully for Him, and have confidence in God.
God works in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform....Conflicts and trials are the very means ordained or suffered of God to perfect the Christian character unto eternal life.
Teach every soul to lean heavily on the Arm of infinite power. There is an individuality that must be preserved in every human agent in Christian experience and the responsibility cannot be removed from any soul. Each one has his own battles to fight, his own Christian experience to gain, independent in some respects from any other soul; and God has lessons for each to gain for himself that no other one can gain for him....
All are not tried in the same way. Some will meet more severe trials than others, but cling to God is the encouragement to give to each and all. The registered experiences of believers of former days is to be an encouragement to us living down near the close of time....We have no new, strange path to tread, in which others have not had a similar experience.
The Lord's ways are unchangeable. He will do in our days as He has done in earlier days....We may be encouraged by the truthfulness of God's word that Christ never failed His children as their safe Leader in the hour of their trial; for we have the truthful record of those who have been under the oppressive powers of Satan, that His grace is according to their day. God is faithful who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able.
Our heavenly Father measures and weighs every trial before He permits it to come upon the believer. He considers the circumstances and the strength of the one who is to stand under the proving and test of God, and He never permits the temptations to be greater than the capacity of resistance. If the soul is overborne, the person overpowered, this can never be charged to God, as failing to give strength in grace, but the one tempted was not vigilant and prayerful and did not appropriate by faith the provisions God had abundantly in store for him. Christ never failed a believer in His hour of combat. The believer must claim the promise and meet the foe in the name of the Lord, and he will not know anything like failure.
There may be large mountains of difficulties in regard to how to meet the claims of God and not stand in defiance of the laws of the land. He must not be making ample provisions for himself to shield himself from trial for he is only God's instrument and he is to go forward in singleness of purpose with his mind and soul garrisoned day by day that he will not sacrifice one principle or his integrity, but he will make no boasts, issue no threats, nor tell what he will or will not do. For he does not know what he will do until tested. He will just go forward in a contrite spirit with an eye single to the glory of God, depending on the word of God and the grace promised through Christ, and the mountains may become molehills.
To every soul who meets difficulties in the strength of Jesus and is not overcome, who faces enemies and opposers, and in the strength of Christ stands firmly, who undertakes and discharges duties in the meekness of wisdom, not calculating the results, knowing that none of these things can be met in human strength, his experience becomes knowledge that Christ is faithful that hath promised....He has taken hold of the Surety, Jesus Christ the Mighty One and he reposes in the fullness and strength of Christ, and knows by experience that Christ in his righteousness, and that he can be touched with the feelings of his infirmities. Although he may be enclosed in prison walls he may believe it is for the truth's sake. Jesus is by his side. We are not to be rash, bold, presumptuous, defiant. In Jesus we may trust, having faith in His power to save, we may be conquerors.
There should be a constant walking in all humility. There should be no just occasion to our enemies to charge us with being lawless and defying the laws through any imprudence of our own. We should not feel it enjoined upon us to irritate our neighbors who idolize Sunday by making determined efforts to bring labor on that day before them purposely to exhibit an independence. Our sisters need not select Sunday as the day to exhibit their washing. There should be no noisy demonstration. Let us consider how fearful and terribly sad is the delusion that has taken the world captive and by every means in our power seek to enlighten those who are our bitterest enemies. If there is the acceptance of the principles of the inworking of the Holy Ghost which he must have to fit him for heaven, he will do nothing rashly or presumptuously to create wrath and blasphemy against God. The process of sanctification is constantly going on in the heart, and his experience will be, "Christ...is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" [1 Corinthians 1:30]. He knows that Christ by His Spirit is dwelling in his heart by faith.
Oh, there is a great work to be done for the people of God, ere they are prepared for translation to heaven! The heat of the furnace upon some must be severe to reveal the dross. Self will have to be crucified. When each believer is to the very extent of his knowledge, obeying the Lord, and yet seeking to give no just occasion to his fellowmen to oppress him, he should not fear the results, even though it be imprisonment and death.
After Jesus rises up from the mediatorial throne, every case will be decided, and oppression and death coming to God's people will not then be a testimony in favor of the truth.
Our whole attitude must be the saving of the souls of those surrounding us--souls for whom Christ has died. The largest class have never heard anything about the seventh day being the genuine Sabbath of Jehovah. They are uneducated in the Scriptures, and the position and work of the Seventh-day Adventists to cling to their faith brings resistance in the highest degree. The Christian world is ignorantly bowing down to an idol. Every soul, ministers and laymen, should consider the world their missionary field, and these reasons should be presented in the demonstration of the Spirit and the power of God. Through God alone can they reach the hearts of the people.
We must lose no time in becoming thoroughly versed in the Scriptures, for we must come to the people not merely with flimsy arguments, neither alone with sound logic, to convince them that that which has been taught as truth by their fathers and that which has been preached to them from the pulpits is untrue, for the opposition you create by this kind of labor will be like scattering seeds of darkness. You will be called apostates, for publishing that which causes distraction, but if you have the attractiveness of Christ, if you are balanced in all you do by the wisdom of Christ, your own heart imbued with the Spirit of Christ, you will accomplish a good work for Christ.
We urge you to consider this danger: That which we have most to fear is nominal Christianity. We have many who profess the truth who will be overcome because they are not acquainted with the Lord Jesus Christ. They cannot distinguish His voice from that of a stranger.
There is to be no dread of anyone being borne down even in a wide-spread apostasy, who has a
living experience in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If Jesus be formed
within, the hope of glory, the illiterate as well as the educated can bear the testimony of our
faith, saying, "I know in whom I have believed" [1 Timothy 1:12]. Some will not, in argument,
be able to show wherein their adversary is wrong, having never had any advantage that others
have had, yet these are not overborne by the apostasy because they have the evidence in their
own heart that they have the truth, and the most subtle reasoning and assaults of Satan cannot
move them from their knowledge of the truth, and they have not a doubt or fear that they are
themselves in error.
Let every soul consider his responsibility to give an account before God for the influence he has exerted over the souls of those brought under the sphere of his influence. When this undying love to save souls takes possession of heart and mind, there will not be any rash move made.
Faith, saving faith, is to be taught. The definition of this faith in Jesus Christ may be described in few words: It is the act of the soul by which the whole man is given over to the guardianship and control of Jesus Christ. He abides in Christ and Christ abides in the soul by faith as supreme. The believer commits his soul and body to God, and with assurance may say, Christ is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. All who will do this will be saved unto life eternal....
When profligacy and heresy and infidelity fills the land there will be many humble homes where prayer, sincere and contrite prayer will be offered from those who never heard the truth and there will be many hearts that will carry a weight of oppression for the dishonor done to God. We are too narrow in our ideas, we are poor judges, for many of these will be accepted of God because they cherished every ray of light that shone upon them. There are thousands who are praying as did Nathaniel for the light of truth. Christ's lightbearers must not be unfaithful. There is work to do in our world for many souls and God calls us to labor for souls who are in darkness of error, but praying for the light, for the revealing of God's holy spirit.
Let not side issues take the mind and the affections. We want to make the most of our present
opportunities. We want to work while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work.
There are many men of influence who are to have a knowledge of the truth, and we must be sure
not to hedge up the way. The knowledge of truth is ever increasing. It is not a new truth that
opens to the mind; it is not a new principle but a new discovery or a forcible application or
revival of that which existed before. The Lord is prepared to present His light to our minds as
fast as we will receive it. Open the door and let Jesus in.
Manuscript 16, October 1, 1890, (see also 7ABC 246, 321, 331, 335, 351, 378, 393, 423; CWE 94-95; Ev 179, 593-94; 2SM 19-21)
The formality, worldly wisdom, worldly caution, worldly policy, will appear to many to be the very power of God, but, when accepted, it stands as an obstacle to prevent God's light in warning, reproof, and counsel from coming to the world.
He is working with all his insinuating, deceiving power, to lead men away from the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with mighty power. If Satan sees that the Lord is blessing His people and preparing them to discern his delusions, he will work with his master power to bring in fanaticism on the one hand, and cold formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of souls. Now is our time to watch unceasingly. Watch, bar the way to the least step of advance that Satan may make among you....
I have been warned that henceforth we shall have a constant contest. Science so-called and religion will be placed in opposition to each other, because finite men do not comprehend the power and greatness of God. These words of Holy Write were presented to me, "Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" [Acts 20:30]. This will surely be seen among the people of God, and there will be those who are unable to perceive the most wonderful and important truths for this time; truths which are essential for their own safety and salvation, while matters that are in comparison as the merest atoms, matters in which there is scarcely a grain of truth, are dwelt upon and are magnified by the power of Satan so that they appear of the utmost importance....
The moral sight of these men is diseased. They do not feel their need of the heavenly anointing,
that they may discern spiritual things....They will fall into deceptions and delusions that Satan
has prepared as concealed nets to entangle the feet of those who think they can walk in their
human wisdom without the special grace of Christ....
True light is to stand in distinction from all other lights. The system of truth must stand distinct from all other systems, whether of religion or of morals. It is the light emanating from Christ. Our great work is to reveal Christ to the world, and thus reveal the Father.
There are men of the world that will volunteer to be our guides. They regard their course as wise, but their tendencies and actions are evil. They are of the class who, professing to be wise, need to become fools in order to be wise in God's wisdom. They lead away from the path where the voice of Jesus is heard, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it" [Isaiah 30:21]. They are false teachers, blind leaders of the blind. They divert attention from the very work to be done in this period of the world's history. But those who follow the Leader, step by step, will hear and recognize the voice of the true Shepherd....
In the last struggles of the great controversy, God has called us to aid in giving the final warning to the world. While the Christian world are honoring a false sabbath, we are to show them its true character. It must be made plain to them that they are honoring a man-made institution in place of that which God sanctified. Every rival must be made to appear as an idol. Solemn is our responsibility.
The people of the world will try to induce us to soften our message, to suppress one of its more distinctive features. They say, "Why do you in your teachings make the seventh-day Sabbath so prominent? This seems to be always thrust before us. We should harmonize with you, if you would not say so much on this point."...And there has been a disposition on the part of some of the workers to adopt this policy. I am bidden to warn you that deceptive sentiments are entertained, a false modesty and caution, a disposition to withhold the profession of our faith in the night season, matters have been presented before me that have greatly troubled my mind. I have seen to be in meetings for counsel where these subjects were discussed, and written documents were presented advocating concessions. Brethren, shall we permit the world to shape the message that God has given us to bear to them?...Shall we for the sake of policy betray a sacred trust?
If the world is in error and delusion, breaking the law of God, it is our duty to show them their sin and danger. We must proclaim the third angel's message....We are not to cringe and beg pardon of the world for telling them the truth. We should scorn concealment. Unfurl your colors to meet the gaze of men and angels. Let it be understood that Seventh-day Adventists can make no compromise. In your opinions and faith there must not be the least appearance of wavering. The world has a right to know what to expect of us, and will look upon us as dishonest, as hiding our real sentiments and principles out of policy, if we carry even the semblance of being uncommitted till the popular voice has pointed out the safe way. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, which Christ said He would send into the world, was to bear an unwavering testimony....
On no account will one real believer of the truth remain in appearance neutral in an important crises, or in the questions that concern the salvation of the soul. We are not to voice the sentiments of the world....All the success and patronage that can be secured by policy plans will be a snare to every soul who works on this principle.
Some are flattering themselves that a more auspicious time is coming when God, who ever sides with the right, will vindicate His honor by lifting up His holy law, and then they will obey the truth and will triumph with it. I have been shown that in maintaining the right, it is not safe to yield one hair's breadth because of circumstances, or to teach others that we may do this with comparative safety....
While we are to stand firm as a rock to principles, we should be courteous and Christlike in our dealings with all men. We should tell the people plainly that we cannot accept the papal sabbath, because it is a mark of special dishonor to God, whom we love and worship. But while we sacredly observe the Sabbath of the Lord, it is not our work to compel others to observe it. God never forces the conscience; that is Satan's work. Since God is the Author of the Sabbath, it must be presented to the minds of men in contrast to the false sabbath, that all may choose between them....
Those who are living in transgression of the holy law of God will complain, when it is made plain that the spurious sabbath is founded in the power of the man of sin, such knowledge is not palatable to them. They will say in language too plain to be misunderstood, "We want not a knowledge of Thy ways, O Lord" [see Job 21:14]. Others will say, as did Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?" [Exodus 5:2]. But we must hold aloft the banner of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus....While Satan will make masterly efforts to suppress the truth, we must stand firmly to reflect light to the world. let not the fear of man, the desire for patronage, be allowed to obscure a ray of heaven's light....
We should be alarmed when we see the least disposition to hush the voices that proclaim the message of the third angel. That angel represents the people of God who give the warning to the world. No greater contempt could be shown to the Creator than the contempt manifested for the day which He has sanctified. And, as Satan with his human agencies pushes the warfare against God, by leading men to trample on the Sabbath, the few who honor God should be aroused to greater zeal and earnestness in its defense....
In the great conflict between faith and unbelief the whole of the Christian world is involved. All
will take sides. Some apparently may not engage in the conflict on either side. They may not
appear to take sides against the truth, but they do not come out boldly for Christ, through fear of
losing property or suffering reproach. All such are numbered with the enemies of God.
Letter 8, 1895, (see also 7ABC 248-49; Ev 154, 158, 284-85, 296, 297-98, 326-27, 628, 650; NBL 158-59; 1SM 163; 3SM 126; WM 89)
The popular opinion of what saith the Fathers will not help my case. My work is given me of God to know and understand His will for my own individual self. By thoughtful, prayerful study, I must seek to know for myself the true meaning of the Scriptures. We should thank God every day that we are not left to human traditions and man-made assertions. We cannot be safe in trusting to any other word except "It is written." We cannot float with the current; we cannot build our faith on any human theory, lest we come under condemnation as did the Jews. "Ye teach for doctrines the commandments of men" [Mark 7:7], said Christ to them. And this statement is made decidedly plain to us in these last days.
In Sunday observance the commandments of men are made supreme. Human authority and
church pretensions are made as the word of God, to which all must bow. Should we do this, we
would be laborers together with the man of sin, who thought to change times and laws, and who
exalted himself above God and all that is written in the word of God.
Manuscript 22a, November 20, 1895, (see also 3SM 233-34; SW 66-71)
When the heavenly intelligences see that men will no longer present the truth in simplicity as did Jesus, the very children will be moved upon by the Spirit of God and will go forth proclaiming the truth for this time....
There is a terrible crisis just before us which all must pass, and especially will it come and be felt in Battle Creek. My mind has been much troubled over the positions which some of our brethren are liable to take in regards to the work to be done among the colored people in the southern states. There is one point that I wish to lay before those who work in the Southern field. Among the color people they [white workers] will have to labor in different lines from those follow in the North. They cannot go to the South and present the real facts in reference to Sunday-keeping being the mark of the beast and encourage the colored people to work on Sunday, for the same spirit that held the colored people in slavery is not dead, but alive today and ready to spring into activity. The same spirit of oppression is still cherished in the minds of many of the white people of the South, and will reveal itself in cruel deeds, which are manifestations of their religious zeal. Some will oppose in every possible way any action which has a tendency to uplift the colored race and teach them to be self-supporting. When the whites show an inclination to help the colored people by educating them to help themselves, a certain class of white people are terribly annoyed. They do not want the colored people to earn an independent living. They want them to work their plantations.
When the white people try to educate the colored people in the truth, jealousy is aroused, and ministers, both colored and white, will bitterly oppose the truth. The colored ministers think that they know how to preach to their own race better than the white ministers can, and they feel that the whites are taking the work out of their hands. By falsehood they will create the most decided opposition, and those among the white people who are opposed to the truth will help them, and will make it exceedingly hard for the work of the message to advance.
When the truth is proclaimed in the South, a marked difference will be shown by those who oppose the truth in their greater regard for Sunday, and great care must then be exercised not to do anything to arouse their prejudice. Otherwise, we might just as well leave the field entirely, for the workers will have all the white people against them. Those who oppose the truth will not work openly, but through secret organizations, and they will seek to hinder the work in every possible way. Our laborers must move in a quiet way, striving to do everything possible to present the truth to the people, remembering that the love of Christ will melt down opposition....
Not a word should be spoken to create prejudice, for, if by any careless or impulsive speech to the colored people in regard to the whites, if prejudice is created in the minds of the white people against them, the spirit of the enemy will work in the children of disobedience. Thus an opposition will be aroused which will hinder the work of the message, and will endanger the lives of the workers and of the believers.
We are not to make efforts to teach the Southern people to work on Sunday. That which some of our brethren have written upon this point is not based on right principles. When the practices of the people do not come in conflict with the law of God, you may conform to them. If the workers fail to do this, they will not only hinder their own work, but they will place stumbling blocks in the way of those for whom they labor, and hinder them from accepting the truth.
On Sunday there is the very best opportunity for those who are missionaries to hold Sunday schools, and come to the people in the simplest manner possible, telling them of the love of Jesus for sinners, and educating them in the Scriptures. There are many ways of reaching all classes, both white and black. We are to interest them in the life of Christ from His childhood up to manhood, and through His life and ministry, to the cross. We cannot work in all localities in the same way. We must let the Holy Spirit guide, for men and women cannot convince others of their wrong traits of character. While laboring to introduce the truth, we must accommodate ourselves as much as possible to the field and the circumstances of those for whom we labor....
There is danger that as soon as the opposing elements can get the slightest opportunity, they will stir up one another to persecute those who do...[work on Sunday] and pick off those whom they hate. At present Sunday-keeping is not the test. The time will come when men will not only forbid Sunday work, but they will try to force men to labor on the Sabbath. And men will be asked to renounce the Sabbath and subscribe to Sunday observance or forfeit their freedom and their lives. But the time for this has not yet come, for the truth must be presented more fully before the people as a witness....
Slavery will again be revived in the Southern states, for the spirit of slavery still lives. Therefore it will not do for those who labor among the colored to preach the truth as boldly and openly as they would be free to do in other places, even Christ clothed His lessons in figures and parables to avoid the opposition of the Pharisees. When the colored people feel that they have the Word of God [on their side] in regard to the Sabbath and the sanction of those who have brought them the truth, some who are impulsive will take the opportunity to defy the Sunday laws, and by presumptuous defiance of their oppressors they will bring to themselves much sorrow. Very faithfully the colored people must be instructed to be like Christ, to patiently suffer wrongs that may help their fellow men to see the light of truth.
A terrible condition of things is certainly opening before us. According to the light that has been given me in regard to the Southern field, the work there must be done in the manner in which Christ would work. You need not cut short your work by yourself laboring on Sunday. It would be better to take the day to instruct others in regard to the love of Jesus and true conversion....
The light that I have is that God's servants should go quietly to work, preaching the grand, precious truths of the Bible--Christ and Him crucified, His life and infinite sacrifice--showing that the reason why Christ died is because the law of God is immutable, unchangeable, eternal. The Spirit of the Lord will awaken the conscience and the understanding of those with whom you work, bringing the commandments of God to their remembrance....In preaching the truth, it is not always best to present those strong points of truth that will arouse prejudice, especially where such strong feelings exist as is felt in the Southern states. The Sabbath must be taught in a decided manner, but be cautious how you deal with the idol, Sunday. A word to the wise is sufficient....
After the Sabbath has been sacredly observed...If work is done on Sunday, let our brethren make that day an occasion to do genuine missionary work. Let them visit the sick and the poor, ministering to their wants, and they will find favorable opportunities to open the Scriptures to individuals and to families. Thus most profitable work can be done for the Master.
When those who hear and see the light on the Sabbath take their stand upon the truth and keep God's holy day, difficulties will arise, for efforts will be brought to bear against them to compel men and women to transgress the law of God, and, if opposition and persecution are determinedly kept up, let them heed the words of Christ, "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come" [Matthew 10:23]....
The final issue on the Sabbath question has not yet come, but by imprudent actions we may bring on a crisis before the time. You may have all the truth, but you need not let it all flash at once upon minds, lest it become darkness to them....
When we begin to work with parliaments, and with men holding high positions in governments, the enemy is roused to exert all his strength against us, and he will make the work hard. Do not let your work be known any more than is necessary....
We are not to reveal all our purposes and plans to men. Satan will take advantage if any indiscretion is shown on this point. He does not work openly and above board. He works in an underhanded manner, and will continue to do so. Before the people are prepared for it, he leads men to set powerful movements on foot by working on their minds....
It means a great deal to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. We have so much determination in us that often we do things unguardedly and rashly. We must appear before these men as trying to help others, working on the lines of Christian help work. As they see the good work we do in these lines, their prejudice in a measure will be removed; their hearts will be opened to the truth. Do not abruptly present the Sabbath; present Christ....
We should have nothing to do with the actions of governments. Our duty is to obey God. When you are arrested, take no thought what you shall say or do. You are to follow Christ step by step. You need not commence weeks beforehand to examine the question, laying plans as to what you will do when the powers shall do this or that; neither need you think what you are to say. Study the truth and the Spirit of the Lord will bring to your remembrance what you shall say. Our minds should be a treasure house, filled with the Word of God.
When brought before courts, we are to give up our rights, unless by so doing we are brought into
collision with God. We are not pleading for our rights, but for God's right to our service.
Instead of resisting the penalties imposed unjustly upon us, it would be better to take heed to the
Saviour's words, "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto
you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come" [Matthew
10:23].
Manuscript 7a, February, 1896, (see also 3SM 423-25; TMK 353)
John in the Revelation writes of the unity of those living on the earth to make void the law of God: "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chose, and faithful" [Revelation 17:13-14]. "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet" [Revelation 16:13]. All who will exalt and worship the idol sabbath, a day that God has not blessed, help the devil and his angels with all the power of their God-given ability, which they have perverted to a wrong use. Inspired by another spirit, which blinds their discernment, they cannot see that the exaltation of Sunday observance is entirely the institution of the Catholic Church.
A corrupt union has been formed to tear down God's memorial of creation, the seventh day, which he hallowed and blessed, and gave to men to be a sign between God and His people, to be observed throughout their generations forever. A period is coming when everyone will take sides between the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, which the Lord has sanctified and blessed, and the spurious sabbath instituted by the man of sin.
An idol sabbath has been set up as the golden image was set up on the plains of Dura, and, as Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon issued a decree that all who would not bow down and worship this image should be killed, so a proclamation will be made that all who will not reverence the Sunday institution will be punished with imprisonment and death. Thus the Sabbath of the Lord is trampled underfoot. But the Lord has declared, "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and write grievousness which they have prescribed" [Isaiah 10:1]. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fires of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger" [Zephaniah 1:14, 2:1-3].
The Lord of heaven permits the world to chose whom they will have as ruler. Let all read carefully the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, for it concerns every human agent, great and small. Every human being must take sides, either for the true and living God, who has given to the world the memorial of creation in the seventh-day Sabbath, or, for a false sabbath, instituted by the men who have exalted themselves above all that is called God or that is worshiped; who have taken upon themselves the attributes of Satan in oppressing the loyal and true, who keep the commandments of God. This persecuting power will compel the worship of the beast by insisting on the observance of the sabbath he has instituted. Thus he blasphemes God, sitting "in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God" [2 Thessalonians 2:4].
This worship of a false sabbath is a wedge that split the Protestant churches from God, and left them naked. They had not a text of Scripture to sustain their false God, but yet a deception. Hoary with age, but still a deception, was commenced to reverence, and exalted, while the Sabbath of the fourth commandment was trampled upon and God dishonored. The Bible was before them with a plain "thus saith the Lord" and the penalty that is the part of the transgressor. But as Adam and Eve in Eden listened to the falsehoods of Satan, so the religious world are following their example.
Satan who was expelled from heaven is leading the world, blindfolded by his sophistry, in the same way that he led the angels who accepted his theology before a "Thus saith the Lord." Already the churches are naked, and without a covering. Like the arch deceiver, they are without excuse, for they have the Word of God, plain and clear and pointed. While they would rein up the faithful and loyal subjects of the kingdom of God, depriving them of their liberty of conscience, bringing them before magistrates and judges, and pronouncing sentence against them, delivering them unto prison, putting them into the chain gang, and even condemning them to death; they themselves, before the universe, are showing determined and obstinate contempt of the laws of the eternal Jehovah.
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb" [Revelation 14:1-4].
One of the marked features in the representations of the one hundred and forty-four thousand is that in their mouth there was found no guile. The Lord has said, "Blessed is the man...in whose spirit there is no guile" [Psalms 32:2]. They profess to be children of God and are represented as following the Lamb "whithersoever He goeth." They are prefigured before us as standing on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen, which "is the righteousness of the saints" [Revelation 19:8]. But all who follow the Lamb in heaven will first have followed Him on earth in trustful, loving, willing obedience; followed Him, not fretfully and capriciously, but confidently, truthfully, as the flock follows the shepherd.
Are these the ones who are bruising and imprisoning their fellowmen, humiliating them to the depraved association of those who compose the chain gang? Is this [spirit] the sign of those who follow the Lamb? No, no. All who do this work evidence that they have chosen the side of the one who was expelled from heaven, who was a falsifier of God, and who, by oppression, tries to compel God's chosen ones to worship an idol sabbath which is without one text of scripture for its authority.
Did Christ give His followers any such lesson or example? No, He came not to break down the moral power of men, but to restore it. He came to break the power of oppression. His work was to release those who were in bondage to Satan. Those who say, "I am a child of God," yet do work that will grieve and oppress, executing cruel actions against their fellowmen, are not following the Lamb withersoever He goeth, but are followers of another leader. They develop the attributes of Satan, and make it manifest that they are participators and co-workers with him to bind, imprison, and condemn; to cause all the suffering possible to body and mind, because they cannot compel men to be untrue to God and dishonor His work and transgress His holy law.
These are the ones who have guile in their mouths. These are the ones who profess to be
followers of Christ, while they are following a leader who was expelled from the courts of
heaven. These men, who are working unrighteousness with such zeal, show before the whole
world and universe that, if Christ were upon the earth as at His first advent, they would do as did
the unbelieving Jews--follow Him as spies, seeking to get Him to say something which they
could use against Him to condemn Him to death. If they had opportunity and power, they would
do as did Nebuchadnezzar, when he set up his golden image on the plains of Dura.
It is the spirit that dwells in the children of disobedience that decides their future eternal destiny. Men who conceal their convictions of duty, because they are afraid of suffering persecution, are not following the true, but the false shepherd. To maintain principles at all hazards is the highest path one can travel, because by doing this we follow Jesus. That which has a "Thus saith the Lord" is right and expedient. God has said, "He that walketh uprightly walketh surely" [Proverbs 10:19]. If you suffer for the truth's sake, you are partakers with Christ in His suffering, and will be partakers with Him in His glory.
God is weary of professional falseness and hollow hypocrisy. "And in their mouths was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God" [Revelation 14:5]. What grand words; how cheering and uplifting. "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He hath walked uprightly and work righteousness, and kept the truth in his heart. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation" [Psalms 24:3-5].
The third angel's message, following the first and second, which have proclaimed the hour of God's judgment and the fall of mystical Babylon, is proclaimed in louder and more explicit tones, giving a warning to all co-workers in the great antichristian apostasy. "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and receive not of her plagues [Revelation 18:1-5].
The whole chapter is full of importance, and is of consequence to every human agent. Consider this matter; it will bear close searching. The men who are denying the Sabbath instituted by God Himself, who are trampling upon the commandments of God, are the devil's spies who seek to find accusation against those who will not reverence a man-made institution and worship an idol sabbath. The observance of the seventh day according to the commandment, reveals to them a neglect of duties which they owe to God. If there were not a people voicing the third angel's message, they would have no conscientious scruples for Sunday observance, but it is the truth that they do not wish to receive. The Jews did not want their customs and practices to be disturbed; neither do the professed Christian world of today wish to be disturbed. They reject the message of truth, which God in mercy has sent to them to arouse their moral sensibilities. The Jews treated Christ just as professed Christians today would treat Him should he come as He did at His first advent.
The world is in co-partnership with the professed Christian churches in making void the law of Jehovah. God's law is set aside; it is trampled underfoot, and from all the loyal people of God, the prayer will ascend to heaven, "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126]. Satan is making his last and most powerful effort for the mastery; his last conflict against the principles of God's law. A defiant infidelity abounds.
After John's description of Revelation 16 of that miracle-working power which was to gather the world to the last great conflict, the symbols are dropped, and the trumpet voice once more gives a certain sound: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" [Revelation 16:15]. After the transgression of Adam and Eve, they were naked, for the garments of light and security had departed from them. The world will have forgotten the admonition and warnings of God, as did the inhabitants of the Noatic world; as did also the dwellers of Sodom. They awoke with all their plans and inventions of iniquity, but suddenly the showers of fire came from heaven and consumed the godless inhabitants. "Thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed" [Luke 17:20].
The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep; asleep in carnal security, putting afar off the coming of the Lord, laughing at warnings, calling those who try to arouse their attention almost fanatics, enthusiasts, not level headed. The lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God are taken unawares. This is the proud boast that is made: "All things remain as they were from the beginning. Tomorrow shall be as this day, only much more abundant. We will go deeper into pleasure-loving" [see Isaiah 56:12]. But said Christ, "Behold, I come as a thief" [Revelation 16:15].
When the scorner, the rejecter of truth has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in
the various money-making lines is being carried on without regard to principle; when the student
is fully engaged in ambitious aims to obtain knowledge of everything but the Bible, Christ
comes as a thief. The warning has been given, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what
watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to
be broken up" [Matthew 24:42, 43]. Every hour that passes is one less for you to make
preparations of character for this great event.
Manuscript 15, March 27, 1896, (see also 2SM 384-85)
The Sabbath is God's memorial of His creative work, and it is a sign that is to be kept before the world.
There is to be no compromise with those who are worshiping an idol sabbath. We are not to spend our time in controversy with those who know the truth, and upon whom the light of truth has been shining, when they turn away their ear from the truth to turn to fables. I was told that men will employ every policy to make less prominent the difference between the faith of Seventh-day Adventists and those who observe the first day of the week. In this controversy the whole world will be engaged, and the time is short. This is no time to haul down our colors.
A company was presented before me under the name of Seventh-day Adventists, who were advising that the banner or sign which makes us a distinctive people should not be held out so strikingly; for they claimed it was not the best policy in securing success to our institutions. This distinctive banner is to be borne through the world to the close of probation. In describing the remnant people of God, John says, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Revelation 14:12]. This is the law and the gospel. The world and the churches are uniting in harmony in transgressing the law of God, in tearing away God's memorial, and in exalting a sabbath that bears the signature of the man of sin. But the Sabbath of the Lord thy God is to be a sign to show the difference between the obedient and the disobedient. I saw some reaching out their hands to remove the banner, and to obscure its significance....
When the people accept and exalt a spurious sabbath, and turn souls away from obedience and loyalty to God, they will reach the point that was reached by the people in the days of Christ....They are placing upon a false sabbath divine honors, and when this is fully done, persecution will break forth upon those who observe the Sabbath that God gave in Eden as a memorial of His creative power. Then the commandments of God will be clothed with sacred garments and will be pronounced holy.
Shall anyone then choose to hide his banner to relax his devotion? Shall the people whom God has honored and blessed and prospered, refuse to bear testimony in behalf of God's memorial at the very time when such a testimony should be borne? Shall not the commandments of God be more highly esteemed when men pour contempt upon the law of God?...
When the law of God is made void, when His holy name is dishonored, when it is considered disloyal to the laws of the land to keep the seventh day as the Sabbath, when wolves
in sheep's clothing, through blindness of mind and hardness of heart, are seeking to compel the conscience, shall we give up our loyalty to God?--No, no. The wrongdoer is filled with satanic hatred against those who are loyal to the commandments of God, but the value of God's law as a rule of conduct must be manifested. The zeal of those who obey the Lord will increase as the world and the church unite in making void the law. They will say with the Psalmist, "I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold: [Psalms 119:127].
This is what will be sure to occur when the law of God is made void by a national act. When Sunday is exalted and sustained by law, then the principle that actuates the people of God will be made manifest, as the principles of the three Hebrews was made manifest when Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to worship the golden image in the plains of Dura. We can see what our duty is when the truth is overborne by falsehood.
The law of God cannot be made void by the law of a nation. When the law is trampled in the
dust, the sacredness of the commandments of God will be vindicated by those who are loyal to
Him. We are to make no railing accusations against the nations, for this would close our way so
we could not set the light before the people. Every objection raised against the commandments
of God will make a way for the advancement of truth, and enable its advocates to present its
value before men. There is a beauty and force in the truth that nothing can make so apparent as
opposition and persecution. When this is revealed, many will be converted to the truth.
Letter 24, May 23, 1896,
All who advocate truth in distinction to error have a special work to do in vindicating the law of God. Men inspired by a power from beneath have considered it their duty to uphold as the Sabbath of the Lord the first day of the week. By thus disregarding the claims of God, ministers who claim to preach the gospel are voicing the words of Satan who told Adam and Eve that, if they transgressed the law, they would not die, but would be as gods, knowing good and evil.
By their influence and example these false shepherds have caused a lie to be received as truth. With persevering energy they have labored to establish a spurious sabbath, and this man-made institution has received the homage of the greater part of the world. But this does not make a day holy which God has given as a common working day. Though this error be hoary with age, though the world bow in reverence to it, it still remains an error and a delusion, for God says, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" [Isaiah 8:20].
Well-nigh universal contempt is shown to the law of God, and all who are loyal to Him have a sacred and solemn work to do in magnifying the law and making it honorable. God placed His sanctity upon the seventh day, and gave it to man to keep holy; and He says, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips" [Psalms 89:34]. By rendering obedience to His commandments, we uphold the honor of God in the earth.
Satan works against the law with untiring energy, and God calls upon His people to be witnesses
for Him by pressing the battle to the gates. This work must advance or it will go backward. In
this war there is no release. Those who take part in it must put on the whole armor of God, that
they may fight manfully the warfare against evil.
Manuscript 1, January 11, 1897, (see also 1MCP 14-15)
The sign or seal of God is the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, the Lord's memorial of His
work of creation. "The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of
Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout
your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you" [Exodus 31:12-13]. Here the Sabbath is clearly defined as a sign between God and His people.
The mark of the beast is the observance of the first day of the week. This mark distinguishes those who acknowledge the supremacy of the papal authority, seen in the man of sin,--thinking to change times and laws,--and those who acknowledge the authority of God....
A refusal to obey the commandments of God, and a determination to cherish hatred against those who proclaim these commandments leads to the most determined war on the part of the dragon, whose whole energies are brought to bear against the commandment-keeping people of God. "He causeth all, both small and great...to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" [Revelation 13:16]. Not only are men not to work with their hands on Sunday, but with their minds they are to acknowledge Sunday as the Sabbath. "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" [verse 17]....
On which side are we ranging ourselves?--on the side of the dragon, who was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ? "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs," writers John, "come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" [Revelation 16:14].
On which side are you standing?--on the side of those that worship the beast and his image?
Letter 123, March 8, 1897,
A vast reformation would be wrought upon the world if the veil of the future could be lifted, and all could see and understand that very soon there is to be a change in the attitude of God in His dealings with the perversity of man....
There are diligent students of the word of prophecy in all parts of the world who are obtaining light and still greater light from searching the Scriptures. This is true of all nations, of all tribes, and all peoples. These will come from the grossest error and will take the places of those who have had opportunities and privileges, and have not prized them. These have worked out their own salvation with fear and trembling, lest they...become deficient in doing the ways and will of God, while those who have had great light, have through the perversity of their own natural hearts, turned away from Christ, because [they were] displeased with their requirements.
But God will not be left without witness. The one-hour laborers will be brought in at the eleventh hour and will consecrate their entrusted means to advance the work. These will receive the reward for their faithfulness, because they are true to principle and shun not their duty to declare the whole counsel of God. When those who have had abundance of light throw off the restraint which the Word of God imposes and make void His law, others will come in to fill their places and take their crowns....
While many have reduced the Word, the Truth, the Holy Law of Jehovah to a dead letter, and by their example testify that the Law of Jehovah is a hard, rigorous burden, while they said: "we will lay off this yoke; we will be free; we will no longer remain in covenant relation with God; we will do as we please," there will be men who have had very meager opportunities, who have walked in ways of error because they knew not any other or better way to whom beams of light will come...and the one supposed to be a hardened sinner will be found to have a heart as tender as a child, because Christ has deigned to notice him.
Great is the work of the Lord. Men are choosing sides. Even those supposed to be heathen will choose the side of Christ, while those who become offended, as did the disciples, will go away and walk no more with Him, and others will come in and occupy the places they have left vacant. The time is very near when man shall have reached the prescribed limits. He has now exceeded the bounds of the long suffering of God, the limits of His grace, the limits of His mercy. The record of their works in the books of heaven is, "weighed in the balances, and found wanting." The Lord will interfere to vindicate his own honor, to repress the swellings of unrighteousness and bold transgression.
What effect will the attempt of men to make void the law of God have upon the righteous? Will they be intimidated because of the universal scorn that is put upon the holy law of God? Will the true believer in the "Thus saith the Lord" become wavering and ashamed because the whole world seems to despise His righteous law? Will they be carried away by the prevalence of evil? No! To those who have consecrated themselves to God to serve Him, the law of God becomes more precious, when the contrast is shown between the obedient and the transgressor.
In proportion as the attributes of Satan are developed in the despisers and transgressors of the law of God, the holy precept will become more dear and valuable to the faithful adherent. He will declare, "They have made void Thy law. Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold" [Psalms 119:126, 127]....It is the ones who have been faithful stewards of the grace of God, whose love of God's commandments grows with the contempt which those all around them would put upon them.
Wicked men and the church harmonize in this hatred of the law of God, and then the crisis comes. Then we see the class specified in Malachi 3:13-15--"Your words have been stout against Me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against Thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered." Here are a company of disaffected professed Christians, whose chief business is to murmur and complain and accuse God by accusing the children of God. They see nothing defective in themselves, but very much to displease in others.
But while they are murmuring and complaining and falsely accusing and doing Satan's work most zealously, another class is brought to our notice--"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not" [verses 16-18].
This subject is urging itself upon my mind. I want you to consider it, for it is a matter of vast importance, with which of these two classes shall we identify our interests? We are now making our choice, and we shall soon discern between him that serveth God, and him that serveth Him not. Read the fourth chapter of Malachi, and think about it seriously. The day of God is right upon us. The world has converted the church. Both are in harmony and are acting on a shortsighted policy. Protestants will work upon the rulers of the land to make laws to restore the lost ascendancy of the man of sin, who sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Roman Catholic principles will be taken under the care and protection of the state. This national apostasy will be speedily followed by national ruin. The protest of Bible truth will no longer be tolerated by those who have not made the law of God their rule of action. Then will the voice be heard from the graves of the martyrs, represented by the souls John saw slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ which they held. Then the prayer will ascend from every true child of God, "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126]....
From time to time the Lord has made known the manner of His working. He is mindful of what is passing upon the earth. And when a crisis has come, He has revealed Himself, and has interposed to hinder the working out of Satan's plans. He has often permitted matters with nations, with families, and with individuals to come to a crisis, that His interference might become marked. Then He has let the fact become known that there is a God in Israel who sustains and vindicates His people.
When the defiance of the law of Jehovah shall be almost universal, when His people shall be
pressed in affliction by their fellowmen, God will interpose. The fervent prayers of His people
will be answered because He loves to have His people seek Him with all their heart and depend
upon Him as their Deliverer. He will be sought to do things for His people and He will arise as
the Protector and Avenger of His people. The promise is: The Lord will avenge His own elect,
which cry unto Him day and night. [see Luke 18:7].
Letter 98a, April 9, 1897, (see also 3SM 348-49)
By looking constantly to Jesus, from morn till eve, with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. They feed upon His word, for it is spirit and life. This word kills the natural, earthly nature, and a new life in Christ Jesus is created. The Holy Spirit comes as a comforter to them. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the mold of the divine similitude. The image of Christ is reproduced in the human agent, and by the transforming efficacy of the grace of Christ he becomes a new creature. This is the new birth. [See John 1:14, 16].
The yearning after entire conformity to the will of God, after His Holiness and peace, opens the eyes of the understanding to see the doctrines of the word. Thus God's children are strengthened and established: they are..."steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord..." [1 Corinthians 15:58].
The Lord is soon to appear in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, to take those who have received Him to the mansions He has gone to prepare for them. We are anxiously awaiting His coming. We need to keep the armor on. We need to be all that the name Christian signifies. We need to live in habitual communion with God our Saviour, abiding in Him.
Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. It is a conflict, a battle, a march day after day. All who reach the standard must learn the lesson that it is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of heaven. If we sit with Christ on His throne, we must be partakers with Him of his sufferings. "For it became him...in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering" [Hebrews 2:10]. Shall we then be timid and cowardly because of the trials we meet as we advance? Shall we not meet them without repining and complaints?...
At times I have had to face nearly the whole church in defense and vindication of the heaven-sent light. Yet God has upheld me, and these many years and unchangeable testimony has been borne....The puny arm of man has been powerless to hinder.
Though my heart is pained when I see how little the work given me by God is comprehended, yet I am neither discouraged nor disposed to yield up the work God has given me. I know that God has laid this work upon me. Any course that my brethren may take will not alter my mission or my work....
With every departure of our institutions from straight lines, with every new departure from right principles, strange methods and principles are brought in. But abuses come with them and follow one after another in endless succession....
God is calling for volunteers, for men who will not turn away from the truth they have strenuously advocated for years to advocate erroneous doctrines. Because some have not been diligent students, because they do not understand the true reasons of the genuine faith, there will be no less power or fewer laborers. Others will take the places in the ranks made vacant, who will be receptive, and who will appreciate the sacred character of truth.
At the eleventh hour, when the work grows harder and the people are more hardened, there will be a variety of talent brought in. These workers will prove faithful and receive their penny. Sacrificing men will step into the places made vacant by those who would not be fitted for a place in the heavenly temple. These resources will continue to come in. The Lord will provide openings and facilities. He will call upon the youth to fill up the places made vacant by deaths and apostasies. He will give young men and women, as well as those who are older, the cooperation of the heavenly intelligences. They will have converted characters, converted minds, converted hands, converted feet, and converted tongues. Their lips will be touched with a living coal from the divine altar. It they will learn the lesson of walking humbly before God, if they will not seek to invent new plans, but will do that which the Lord has appointed them to do, they will be enabled to carry God's plan onward and upward without narrowing it....
All who join the ranks of Sabbath-keepers should become diligent Bible students, that they may know the pillars and groundwork of the truth. They should study prophetic history, which has brought us down point by point to where we are at the present time...uniting link after link in the prophetic chain, even from Genesis to Revelation. Christ is the Alpha, the first link, and the Omega, the last link of the gospel chain, which is welded in Revelation....
With what care should every one come to the study of The Scriptures! With what a determination to know all that is possible for him to know of the reasons of every point of the faith. Especially should he study the Sanctuary question, and the first, second and third angels' messages....
There are souls to be saved, souls who must have the truth for this time from the word of God, to
prepare them for that which is opening before us. Satan is moving with intensity from beneath,
and is bringing all his forces to bear to unsettle those who have once been established in the
truth. These are the very ones who, by yielding up the truth which they have once advocated,
can do the greatest harm to the cause of God. Quite a large number will enter this path, because
the truth they once believed has not been brought into their life-practice. But those who depart
from the faith and refuse to give the last message of warning to the world will walk in paths in
which the Lord does not lead. Satan goes before them, clothed as an angel of light. They will
follow on in false paths until they shall discern what is comprehended in the wrath of the Lamb.
Letter 138, 1897, (see also MLT 308; 3SM 409; TMK 273, 304, 342)
Angels are holding the four winds, represented as an angry horse seeking to break loose and rush
over the face of the whole earth, bearing destruction and death in its path....I tell you in the name
of the Lord God of Israel that all injurious, discouraging influences are held in control by unseen
angel hands until everyone that works in the fear and love of God is sealed in his forehead.
Manuscript 34, April 16, 1897, (see also FLB 35; OHC 88; 3SM 422-23)
How could the fathers work in harmony with the directions here given (to keep Saturday holy), while accompanying their children to the school room on the academy on the Sabbath, the day that God has sanctified and blessed?...How can fathers consent to their children attending school on the Sabbath, on any part of the Sabbath, the same as on any common week day? Here is a cross to lift, here the line of separation is drawn between the loyal and the disloyal. This is the sign that there is a people who will not make void the law of God although it is a sacrifice to themselves. Here we may bear our testimony to the world of our allegiance to the Creator and governor of the world. Here the testimony is borne to the world of the truthfulness of the Sabbath.
One teacher (SDA) stated before the church that he thought it right to send the children on the Sabbath, quoting the words of Christ, "It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath Day" [see Matthew 12:12]. The question is, shall we transgress the plain letter of the Commandment in order that our children may be educated in the schools? In the very act of giving them lessons in which there is no sacredness, the Sabbath, that is to be a test to the world, a sign between God and His people, is brought down to a level with the common working days. When we see the law of God made void in our world, then it is the work of every loyal child of God to elevate the standard and show that they are hearkening diligently to the voice of God and teaching His statutes to His children.
Has God made a distinction between the Sabbath and the six working days? If he has done this, man must abide by His decision. The question is not left for each one to decide as his human wisdom shall dictate. God has not left His law for men to sanctify or profane. They are not left to cut and carve for the Almighty. They are to obey the laws of God instituted in Eden, and proclaimed from Mount Sinai....The Lord's chosen ones must take His law just as He has given it to them, and obey it right loyally, without seeking to change or alter one jot or tittle.
The Sabbath is the great test question. It is the line of demarkation between the loyal and true,
and the disloyal and transgressor. This Sabbath God has enjoined, and, those who claim to be
commandment-keepers, who believe that they are not under the proclamation of the third angel's
message, will see the important part the Sabbath of the fourth commandment holds in that
message. It is the seal of the living God. They will not lessen the claims of the Sabbath to suit
their business or convenience.
Manuscript 65, June 6, 1897,
The religious world is, to a large degree, following in the track of the Jews. The Pharisees taught for doctrine the commandments of men, making the Word of God void by their traditions, and this the religious teachers of today are doing by upholding the first day of the week, a day that bears not the divine credentials. They clothe their false sabbath with a garb of sanctity, and many would compel the observance by imprisonment and fines. Under the enemy's training their zeal will grow until, like the Jews, they will think they are doing God a service by heaping reproach upon those who keep the commandments of God....
As Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image in the plains of Dura, and so exalted himself, so Satan exalts himself in the false sabbath, for which he has stolen the livery of heaven.
Man has no permission from God to nullify one precept of the decalogue and make it of none effect. He has no permission to lead the minds of others to bow to an idol or make laws compelling them to worship it. Of those who do this, God says, "This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" [Mark 7:6]. They place the commandments of men on a level with the divine requirements. Yes, they exalt a spurious sabbath above the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Their obedience to man-made requirements makes their worship null and void. But God bears with their ignorance till light comes to them....
The Sabbath is God's memorial of creation and rest, and at the beginning of the Sabbath
commandment, He gives the word of warning, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"
[Exodus 20:8].
Letter 90, August 18, 1897, (see also CL 21; 1MCP 327; 2SM 359)
This movement, demanding that all observe as sacred an idol sabbath, resembles the act of Nebuchadnezzar in making the golden image and setting it up for all to worship....The Sunday idol is set up as was this image. Human laws demand that it be worshiped as sacred and holy, thus putting it where God's holy Sabbath should be. Men speak great swelling words, and exalt their power, placing themselves where God should be. Sitting in the temple of God. When Pilate said to Christ, "I find no fault in Him," the priests and elders declared, "we have a law, and by our law he ought to die" [John 19:7].
As the advisers of Nebuchadnezzar hit upon the scheme of ensnaring the Hebrew captives and causing them to bow to the idol by leading the king to proclaim that every knee should bow to the image, so men will strive today to turn God's people from their allegiance. But the men who sought to destroy Shadrach, Meshech and Abennego were themselves destroyed.
When power is allied with wickedness, it is allied to satanic agencies, and it will work to destroy those who are the Lord's property. The Protestant world have set up an idol sabbath in the place where God's Sabbath should be, and they are treading in the footsteps of the papacy. For this reason, I see the necessity of the people of God moving out of the cities into retired country places, where they may cultivate the land, and raise their own produce. Thus they may bring their children up in simple, healthful habits. I see the necessity of making haste to get all things ready for the crisis....
All false religions run counter to the commandments of God. Those who accept these religions have no inward purity and beauty. They depend on their position of authority to compel those who acknowledge God as their Creator and their Sovereign, to bow to human enactments without a question. They depend upon outward display, upon outward beauty, trusting to its subtle influence upon the senses.
When a church depends upon parade, ceremonies, and display, be sure that inward holiness is
wanting. To make up for the absence of the Spirit of God, to conceal spiritual poverty and
apostasy, the outside is made attractive.
Manuscript 163, December 17, 1897, (see also 7ABC 425, 471)
John [the Revelator] was directed by the "Alpha and Omega" to a people who in the last days were making void the law of God. But these churches which have drunk deeply of the wine of Babylon are to hear a startling message of truth which will reveal to them their true position. The loud cry, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Revelation 14:8), has been, and will again be given.
This is the judgment appointed in that great day to be executed upon all who have deceived the inhabitants of the earth, and caused them to believe the fatal lies that have been presented as truth. This is plainly brought to view in Revelation 13. Let all who will, read this definite explanation of the apostate power against the law of God: "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, and it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints" [Revelation 13:6-10]. Read to the close of the chapter.
In Revelation 14 John beholds another scene. He sees a people whose fidelity and loyalty to the laws of God's kingdom grows with the emergency. The contempt placed upon the law of God only makes them reveal more decidedly their love for that law. It increases with the contempt that is placed upon it....
By the Lord's appointment, all the evil that is countenanced and vindicated by a nation,--all injustice and oppression practiced against God's people for the truth's sake, all the device made to hinder and oppress them,--will return upon themselves. Mark God's dealings with nations, as recorded in His word. Selfishness and oppression practiced by one nation on another has always brought the sure result. That oppression which they have made others to suffer, has come upon the oppressors themselves. One part of the nation rises up against the other part, and God allows that nation to destroy itself....
Those who have allowed officers to rule and govern by despotic power, have created a spirit of retaliation, and this will react upon those who have caused pain and suffering to their fellow men. Those who for many years rested on the seventh, and who sanctified and blessed the day of His rest.
The Protestant world has taken this child of papacy and cherished it, and called it Christ's day--the Christian Sabbath. But it is a spurious sabbath, an idol, placed where the Lord's day should be. And, like Cain the transgressor, [the Protestant world] is exceedingly angry, because the whole world does not regard it with the sacredness of the Sabbath of the Lord....The everlasting gospel is to be proclaimed. "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to very nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters" [Revelation 14:6, 7]. The attention of the people is to be called to the long neglected oracles of God. All kindreds and nations and people are to be aroused. Their minds are to be stirred, their attention called to the word of God. Men are to hear the message that proclaims the soon coming of Christ. All are to open their eyes, and unstop their ears, and hear the message of the first angel, "Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
That God who made the world is the only object to whom human beings should bow. God has not given to human beings the power to claim homage to themselves. He has given to none the power to become an object of worship....The man of sin is worshiped in the person of the pope and his representative, the cardinal. But God has not given this power to pope or prelate. The pope is not regarded by God as anything more than a man who is acting out in our world the character of the man of sin, representing in his claims that power and authority which Satan claimed in the heavenly courts.
Satan inspires these men who claim to be Christ's vicegerents upon earth. Prayers are offered to private saints in heaven for many favors. But these men are not in heaven. They lie in their graves until the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. Mary, the mother of our Lord, has not been raised. She is waiting the sound of the trump of God, which shall call the dead from their prison house. All the prayers offered to Mary fall to the ground. Mary's ears have not yet been pierced by the sound of the trump of God.
The question has been asked, "Do you not believe that we should pray to the dead apostles and saints? No; for this would teach for doctrine, not a "Thus saith the Lord," but the "Thus saith" of the man of sin, the son of perdition, "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" [2 Thessalonians 2:4].
"The mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" [Verses 7-12]....
Those who trample upon God's law, make human laws which they will force the people to
accept. Men will devise and counsel and plan what they will do. "The whole world keeps
Sunday," they say, "and why should not this people, who are so few in number, do according to
the laws of the land?" Because they are blinded by error, because they take their words from the
lips of priests and human law-makers, they suppose that it does not matter if they do not keep the
law of God instituted in Eden, when the foundations of the earth were laid, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy. God's memorial was then given to man that he might honor the name of the
living God who made the world in six days and sanctified and blessed the day of his rest.
Manuscript 27, March 19, 1899, (see also 7ABC 56, 130, 395, 414)
We are nearing the close of this earth's history. Satan is making desperate efforts to make himself God, to speak and act like God, to appear as one who has a right to control the consciences of men. He strives with all his power to place a human institution in the position of God's holy rest day. Under the jurisdiction of the man of sin, men have exalted a false standard in complete opposition to God's enactment. But God has put His seal upon His royal requirement. Each Sabbath institution bears the name of its author--an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. The first day of the week has not one particle of sanctity. It is the production of the man of sin, who strives in this way to counteract God's purposes.
God has designated the seventh day as His Sabbath, the memorial of the creation....This is the distinction drawn between the loyal and the disloyal. Those who have the seal of God in their foreheads must keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. This is what distinguishes them from the disloyal, who have accepted a man-made institution in the place of the true Sabbath. The observance of God's rest-day is the mark of distinction between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not....
The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the first day of the week is exalted above the seventh, know that the time has come for God to work. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity,--the transgression of His law,--and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain....
Professing Christians think that the more contempt they place upon the law, the more commendable are they in God's sight....Those who are willing to be led by false theories and unsound doctrines, who build their hopes for eternity on sliding sand, will find, when trial comes, that storm and tempest will sweep away their refuge of lies. Their structure falls and they perish; they are lost, lost for eternity....
"Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name: and in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity" [Matthew 7:22, 23]. Many mighty works are done under the inspiration of Satan, and these works will be more apparent in these last days....
There are only two classes in the world today, and only two classes are recognized in the judgment--those who violate God's law, and those who keep that law. Two great opposing powers are revealed in the last great day of battle. On one side stands the Creator of heaven and earth, all on His side bear His signet, they are obedient to His every command. On the other side stands the prince of darkness with those who have chosen apostasy and rebellion.
When the judgment shall sit and everyone shall be judged by the things written in the books, the
authority of God's law will be looked upon in a light altogether different from that in which the
Christian world now regards it....It will be recognized as holy, just, and good in all its
requirements.
Manuscript 39, March 23, 1899, (see also UL 96)
The Israelites placed over their doors a signature of blood to show that they were God's property. So every child of God in this age will bear the signature God has appointed. They will place themselves in harmony with God's holy law. A mark is placed upon every one of God's people, just as verily as a mark was placed over the doors of the Hebrew dwellings to preserve the people from general ruin. God declares, "I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them" [Ezekiel 20:12]....
There will be a sharp conflict between those who are loyal to God and those who cast scorn upon
His law. The church has joined hands with the world. Reverence to God's law has been
subverted. The religious leaders have taught for doctrines the commandments of men. As it was
in the days Noah, so it is in this age of the world. But shall the prevalence of disloyalty and
transgression cause those who have reverenced the law of God to have less respect for it, to unite
with the powers of earth to make void God's law? The truly loyal will not be carried away by the
current of evil. They will not throw scorn and contempt on that which God has set apart as holy.
The test comes to everyone. There are only two sides. Which side are you on?
Manuscript 51, April 2, 1899, (see also Ev 234-35)
The Roman Church has not relinquished her claim to infallibility, and, when the world and the Protestant churches accept a spurious sabbath of her creating, while they reject the Sabbath of Jehovah, they virtually acknowledge this claim. They may cite the authority of the apostles and fathers as evidence and authority for this change, but the fallacy of their reasoning is easily discerned. The papist is sharp enough to see that Protestants are deceiving themselves, willingly closing their eyes to the facts in the case. As the Sunday institution gains favor, he rejoices, feeling assured that it will eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of Rome....The change of the Sabbath is the sign or mark of the Authority of the Roman Church. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false sabbath in the place of the true, are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. The mark of the beast is the papal sabbath, which has been accepted by the world in place of God's appointment.
No one has yet received the mark of the beast. The testimony time has not yet come. There are true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion. None are condemned until they have had the light and have seen the obligation of the fourth commandment. But, when the decree shall go forth enforcing the counterfeit sabbath, and the loud cry of the third angel shall warn men against the worship of the beast and his image, the line will be clearly drawn between the false and the true. Then those who still continue in transgression will receive the mark of the beast.
With rapid steps we are approaching this period. When Protestant churches shall unite with the secular power to sustain a false religion, for the opposing of which their ancestors endured the fiercest persecution, then will the papal sabbath be enforced by the combined authority of church and state. There will be a national apostasy, which will end only in national ruin....
The papacy is still the same. She may clothe herself in Christ-like garments, the better to carry forward her purposes, but she still retains the venom of the serpent. Her principles are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in churches, and in the hearts of men, but she is the same as in the days of the Reformation, when men of God stood up at the peril of their lives to expose her iniquity. Popery is the same as when it assumed the power to control kings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Its spirit is no less cruel and despotic now than when it crushed out human liberty and slew the saints of the Most High.
Protestants have tampered with, and patronized popery by compromises and concessions, giving her vantage ground which papists themselves are surprised to see and fail to understand. The Protestant world needs to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.
When the state shall enforce the decrees and sustain the institutions of the church, then will Protestant America have formed an image of papacy. Then the true church will be assailed by persecution as were God's people in ancient times....
Satan will excite the indignation of apostate Christendom against the humble remnant who conscientiously refuse to accept their customs and traditions. Blinded by the prince of darkness, popular religionists will see only as he sees, and feel as he feels. They will determine as he determines, and oppress as he oppresses. Liberty of conscience, which has cost this nation so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. The church and the world will unite, and the world will lend to the church her power to crush out the right of the people to worship God according to His word.
The decree which is to go forth against the people of God in the near future is in some respects similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther. The Persian edict sprang from the malice of Haman toward Mordecai....The same masterful mind that plotted against the faithful in ages past is now at work to gain control of the fallen churches, that through them he may condemn and put to death all who will not worship the idol sabbath. We have not to battle with men, as it may appear; we war not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places. But if the people of God will put their trust in Him, and by faith rely upon His power, the devices of Satan will be defeated in our time as signally as in the days of Mordecai.
The decree is to go forth that all who will not receive the mark of the beast shall neither buy nor sell, and finally, that they shall be put to death. But the saints of God do not receive this mark. The prophet of Patmos beheld those that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb....
Paul writes to the Romans, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all
men" [Romans 12:18]. But there is a point beyond which it is impossible to maintain union and
harmony without the sacrifice of principle. Separation then becomes an absolute duty. The laws
of nations should be respected when they do not conflict with the laws of God. But when there
is collision between them, every true disciple of Christ will say, as did the apostle Peter, when
commanded to speak no more in the name of Jesus, "We ought to obey God rather than men"
[Acts 5:29].
Letter 77, May 1, 1899, (see also 7ABC 251, 413; MM 11-12)
It is possible for man, by yielding to Satan in the association of the world, to lose his power to exercise his will in resisting temptation. The wiles of the enemy are constantly pressing in upon mind and soul to bind man as captive to the force of habit.
Each individual soul is on trial for his life. Has he given God that which belongs to Him? Has he surrendered to God all that is His as His purchased possession? All who cherish the Lord as their portion in this life will be under His control, and will receive the sign, the mark of God, which shows them to be God's special possession. Christ's righteousness will go before them, and the glory of the Lord will be their reward. The Lord protects every human being who bears His sign.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed" [Exodus 31:12-17].
This recognition of God is of the highest value to every human being. All who love and serve
Him are very precious in His sight. He would have them stand where they are worthy
representatives of the truth as it is in Jesus.
Manuscript 77, May 14, 1899, (see also 7ABC 34, 157-58; TMK 38; 4ST 77-78)
The enemy knows that, if the church can be controlled by political enactments, she will lose her garments of light as did Adam and Eve. If he can lead the church to unite with the world and accept worldly enactments, they virtually acknowledge him as their head. Then the authority of man-made commandments will work to oppose the rule of the government of heaven. Under the leadership of Satan the knowledge of good and evil will work to dispense with the righteous, holy enactments of God concerning the Sabbath, the observance of which is to be sign between God and His people forever.
Satan's plan has taken hold with the religious world. He has created an order of things entirely his own, making void the law of God. He sits in the temple as God. Through his deceptive workings he has gained in the professedly Christian world all that he thought to gain in heaven--an abrogation of the law of Jehovah. Through the Roman power he has worked to remove God's memorial and has erected a memorial of his own, to sever God from His people; and today the Protestant world is estranged from God by their worship of a spurious sabbath. They cannot find one iota of divine authority for doing this, yet, full of zeal, they assert that the Lord's memorial given at creation should be ignored, despised, and trampled upon, and the first day of the week take its place....
Every man will decide his own case by his decision in regard to the law of Jehovah, then the world will ripen for the harvest. Both classes will be developed, the sentiment of every heart will be revealed. Each party will gather under its chosen leader, as loyal to God and His commandments, or as transgressors of the law, with the first great rebel at their head.
All must wait for the appointed time, until the warning shall have gone to all parts of the world,
until sufficient light and evidence has been given to every soul. Some will have less light than
others, but each one will be judged according to the light received. Not until the fullness of the
time shall come will the crucified and risen Saviour assume His equality with God. Patiently He
has waited in the heavenly courts in behalf of His people who have suffered for their loyalty to
Him. Patiently He waits for the gospel of the kingdom to be preached to all parts of the world
until all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people have received the light of God's word.
Manuscript 82, May 21, 1899,
He who endeavored to change God's law by instituting a spurious sabbath uses every device to induce men and women to unite with him in his apostasy....
God has declared that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord....But the great apostate says, "I will work at cross purposes with God. I will empower by delegate, the man of sin, to take down God's memorial, the seventh-day Sabbath. Thus I will show the world that the day sanctified and blessed by God has been changed. That day shall not live in the minds of the people. I will obliterate the memory of it. I will place in its stead a day bearing not the credentials of God, a day that cannot be a sign between God and His people.
"I will lead the people to accept this day, to place upon it the sanctity that God placed upon the seventh day. Through my vicegerent I will exalt myself. The first day will be extolled, and the Protestant world will receive this spurious sabbath as genuine. Through the non-observance of the Sabbath God instituted, I will bring His law into contempt. The words, "A sign between Me and you throughout your generations" [Exodus 31:13], I will make to serve on the side of my Sabbath. Thus the world will be mine. I will be the ruler of the earth, Prince of this world.
I will so control the minds under my power that God's Sabbath will be an object of contempt. A sign? I will make the observance of the seventh day a sign of disloyalty to the authorities of earth. Human law will be made so stringent that men and women will not dare observe the seventh-day Sabbath. For fear of wanting food and clothing, they will join with the world in transgressing God's law, and the earth will be wholly under my dominion....
When every case is decided in the courts of heaven, this covenant [the ten commandments] will
be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God. The world will be arraigned before the
bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence--a life measuring with the life of God for obedience,
and death for transgression.
Letter 98, July 10, 1900, (see also 7ABC 423; Ev 233, 235)
There is a great work to be done. The last message of mercy is being given to the world. Everything in the political world is stirred with agitation. There are wars and rumors of wars. The nations are angry, and the time of the dead that they should be judged.
A most solemn and important work is to be done in our world by God's people. This work is represented by the third angel flying in the midst of heaven. The third angel's message is preceded by the messages of the first and second angels. The first angel's message proclaims the hour of God's judgment. The second declares the fall of Babylon. "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" [Revelation 14:6-10].
These messages must go to all the inhabitants of the world. The Lord is soon to come, and He calls upon all whom He has entrusted His capital to invest it in His work as it demands help. His money is not to be shut up in banks and buildings and lands, when there is such a great work to be accomplished. The Lord will not send His judgments for disobedience and transgression upon the world until He has sent His watchmen to give the message of warning....
John beholds a people distinct and separate from the world, who refuse to worship the beast or his image, who bear God's sign, keeping holy His Sabbath. Of them the apostle writes, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Revelation 14:12].
"After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities" [Revelation 18:1-5].
What is sin?--"the transgression of the law" [1 John 3:4]. God denounces Babylon, "because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" [Revelation 14:8]. This means that she has disregarded the only commandment that points out the true God, and has torn down the Sabbath, God's memorial of creation.
God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh, sanctifying this day, and setting it apart from all others as holy to Himself, to be observed by His people throughout their generations. But the man of sin, exalting himself above God, sitting in the temple of God, and showing himself to be God, [has] thought to change times and laws. This power, thinking to prove that it was not only equal to God, but above God, changed the rest day, placing the first day of the week where the seventh should be. And the Protestant world has taken this child of the papacy to be regarded as sacred. This is called in the Word of God her fornication.
God has a controversy with the churches today. They are fulfilling the prophecy of John. "All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." They have divorced themselves from God by refusing to receive His sign. They have not the spirit of God's true commandment-keeping people. And the people of the world, in giving their sanction to a false sabbath, and in trampling under their feet the Sabbath of the Lord, have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
God set the seventh day apart as the day of His rest. But the man of sin has set up a false sabbath, which the kings and merchants of the earth have accepted and exalted above the Sabbath of the Bible. In doing this, they have chosen a religion like that of Cain's, who slew his brother Abel. Cain and Abel both offered sacrifice to God. Abel's offering was accepted because he complied with God's requirements. Cain's was rejected because he followed his own human inventions. Because of this he became very angry that he would not listen to Abel's entreaties or to God's warning and reproofs, but slew his brother.
By accepting a spurious rest day the churches have dishonored God. The people of the world accept the falsehood, and are angry because God's commandment-keeping people do not respect and reverence Sunday. God says, "Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her" [Revelation 18:5-8].
God declares, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God" [Revelation 14:9-10]. God will punish those who attempt to compel their fellowmen to keep the first day of the week. They tempt them to deny their allegiance to God. They accept the fruit of the forbidden tree, and try to force others to eat of it. They will try to compel their fellow men to work on the seventh day of the week and rest on the first. God says of them, "They shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation" [Verse 10].
"Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep," the Lord says, "for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you" [Exodus 31:13]. Some will seek to place obstacles in the way of Sabbath observance, saying, "You do not know what day is the Sabbath;" but they seem to understand when Sunday comes, and have manifested great zeal in making laws for its observance, as though they could control the consciences of men.
God has given men the Sabbath as a sign between Him and them; as a test of their loyalty. Those who, after the light regarding God's law comes to them, continue to disobey, and exalt human laws above the law of God in the great crisis before us, will receive the mark of the beast. The prosperity of God's people is dependent on their obedience. The Lord declares: "And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them: And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you" [Deuteronomy 11:13-17].
In His dealings with ancient Israel God has given us an illustration of the result that will follow an unrighteous, disobedient course. He will punish all who make His glory to be reproached, even as He punished the children of Israel. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, even as Jerusalem, by her own course of action, was humiliated and brought low. Her people chose Barabbas, and God left them to their choice. They would not submit to God's way, and He permitted them to have their own way, and to carry out the purposes of their unsanctified hearts.
Christ warned the Jews of their danger, and entreated them to return to God, and they were too proud to accept His overtures of mercy. They persisted in a course of rebellion, and as a result the protection of God's heavenly intelligences was withdrawn from them....
Those who think they are pleasing God by obeying some other law than His, and by performing works other than those the gospel has enjoined, are mocking God. They are insulting the Holy One of Israel. Warning after warning has been given....
When Christ saw in the Jewish people a nation divorced from God, He saw also a professed
Christian church united to the world and the papacy. And as He stood upon Mount Olivet,
weeping over Jerusalem till the sun sank behind the western hills, so He is watching over, and
pleading with sinners in these last moments of time. Soon He will say to the angels who are
holding the four winds, "Let the plagues loose. Let darkness, destruction, and death come upon
the transgressors of My law." Will He be obliged to say to those who have had great light and
great knowledge, as He said to the Jews, "O that thou hadst known, even thou, in this thy day,
the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." [see Luke 19:42].
Letter 47, February 5, 1902, (see also 7ABC 416; AH 342-43; 2SM 224-27)
Writing of the last days, John says, "The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail" [Revelation 11:18, 19].
When God's temple in heaven is opened, what a triumphant time that will be for all those who have been faithful and true! In the temple will be seen the ark of the testament in which were placed the two tables of stone, on which were written God's law. These tables of stone will be brought forth from their hiding-place, and on them will be seen the ten commandments engraved by the finger of God. These tables of stone now lying in the ark of the testament will be a convincing testimony to the truth and binding claims of God's law.
From every nation, kindred, tongue and people is to be gathered out a people who keep the
commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus. This is the work to be accomplished in
these last days. Since Satan's rebellion in heaven against the commandments of God, he has kept
up a continual warfare against these commandments, and he will continue to carry on his work
relentlessly to the end.
Manuscript 153, November 5, 1902, (see also MAR 205; TE 35)
John the Revelator represented the forces of the earth as four winds, which are held in check by angels delegated to do this work. He declares: "I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" [Revelation 7:1-3].
From this vision we can learn why so many are preserved from calamity. If these winds were allowed to blow upon the earth, they would create havoc and desolation. But the world's intricate machinery is running under the Lord's supervision. Hurricanes, threatening to break forth, are held under control by the regulations of the One who is the Protector of the trembling ones that fear God and keep His commandments. The Lord holds back the tempestuous winds. He will not suffer them to go forth on their death-mission of vengeance until His servants are sealed in their foreheads.
Frequently we hear of earthquakes, of tempests and tornadoes, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Apparently these are capricious outbreaks of seemingly disorganized, unregulated forces. But God has a purpose in permitting these calamities to occur. They are one of His means of calling men and women to their senses. By unusual workings through nature, God will express to doubting human agencies that which He clearly reveals in His Word....
Local disturbances in nature are permitted to take place as symbols of that which may be expected all over the world when the angels loose the four winds of the earth. The forces of nature are under the direction of an eternal Agency.
Science, in her pride, may seek to explain strange happenings on land and on sea, but science fails of tracing in these things the workings of Providence. Science fails of perceiving that intemperance is the cause of most of the frequent accidents so terrible in their results. Men on whom devolve grave responsibilities in safeguarding their fellowmen from accident and harm, are often untrue to their trust. Because of indulgence of tobacco and liquor, they do not keep the mind clear and composed....
The same hand that kept the fiery serpents of the wilderness from entering the camp of the Israelites until God's chosen people provoked Him with their constant murmurs and complaints, is today guarding the honest in heart. Were this restraining Hand withdrawn, the enemy of our souls would at once begin the work of destruction that he has long desired to accomplish. And because God's long-continued forbearance is not now recognized, the forces of evil are already, to a limited degree, permitted to destroy. How soon human agencies will see blotted out of existence their magnificent buildings, which are their pride!...
All these symbolic representations [Revelation 7:1-3; Proverbs 8:29; 30:4; Psalms 29:10; 104:32; 135:7] serve a double purpose. From them God's people learn, not only that the physical forces of the earth are under the control of the Creator, but also that under His control are the religious movements of the nations. Especially is this true with reference to the enforcement of Sunday observance. He who gave His people, through His servant Moses, instruction in regard to the sanctity of the Sabbath...will in the hour of trial preserve those who keep this day as a sign of loyalty to Him....
In the last days Satan will appear as an angel of light, with great power and heavenly glory, and claim to be the Lord of the whole earth. He will declare that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week, and, as lord of the first day of the week, he will present this spurious sabbath as a test of loyalty to him. Then will take place the final fulfillment of the Revelator's prophecy. [Revelation 13:4-8, 11-18 quoted].
In connection with this scripture, the entire fourteenth chapter of Revelation should be studied
much by God's people. Verses nine to eleven bring to view the special message of warning
against worshiping the beast and his image, and receiving his mark in the forehead or in the
hand. This warning is to be given by those who are mentioned in the twelfth verse as keeping
"the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
Manuscript 38, April 9, 1903, (see also GCB April 14, 1903)
At one time while I was in Australia, those in charge of our school at Avondale came to me, saying, "What shall we do? The officers of the law have been commissioned to arrest those working on Sunday." I said, "It will be very easy to avoid that difficulty. Give Sunday to the Lord as a day for doing missionary work. Take the students out to hold meetings in different places, and do medical missionary work. They will find the people at home, and will have a splendid opportunity to present the truth. This way of spending Sunday is always acceptable to the Lord....
During the time of the end the activity of Satan's servants will greatly increase. The activity of God's servants is to increase proportionately. Christian is to unite with Christian, church with church, in the accomplishment of God's work, and all are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Angels are ascending and descending the ladder of shining brightness, arrayed for the defense of God's people. They are commissioned to draw nearer and still nearer to those who are fighting in defense of their faith....
Those who place themselves under God's control, to be guided and controlled by Him, will catch
the steady tread of the events ordained by Him to take place. A holy consuming emulation will
take possession of them. Let the church have increased faith, catching zeal from their unseen,
heavenly allies, from the knowledge of their exhaustless resources, from the greatness of the
enterprise in which they are engaged, and from the power of the Leader. Let them gain from
God strength for the accomplishment of the great work to be done for the most needy people in
this Christian nation [the blacks].
Letter 21, January 16, 1905, (see also PM 211)
It is only the power of God that can hold the four winds, that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. A most important work is to be done in Washington [D.C.]....Sooner or later Sunday laws will be passed. But there is much for God's servants to do to warn the people. This work has been greatly retarded by their having to wait and stand against the devising of Satan, which have been striving to find a place in our work....
We are to humble ourselves before the Lord and at the same time we are to be as firm as a rock
to principle. God's law is to be vindicated by the obedience of heart and mind, and by strong
arguments.
Letter 38, January 23, 1906,
We are every one of us to look from finite man to the Omnipotent God, who has the ownership of all to whom He has given life. They are under His government, and when finite rulers make laws that conflict with a plain "Thus saith the Lord," we are to obey the law of God. Shall man dare to take the place of God, setting aside the laws of the Ruler of the universe, and placing in their stead human enactments? Shall he dare to compel obedience to these human laws?
Here is where the man of sin finds his place in prophecy. What is sin?--The Lord defines it as "the transgression of the law,"--the law of Him who holds the life of every human being in His hands, and by whom everyone will be judged according to his works. Hereafter, when the Lord shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, every man will know who is God. Those who have trampled upon His law will then realize the sinfulness of sin.
God exalted the seventh day, placing upon it His signature, but man, exalting himself above
God, places the Sabbath of the Lord out of sight, and exalts a day that has no sanctity but that
given by the papal power. In this the man of sin "exalts himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is
God" [2 Thessalonians 2:4].
Manuscript 125, July 4, 1906,
The twenty-fourth chapter of Ezekiel records the representation that was given to him of the punishment that would come upon all who would refuse the word of the Lord.
[Ezekiel 24:6-24 quoted].
I am instructed to present these words before those who have had light and evidence, but who have walked directly contrary to the light. The Lord will make the punishment of those who will not receive His admonitions and warnings, as broad as the wrong has been. The purposes of those who have tried to cover up their wrong, while they have secretly worked against the purposes of God, will be fully revealed. Truth will be vindicated. God will make manifest that He is God.
There is a spirit of wickedness at work in the church, that is striving at every opportunity to make void the law of God, while the Lord may not punish unto death, those who have carried their rebellion to such great lengths, the light will never again shine with such convincing power upon the stubborn opposer of truth. Sufficient evidence is given to every soul regarding what is truth and what is error. But the deceptive power of evil upon some is so great, that they will not receive the evidence and respond to it by repentance.
A long continual resistance of truth will harden the most impressionable heart. Those who reject
the spirit of truth place themselves under the control of a spirit that is opposed to the word and
work of God. For a time they may continue to teach some phases of the truth, but their refusal to
accept all the light that God sends, will, after a time, place them where they will do the work of a
false watchman.
Letter 38, February 11, 1909,
The time will not be long delayed when a false sabbath will be exalted and men will be commanded to regard as sacred a day that has no sanctity in it. This spurious sabbath will be made a testing question with all.
John writes, "I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell upon the earth, and to every nation, kindred, and tongue, and
people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment
is come: and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she
made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" [Revelation 14:6-8]. How is
this done?--by forcing men to accept a spurious sabbath.
Manuscript 29, November 14, 1910,
The trifling moves made and the delay have had the result of encouraging Sunday observance, and this false theory has been zealously urged to the front. Our people have not done all that they might have done. The real question at issue is yet to be met with. When it does speak, Satan will appear with the dragon. Long before this, we should have placed ourselves decidedly before the world and before the churches as a people observing the true Sabbath....The Sunday question has been working its way to the front. It is our duty not to act as a church asleep. Those at the head of the Sunday movement will wrestle for the victory....
I am instructed to call upon our people everywhere to awake and prepare for the judgment by doing thorough work in binding up with Christ. They are not to sit in calm expectancy of the storm that is coming from the power of darkness, comforting themselves with the thought that they will be sheltered and safe. They are to work with every God-given capability to save a perishing world, speaking a word in season to those who need light and instruction. Satan is not idle. He has been gathering into his ranks ministers and everyone else whom he could induce to accept his erroneous theories. Ministers who were once with us have been drawn away by their own desire to bring out something new and strange.
Those who have received the evidence of the Word of God concerning the verity of the Lord's
holy day are to bear in mind that the line of demarcation between Sabbath-keepers and those
who observe the day upon which no sanctity has been placed by the Lord, is never to be
obliterated. We have a special work to do, and this work we are most earnestly to carry forward.
- Persecution -
Manuscript 40, 1897
Manuscript 45, May 14, 1897
Manuscript 104, September 28, 1897
Manuscript 26, March 11, 1904
Manuscript 40, 1897, (see also 7ABC 227; 242-3; 3SM 415-8)
[In Matthew 27:26] we have a picture portrayed before us. Here the Light of the World, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, without one charge proved against Him, without being convicted of a single crime, is given by the ruler [Pilate] to a shameful death. But who is responsible? In the day of God, before the assembled universe, who will suffer punishment for this act?--those who claimed to be the most pious people on earth....
The scene transacted in Jerusalem at the betrayal and rejection of Christ represents the scene that will take place in the future history of the world, when Christ is finally rejected. The religious world will take sides with the first great rebel, and will reject the message of mercy in regard to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus....
There are only two classes. Each party is distinctly stamped, either with the seal of the living God, or with the mark of the beast or his image. Each son and daughter of Adam chooses Christ or Satan as his general. All who place themselves on the side of the disloyal are under Satan's black banner and stand charged with rejecting and despitefully using Jesus Christ. They are charged with deliberately crucifying the Lord of life and glory.
God has a controversy with the world and with the professed Christians, who accept the fallacies of the great apostate, which are prepared to suit every class in the Christian world, and who discard the law of God pronounced by the inspiration of God's Spirit to be "holy, and just, and good" [Romans 7:12]....
The scene of the judgment hall in Jerusalem is a symbol of what will take place in the closing scenes of the earth's history. The whole world will [either] accept Christ, the truth, or they will accept Satan, the first great rebel, and apostate, robber, and murderer. If they accept Satan, they identify their interests with the chief of all liars and with all who are disloyal, while they turn from a no less personage than the Son of the infinite God.
When the world is at last brought up for trial before the great white throne, to account for their rejection of Jesus Christ, God's own Messenger to our world, what a solemn scene it will be. What a reckoning will be made for nailing to the cross one who came to our world as a living epistle of the law. He lived the law of God's government; He was an expression of God's character. And men who now reject God's law crucify the Son of God afresh. They identify themselves with those who crucified Him on the cross of Calvary between two thieves.
The world is not improving. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" [2 Timothy 3:13]. The world will not improve till God goes out of His place to punish the world for her iniquity. Then the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain....The scenes of the betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion of Christ will again be reenacted on an immense scale. People will be filled with the attributes of Satan. The delusions of the arch enemy of God and man will have great power. Those who have given their affections to any leader but Christ will find themselves under the control, body, soul, and spirit, of an infatuation that is so entrancing that under its power souls turn away from hearing the truth to believe a lie. They are ensnared and taken, and by their every action, they say, "Release unto us Barabbas, but crucify Christ."
The scenes enacted at the cross are being reenacted in the churches that have departed from truth and righteousness; it is being revealed what human nature will be and do when the love of God is not an abiding principle in the soul. We need not be surprised at anything that may take place now. We need not marvel at any developments of horror. Those who trample under their unholy feet the law of God have the same spirit as had the men who insulted and betrayed Jesus. Without any compunctions of conscience they will do the deeds of their father the devil. They will ask the question that came from the traitorous lips of Judas, "What will ye give me, if I betray unto you Jesus, the Christ?"
Those who choose Satan as their ruler will reveal the spirit of their chosen master, who caused the fall of our first parents. By rejecting the divine Son of God, the personification of the only true God, who possessed goodness, mercy, and untiring love, whose heart was ever touched with human woe, and accepting a murderer in His place, the people showed what human nature can and will do, when the restraining Spirit of God is removed and men are under the great apostate. Just to that degree that light is refused and rejected will there be misconception and misunderstanding. Those who reject Christ and choose Barabbas will work under a ruinous deception. Misrepresentation, the bearing of false witness, will grow under open rebellion....
From those who boldly witness for Christ, men will hear sacred truth that never before heard it. In some hearts the seed will take root. The converting power of God will win souls from darkness to light. Some of the very men on the judgment seat, lawyers and jurors, will embrace the truth, and in their turn will confess Christ before kings and rulers by their loyalty to all the commandments of God, especially the Sabbath command, which will be made, as it always has been, the test question....
Christ showed that without the controlling power of the Spirit of God, humanity is a terrible power for evil. Unbelief, hatred of reproof, will stir up satanic influences. Principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places will unite in a desperate companionship. They will be leagued against God in the person of His saints. By misrepresentation and falsehood they will demoralize both men and women who to all appearances believe the truth. False witnesses will not be wanting in this terrible work.
"And ye shall be betrayed by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls" [Luke 21:16-19]. Christ will restore the life taken, for He is the Life-giver, and He will beautify the righteous with salvation and immortal life. After speaking of the end of the world, Jesus comes back to Jerusalem, the city then sitting in pride and arrogance, and saying, "I sit a queen, and shall see no sorrow" [see Revelation 18:7]. As His prophetic eye rests upon Jerusalem, He sees that as she was given up to destruction, the world will be given up to its doom. The scenes that transpired at the destruction of Jerusalem will be repeated at the great and terrible day of the Lord, but in a more fearful manner....
As men throw off all restraint, and make void His law themselves, as they establish their own perverted law, and try to force the consciences of those who honor God and keep His commandments to trample the law under their feet, they will find that the tenderness which they have mocked will be exhausted....
Christ's eye takes in the retribution that will be visited upon all the adversaries of God....A world
is represented in the destruction of Jerusalem, and the warning given then by Christ comes
sounding down the line to our time: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in
the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring"
[Luke 21:16-19]. Yes, they shall pass their borders, and destruction will be in their track. They
will engulf the ships that sail upon their broad waters, and with the burden of their living freight,
they will be hurried into eternity, without time to repent.
There will be calamities by land and sea, "men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And
then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" [Luke 21:26,
27]. In just the same manner as He ascended will he come the second time to our world. "And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh" [verse 28].
Manuscript 45, May 14, 1897, (see also 7ABC 257 & 269)
With Satan at their head to imbue them with his spirit, men may afflict God's people; they may cause pain to the body; they may take away the temporal life, but they cannot touch the life that is hid with Christ. We are not our own. Soul and body, we have been bought with the price paid upon the cross of Calvary, and we are to remember that we are in the hands of Him who created us. Whatever Satan may inspire evil men to do, we are to rest in the assurance that we are under God's charge, and that by His Spirit He will strengthen us to endure.
There is no greater evidence that Satan is working than that men who profess to be sanctified to God's service persecute their fellow-beings, because they do not believe the same doctrines that they themselves believe. These will rush with fury against God's people, falsifying, stating things they know are untrue, thus showing that they are inspired by him who is an accuser of the brethren and a murderer of the saints of God.
But if God permits tyrants to do with us as the priests and rulers did to His Son, shall we give up our faith and go back to perdition? It is not because God does not care for us that He permits these things to be, for He declares, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" [Psalms 116:15]. "He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight" [Psalms 72:12, 14].
The time is soon to come when the Lord will say, "Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thee as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain" [Isaiah 26:20, 21]. Let the many who claim to be Christians be full of satanic hatred, because they cannot force the consciences of God's people; not long hence they will stand before, not earthly judges, but before the Judge of all the earth, to render an account for the pain they have caused the bodies and souls of God's heritage. They may indulge now in false accusations; they may deride those whom God has appointed to do His work; they may consign His believing ones to prison, to the chain gang, to banishment, to death, but for every pang of anguish, every tear shed, they must answer.
For every drop of blood drawn forth by torture, for all they have burned by fire, they will receive
punishment. God will reward them double for their sins. They have drunk the blood of the
saints, and have become intoxicated with exultation. God says to His ministers of judgment,
"Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in
the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived
deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her; for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am
no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and
mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord who
judgeth her" [Revelation 18:6-8].
Manuscript 104, September 28, 1897, (see also UL 285)
Human enactments, laws manufactured by satanic agencies under a plea of goodness and restriction of evil, will be exalted, while God's holy enactments are despised and trampled underfoot. And all who prove their loyalty by obedience to the law of Jehovah must be prepared to be arrested, to be brought before councils that have not for their standard the high and Holy law of God, but have made stringent laws inspired by him whose attributes were manifested at the trial of Christ. "We have a law," these men said, "and by our law he ought to die" [John 19:7]....
In these religious zealots we have a sample of what humanity will do when they have the word that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and work directly contrary to it, irrespective of the consequence, the future retribution upon their neighbors or themselves....
The kingdom of darkness is extending over the world, and is embracing every sphere of action of men. There are evil spirits working effectually upon every mind that can be led into apostasy through any cause whatever. The spirit of evil energizes the children of rebellion...A demoniacal spirit takes possession of men in our world. They combine the perverted animal life with the perverted human animal-intelligence, making them human demons, detestable in the sight of God in proportion as they manifest the attributes of the satanic demon intelligence by culture, will rend and destroy man formed in the divine similitude, because he cannot control the conscience of his brother and make him disloyal to God's holy law....
Satan was not a rough specimen of humanity. He had been one of the highest angels next to Christ. All his beauty and intelligence and excellence were derived from God. But he misapplied his powers....He has an ever increasing energy in using that acquired knowledge. Thought is poisoned, and the force of wickedness, the abuse of his powers to hurt and destroy God's heritage, will measure the daring of humanity, and their cruel satanic treatment of man against his fellow man. The more pain they can cause, the more complete is their work in destroying God's heritage, and the more joy they give to the fallen apostate.
The world is represented in the apostate churches who are trampling upon the word of God, transgressing His whole law. They know not what spirit they are of, nor the end of the dark tunnel through which they are passing. They are hastening forward, deceived, deluded, blind, to the first and second deaths. The vast tide of human will and human passion is leading to things they did not dream of when they discarded the law of Jehovah for the inventions of man, to cause oppression and suffering to human beings....
The wicked rulers, the apostate churches, have been converted to the world, and they show just exactly what they would do in this age of the world, if they dared. If Christ were on the earth today, they would have no more desire for Him than had the Jewish nation at His first advent....Rulers and teachers, who have caused souls to stumble over their perverted teachings; statesmen, senators, governors, all people who might have understood the prophecies, but who did not read and search to see if they were applicable for this time and concerned their individual selves, will be taken in the snare. They will reap eternal loss. They will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy....
"And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him" [Luke 22:64, 65]. Here we see how professedly righteous men can act out the spirit of Satan to carry their wicked purposes through envy and jealous and religious bigotry. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" [Genesis 3:15]. This enmity was revealed as soon as man transgressed God's Holy Law. His nature was changed; it became evil. He was in harmony with the prince of darkness, and there was a confederacy formed.
There is no warfare between Satan and the sinner, between fallen angels and fallen men. Both
possess the same attributes, both are evil through apostasy and sin. Then let all who read these
words understand for a surety that, wheresoever transgression against God's holy law exists,
there will always be a league against good. Fallen angels and fallen men will unite in desperate
companionship. Satan inspires the disloyal elements to work in harmony with his spirit.
Christ has pledged himself to engage in the conflict with the prince and power of darkness and
bruise the serpent's head, and all who are the sons of God are His chosen ones, His soldiers, to
war against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. It is an unwearied conflict of which there is to be no end,
until Christ shall come the second time without sin unto salvation to destroy him who has
destroyed so many souls through his masterly deceiving power.
Manuscript 26, March 11, 1904,
Jesus refrained from taking a course that would bring such a crisis in His life as to cut short His lifework. The opposition of the priests and rulers at Jerusalem had driven the mighty Healer from their midst. He restricted, for a time, His labors to Galilee. Often He left one field of labor for another, in order to escape from those who were seeking His life. When He was rejected at Nazareth, and His own townsmen tried to kill Him, He went down to Capernaum, where the people "were astonished at His doctrine: for His word was with power" [Luke 4:32]. He did not, by rushing into danger, hasten a crisis. He knew that He was to receive the world's hatred, He knew that His work would result in His death, but prematurely to expose Himself would not be the will of His Father.
From this we are to learn a lesson. As time goes by we shall have to encounter an opposition that will become more and more intense. As enmity is aroused in various places against those who observe the Sabbath of the Lord, it may become a necessity for God's people to move from those places to places where they will not be so bitterly opposed. God does not require His children to remain where, by the course of wicked men, their influence is made of no effect, and their lives are endangered. When liberty and life are imperiled, it is not merely our privilege, it our positive duty to go to places where the people are willing to hear the word of life, and where the opportunities for preaching the word will be more favorable.
There is a large field in which to labor for the salvation of souls, and unless loyalty to God requires it, His servants are not to imperil their lives. They are not to be discouraged by persecution, but when their work is hedged up in one place, they are to seek a place where they can continue to labor for the salvation of souls, where there are people whose hearts have not, by unbelief, been hardened against the truth.
Christ moved quietly from one place to another, traveling on foot. He knew that some of those
who heard His words would gladly receive the truths He taught. After His ascension, many who,
during His ministry, had listened to His words, openly acknowledged their belief in Him as the
Son of God.
- Closing Struggle -
Manuscript 1, 1849
Letter 1, October 12, 1875
Letter 5, November, 1883
Pamphlet, 1885
Letter 102, July 25, 1886
Letter 51, September 6, 1886
Manuscript 83, September, 1886
Letter 55, December 8, 1886
Letter 65, December 31, 1886
Letter 34, February 5, 1887
Letter 46, April 22, 1887
Letter 41, July 7, 1888
Letter 38, August 11, 1888
Manuscript 4, May 14, 1889
Manuscript 5, June 19, 1889
Manuscript 21, September 7, 1889
Manuscript 1, February 1, 1890
Letter 15, August 12, 1890
Manuscript 9, August 22, 1891
Letter 13, 1893
Letter 103, June 15, 1893
Manuscript 50, September, 1893
Letter 66, April 10, 1894
Letter 38, April 14, 1894
Letter 12, May 10, 1894
Manuscript 27, June 7, 1894
Letter 85, July 27, 1894
Letter 44, August 3, 1894
Manuscript 39, October 9, 1894
Manuscript 49, November 3, 1894
Manuscript 3, February 1, 1895
Manuscript 59, February 9, 1895
Letter 7, 1895
Letter 24, May 19, 1895
Manuscript 12, May 19, 1895
Letter 35, November 21, 1895
Letter 56, January 19, 1896
Letter 102a, March 9, 1896
Letter 83, May 22, 1896
Letter 28, July 29, 1897
Letter 90, August 18, 1897
Letter 108, November 25, 1898
Letter 77, May 1, 1899
Manuscript 122, August, 1899
Manuscript 154, November 18, 1899
Letter 207, December 15, 1899
Letter 3, January 1, 1900
Manuscript 18a, 1901
Letter 177, May 7, 1901
Manuscript 169a, July 14, 1902
Manuscript 71, June 18, 1903
Manuscript 38, March 27, 1905
Letter 191, 1905
Letter 311, October 30, 1905
Manuscript 145, October 31, 1905
Letter 50, January 30, 1906
Manuscript 43, March 14, 1908
Letter 42, February 21, 1909
Letter 46, February 26, 1909
Manuscript 21, May 17, 1909
Manuscript 85, August 21, 1909
Manuscript 61, September 17, 1909
Manuscript 1, 1849, (see also EW 42-45)
I saw the commandments of God and [the] shut door could not be separated. I saw the time for the commandments of God to shine out to His people was when the door was opened in the inner apartment of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844. Then Jesus rose up and shut the door in the outer apartment and opened the door in the inner apartment and passed into the most Holy Place, and the faith of Israel now reaches within the second veil where Jesus now stands by the ark.
I saw that Jesus had shut the door in the Holy Place and no man can open it, and that He had opened the door in the Most Holy Place and no man can shut it; and that since Jesus had opened the door in the Most Holy Place the commandments have been shining out and God has been testing His people on the Holy Sabbath. I saw that the test on the Sabbath could not come until the mediation of Jesus was finished in the Holy and He had passed within the second veil; therefore Christians who died before the seventh month [in] 1844, and had not kept the true Sabbath, rest in hope, for there was no condemnation until the true light on the Sabbath came.
I saw that our adversaries had been trying to open the door in the outer apartment and to close the door in the inner apartment, where the ark is, containing the two tables of stone, on which are written the ten commandments by God's own finger. I saw that Satan was now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God's people from present truth and cause them to waver.
I saw that Satan was working through agents in a number of ways. He was at work through ministers who had rejected God's truth and had been given over to strong delusions to believe a lie, that they might be damned. I saw [that] while they were preaching or praying some would fall prostrate and helpless, not by the power of the Holy Ghost, No, no, but by the power of Satan, breathed upon these agents and through them to the people.
I saw that some professed Adventists, who had rejected present truth, while preaching, praying, or in private conversation, used mesmerism to gain adherents and [that] the people would rejoice, thinking it was the power of God; and even those that used it [mesmerism] themselves were so far in the darkness and deception of the devil that they thought it was the power of God given them to exercise. I saw that these men had made God altogether such as one as themselves.
I saw that some of the agents of the devil were affecting the bodies of those [whom] they could not deceive and drawn [away] from present truth. Some of them were even trying to afflict some of the saints unto death. (Oh, that all could get a view of it as God revealed it unto me, that they might know more of the wiles of Satan so as to be on their guard.)
I saw that Satan was at work in these ways to distract, draw away, and deceive God's people, just now in this sealing time more than ever before. I saw some who were not standing stiffly; their knees were trembling, their feet were sliding, because they were not planted firmly on present truth, and [that] the covering of Almighty God could not be drawn over them. While they were thus trembling, Satan was trying his every art to hold them where they were until the sealing was over and the covering drawn over God's people, and they [were] left without protection in the time of slaughter.
God has begun to draw this covering over His people, therefore it will very soon be drawn over all of those who are to have a shelter in the time of trouble or the day of the Lord.
I saw that as God worked for His people, Satan would also work, and that the mysterious
knocking, and signs and wonders of Satan, and false reformations would increase and spread.
The reformations that were shown me were not reformations from error to truth, No, no, but
from bad to worse, for those who professed a change of heart had only wrapped about them a
religious cloak which covered up the iniquity of a vile heart so as to deceive God's people. But
if their hearts could be seen, they would appear as black as ever.
Letter 1, October 12, 1875, (see also CDF 370; CWE 140-41, 194-95, 236-37, 329, 514-15; Te 251-52)
Men are demanded in these times who will not betray the truth, who will not yield to any guide but God. The trumpet must give a certain sound, clear and sharp. The sound of warning and alarm must be given. God has a message designed to arouse the people, and words of solemn importance must be spoken in no hesitating manner. The time of night must be sounded all along the line. Clear and distinct, the truth must come to the people in the spirit and power of God, that the church and the world may be aroused from their carnal slumbers. Men must be led to inquire with solemn interest, "What shall I do to be saved?" [see Acts 13:30]. False, unfaithful shepherds are crying, "Peace and safety," to soothe the consciences of those who need to be alarmed for their soul's sake. The voice and pen of God's faithful servants must be employed that those who are at ease may be aroused with the warning. "For when they shall cry, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them" [1 Thessalonians 5:3]. None will escape, save those who watch and keep their garments white.
You must not only be watching and waiting, but praying and working. Have on the wedding garments. The third angel's message embraces more than the finite mind of man comprehends. Consider, the earth is to be lighted with its glory. The truth must be published far more extensively than it yet has been. It must be defined in clear, sharp lines before the people....
In comparison to the number that reject the truth, those that receive it will be very small. But one soul is of more value than worlds beside. We must not become discouraged although our work does not seem to bring large returns....Although the greatest proportion of the world will reject the truth, some will accept it, some will respond to the drawing power of Christ. Those in whose hands the reading matter is placed may turn from the light and refuse to obey the convictions of conscience, but the messenger they despise, through the power of God, may fall into the hands of others and be as meat in due season to them. They will be aroused to search the Scriptures, to pray to know what is truth, and they will not ask in vain. Angels of God will minister to their necessities. Many who are in harmony with the truth, whose hearts are full of peace and gladness, because of the light for these last days, have received their knowledge from the pages that others rejected....
I have been shown that Satan is stealing a march upon us. The law of God, through the agency of Satan, is to be made void. In our land of boasted freedom, religious liberty will come to an end. The contest will be decided over the Sabbath question which will agitate the whole world. Our time for work is limited, and God calls us as ministers and people to be minutemen. Teachers, as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves, must come to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. There are many who do not understand the prophecies relating to these days, and they must be enlightened....
We must be waiting and watching and working diligently that Satan may not preoccupy the field and bring the issue upon us before our work is done. Satan has his work all prepared that through his lying wonders he may deceive the world. He will bind men in bundles and claim that the world is on his side. A corrupt union will exist among the wicked of the earth, and men will be banded together to trample down the standard of righteousness to please Satan and his evil angels, and to gratify a world at enmity with God and His law.
God requires every man to do his duty and to show his loyalty. Satan is inventing every device possible that the people who know the truth may be lulled into fatal security, while he summons evil men and evil angels to carry on his scheme in secrecy. But all who seek God with their whole heart will be aroused. Those who love God with their whole soul will keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.
Some are inclined to think that too great a stir is being made, by their position of ease they say to the people, "peace and safety," when sudden destruction is about to fall upon the world. I tremble as I think of the words that have been spoken to me concerning those who do not act in accordance with the truth for this time. Said my guide, "Those who do not arouse will be passed by and God will move upon men who will respond to His call, and carry His work forward and upward."...
A far greater work will be done than has yet been done, and none of the glory of it will flow to men, for angels that minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation are working night and day. All who will be saved must cooperate with the agencies of heaven to arouse the inhabitants of the earth to the solemn truths for this time....
The third angel's message means far more than we take it to mean. We should search to find out all that is possible concerning this solemn message. The earth is to be lighted with its glory. The angels of God will even now go through our land to arouse the minds of the people if we will cooperate with them; but sad indeed is the fact that we are far behind the providences of God, and the work that ought to be done to send the rays of truth to those who sit in darkness is undone....Divine agencies will go before those who go out to work for God....Publications should be issued, written in the plainest, simplest language, explaining the subject of vital interest, and making known the things that are to come upon the world....
Satan has his agents everywhere. They are engaged as canvassers and colporteurs, and so-called missionaries. Satan is constantly seeking so to occupy the minds of the people that they may not give attention to things of eternal interest. Every device and deception is prepared to control the minds of men, and if one plan fails, another is presented, and everything possible is invented to cover up the truth and turn the attention away from it by sophistry and falsehood.
Those who shall be convicted of the truth will have to meet all manner of opposition. Men claiming to be teachers of Bible truth will assail those who embrace the truth, who have no experience in meeting objections, and they will seek to overwhelm them with false statements and wily reasoning. On this account, as well as for other reasons, it is necessary to have publications explaining the doctrines and meeting the arguments of objectors. If those who come into the faith can have a clear statement of the truths assailed, they will be armed with arguments with which to meet opposers and to defend themselves. In defending themselves they will unconsciously be sowing seeds of truth.
Men will misrepresent the doctrines we believe and teach as Bible truths, and it is necessary that wise plans should be laid to secure the privilege of inserting articles in the secular papers, for this will be a means of awakening souls to see the truth. God will raise up men who will be qualified to sow beside all waters. God has given great light upon important truths, and it must come to the world....Everything that can be done in the work must be done to educate the public mind in regard to our true position, that we may not stand in a false light before the people....
Just such a state of things as exists today existed before the flood and before the destruction of
Sodom. Dissipation is on the increase in our world. Handbills on which indecent pictures are
printed are posted up along our streets to allure the eyes and deprave the morals. These
presentations are of such a character as to stir up the basest passions of the human heart through
corrupt imaginings. These corrupt imaginings are followed by defiling practices, like those in
which the Sodomites indulged. But the most terrible part of this evil is that it is practiced under
the garb of sanctity. Our youth will be defiled, their thoughts degraded, and their souls polluted
unless they are barricaded with the truth.
Letter 5, November, 1883, (see also 3SM 414-15)
Great trouble will soon arise among the nations which will not cease until Jesus comes. The world is becoming more and more lawless. The churches are united in their efforts to restrict religious liberty. What are we as a people doing in this crisis? Are we purifying our souls by obedience to Christ's words? Are we humbling our hearts before God and confessing our sins Are we seeking with earnestness and contrition of soul Him who is the source of our strength? Are we claiming the promises, believing that Jesus pardons our transgressions and forgives our sins? Are we educating ourselves to overcome all temptation to murmur and complain?...
All are given the same opportunity that was granted to the first great rebel to demonstrate the spirit that moves them to action. It is God's purpose that everyone shall be tested and proved, to see whether he will be loyal or disloyal to the laws that govern the kingdom of heaven. To the last God permits Satan to reveal his character as a liar, an accuser, and a murderer. Thus the final triumph of His people will be made more marked, more glorious, more full and complete. The words of the prophet will then be fulfilled, [Isaiah 63:7 quoted]. The song of God's people will be, [Psalms 99:1-2 quoted].
Now and onward to the close of time the people of God should be wide awake, not trusting in
their own wisdom, but wholly in the wisdom of their Leader. They should set aside days for
fasting and prayer. Entire abstinence from food should not be required, but they should deny
themselves the food they usually enjoy, and partake of [a] plain, simple diet. No one should lift
up his soul unto vanity, walking in self-indulgence and pride, for this is a time that demands
genuine humiliation and most earnest prayer. We are nearing the most important crisis that has
ever come upon the world. If we are not wide awake and watching, it will steal upon us as a
thief. Satan is preparing to work through his human agencies in secrecy.
There is in our church a decided want of love for Christ and for one another. Christ-like simplicity is looked upon as weakness. There is little clear spiritual discernment. Wrongs remain unconfessed. The transgression condemned in the law of God is on the increase in our borders. Sin is cherished and result is hardness of heart.
Because those who are handling sacred things do not walk in the light, that light is becoming darkness to them. And how great is that darkness....Some run who do not possess moral worth are exalted, while those who are endeavoring to seek the Lord and walk in his steps are not appreciated. This danger will become more and more apparent. We must awake to the perils that are opening around us.
In our conferences it is revealed that the brethren do not see eye to eye in understanding the word of God. There is among us a manifest want of searching the scriptures. We must know the reasons for our faith. The importance and solemnity of the scenes opening before us demand this, and on no account must the spirit of complaining be encouraged....
We may have to plead most earnestly before legislative councils for the right to exercise independent judgment, to worship God according to the dictates of our consciences. Thus in His providence God has designed that the claims of His holy law shall be brought before men in the highest authority. But as we do all we can as men and women who are not ignorant of Satan's devices, we are to manifest no bitterness of feeling. Constantly we are to offer prayer for divine aid. It is God alone who can hold the four winds until the angels shall seal the servants of God in their foreheads.
The Lord will do a great work in the earth. Satan makes a determined effort to divide and scatter His people. He brings up side issues to divide minds from the important subjects which should engage our attention....With one heart and mind we are to prepare for the conflict, with faith laying our petitions before the mercy seat. The throne of God is arched by the Bow of Promise, and the prayers offered in simplicity and faith will be heard. It is God's glory to answer the supplications of His people....
Many are holding the truth only with the tips of their fingers. They have had great light and
many privileges. Like Capernaum they have been exalted to heaven in this respect. In the time
of test and trial that is approaching, they will become apostates unless they put away their pride
and self-confidence, unless they have an entire transformation of character.
Pamphlet, 1885,--AN EXPOSURE OF FANATICISM AND WICKEDNESS p. 9-10 (see also 2SM 73)
I plainly stated...to these fanatical parties that they were doing the work of the adversary of souls; they were in darkness. They claimed to have great light that probation would close in October, 1884.
I there stated in public that the Lord had been pleased to show me that there would be no definite
time in the message given of God since 1884; and that I knew that this message, which four or
five were engaged in advocating with great zeal, was heresy.
Letter 102, July 25, 1886,
Men who are dissatisfied with kingly rule and heavy taxation are emigrating to America and making their riotous speeches there to arouse the working class to make a raid upon the rich and rob and plunder those who have property. These uneasy, dissatisfied elements are increasing in power. Every year the swellings of wrath, tumults, and fierce riots are increasing in Europe.
The signs of the times tell us we are surely in the last days. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come" [2 Timothy 3:1]. We can see these perils more distinctly here in Europe. Things are rapidly developing. All are ranging under their respective banners. All are preparing for some great event. All are watching for the morning. One class is watching and waiting for their Lord, while the other class is waiting for what Lucifer may perform of his wonder-working power.
Kingdoms are in uncertainty, one watching jealously the other. Soldiers are being drilled constantly, preparing for war. There is a rending apart of kingdoms. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands is surely to smite the image upon the feet...[see Daniel 2:35]. All things earthly will be dissolved and the apostle asks, "What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat" [2 Peter 3:11].
The forces of the powers of darkness are mustering for the closing work of this earth's
history....Where shall we stand in the future crisis that shall come? Shall we stand as children of
God at His right hand, or as disobedient, unthankful, and unholy at His left hand?
Letter 51, September 6, 1886, (see also 7ABC 93-94)
"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel" [Zechariah 3:1-3].
Joshua here represents the people of God, and Satan, pointing out their filthy garments, claims them as his property over which he has a right to exercise his cruel power. But these very ones have improved the hours of their probation to confess their sins with contrition of soul and put them away, and Jesus has written pardon against their names.
Those who have not ceased to sin and have not repented and sought pardon for their transgressions are not represented in this company, for this company vex their souls over the corruptions and iniquity abounding around them, and God will recognize those who are signing and crying because of the abominations. They had not corrupted their ways before God, but had washed their robes of character and had made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Satan pointed to their sins which had not yet been blotted out, and which he had tempted them to commit, and then reviled them as being sinners clad with filthy garments. But Jesus changes their appearance. He says, "Take away his filthy garments from him...Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places among these that stand by" [Zechariah 3:4-7].
After the filthy garments have been removed the subject changes, showing that this has its
application in the future.
Manuscript 83, September, 1886, (see also IHP 364; 3SM 420)
We can talk with Jesus as Enoch talked with God. He could tell his Lord all about his trials. Here was the way Enoch walked with God, and when the light shone out upon his pathway, he did not expect to say, "Why, what will my friends and relatives say of me if I take this course?" No, he did that which was right whatever the consequence.
Now Enoch sought to have a connection with God, and those who do not have a connection with God have a connection with someone else who will lead them away from everything good. All of us have a character to form.
Enoch formed a righteous character, and the result was that he was translated without seeing death. When the Lord shall come the second time, there will be some who will be translated without seeing death, and we want to know if we will be among that number. We want to know if we are wholly on the Lord's side--partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust--not by trying to make a clear path for our feet where
we shall have no trials or difficulties to meet, but by placing ourselves in right relation to God, and letting Him take care of the consequences....
The worthies who refused to bow to the golden image were cast into a burning fiery furnace; but Christ was with them there, and the fire did not consume them....Now some of us may be brought to just as severe a test: Will we obey the commandments of men or will we obey the commandments of God? This is the question that will be asked of many. The best thing for us is to come in close connection with God, and, if He would have us be martyrs for the truth's sake, it may be the means of bringing many more into the truth....
Many whom we try to reach with the truth of God will not accept it. Why? Because it involved
a cross....We have been piling up the rubbish before the door of our heart and this must all be
cleaned away. Christ cannot enter there until we do. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock,"
He says, "Clear away the barriers that have been piled up around the door of the heart. He wants
you to clear them away and He will come in."
Letter 55, December 8, 1886,--as copied from the original unedited testimony. (see also 7ABC
355; Ev 218, 235-36, 319; 2SM 334-35, 376-83, 3SM 384-85, UL 356)
Dear Brethren Butler and Haskell:
I have not been able to sleep for weeks after half past three o'clock. My mind is deeply exercised in regard to our condition as a people. We ought to be far in advance of any other people on the earth because we have greater light and greater knowledge of the truth, which lays us under increased accountability to advance that light and not only profess to believe the truth but to practice it. When we do practice the truth we are then following Jesus, who is the light of the world; and if we as a people are not constantly elevating, becoming more and more spiritually minded, we are becoming like the Pharisees--self-righteous--while we do not the will of God.
We must have a greater nearness to God; much less of self and much more of Jesus Christ, and His grace must be brought into our everyday life. We are living in an important period of this world's history. The end of all things is at hand; the sands of time are fast running out; soon in heaven it will be said: "It is done....He that is holy, let him be holy still," "he which is filthy, let him be filthy still" [Revelation 21:6, 22:11].
Let our testimonies be sharpened up; let us have a firmer hold on God. I cannot refrain from prayer at one, two, and three o'clock in the morning for the Lord to work upon the hearts of the people. I think of all heaven being interested in the work that is going on upon the earth. Ministering angels are waiting about the throne to instantly obey the mandate of Jesus Christ, to answer every prayer offered in earnest, living faith. I think of how many who profess the truth are keeping it apart from their lives. They do not bring its sanctifying, refining, spiritualizing power into their hearts. I think how this grieves Jesus.
I think of His great sorrow as He wept over Jerusalem, exclaiming, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not" [Luke 13:34]. God forbid that these words shall apply to those who have great light and blessings. In the rejecting of Jerusalem it was because great privileges were abused which brings the denunciation upon all who lightly regarded the great opportunities and precious light that were entrusted to their keeping. (Privileges do not commend us to God, but they commend God to us.) No people are saved because they have great light and special advantages, for these high and heavenly favors only increase their responsibility.
The more and increased light God has given make the receiver more responsible. It does not place the receiver in any safer position unless the privileges are wisely improved, prized and used to advance God's glory. Christ said, "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" [Matthew 11:21].
When Jerusalem was divorced from God it was because of her sins. She fell from an exalted height that Tyre and Sidon had never reached. And when an angel falls he becomes a fiend. The depths of our ruin is measured by the exalted light to which God has raised us in His great goodness and unspeakable mercy. Oh, what privileges are granted to us as a people! And if God spared not His people that He loved because they refused to walk in the light, how can He spare the people whom He has blessed with the light of heaven in having opened to them the most exalted truth ever intrusted to mortal man to give to the world?
We are far from being the people God would have us to be, because we do not elevate the soul and refine the character in harmony with the wonderful unfolding of God's truth and His purposes. "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" [Proverbs 14:34]. Sin is a disorganizer wherever it is cherished--in households, in the church, in the individual heart--there is disorder, strife, variance, enmity, envy, jealousy, because the enemy of man and of God has the controlling power of the mind. But let the truth be loved and brought into the life, as well as advocated, and that man and woman will hate sin and will be a living representative of Jesus Christ to the world.
The people claiming to believe the truth will not be condemned because they had not the light but because they had great light and did not bring their hearts to the test of God's great moral standard of righteousness. The people who claim to believe the truth must be elevated by living it out. Real Bible religion must leaven the lives; refine and ennoble their characters, making them more and more like the divine model. Then will the homes be vocal with prayer, with thanksgiving and praise to God. Angels will minister in the home and accompany the worshiper to the house of prayer.
Let the churches who claim to believe in truth, who are advocating the law of God, keep that law and depart from all iniquity. Let the individual members of the church resist the temptations to practice evils and indulge in sin. Let the church commence the work of purification before God by repentance, humiliation, deep heart searching, for we are in the antitypical day of atonement--solemn hour fraught with eternal results.
Let those who teach the truth present it as it is in Jesus. They are as clean vessels under the subduing, sanctifying, refining, influence of the truth of God. Let them be leavened with Bible religion, and what an influence would go forth from them to the world! Let the individual members of the church be pure, steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the love of Jesus, and they will then be a light to the world. Let the men standing as watchmen and as shepherds of the flock proclaim the solemn truth, sound the notes of warning to all people, nations and tongues. Let them be living representatives of the truth they advocate, and honor God's law by strict and holy compliance to its requirements, and walk before the Lord in purity, in holiness, and a power will attend the proclamation of the truth that will reflect light everywhere.
God never forsakes people or individuals until they forsake Him. Outward opposition will not cause the faith of God's people, [who are] keeping His commandments, to become dim.
The would be neglect to bring purity and truth into practice that will grieve the Spirit of God and weaken them because God is not in their midst to bless. Internal corruption will bring the denunciations of God upon this people as it did upon Jerusalem. Oh, let pleading voices, let earnest prayer be heard, that those who preach to others shall not themselves be castaways. My brethren, we know not what is before us, and our only safety is in following the Light of the world. God will work with us and for us if the sins which brought His wrath upon the old world, upon Sodom and Gomorrah and upon ancient Jerusalem, does not become our crime.
The least transgression of God's law brings guilt upon the transgressor and without earnest
repentance and forsaking of the sins, he will surely become an apostate.
You inquire in regard to the course which should be pursued to secure the rights of our people to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience. This has been a burden on my soul for some time, whether it would be a denial of our faith, and an evidence that our trust was not fully in God. But I call to mind many things God has shown me in the past in regard to things of a similar character, as the draft and other things. I can speak in the fear of God, it is right we should use every power we can to avert the pressure that is being brought to bear upon our people. I know that were our people spiritualized by the truth the greatest love would be maintained.
[We are] not to provoke those who have accepted this spurious Sabbath, an institution of the Papacy, in the place of God's holy Sabbath. Their not having the Bible arguments in their favor makes them all the more angry and determined to supply the place of arguments that are wanting in the Word of God by the power of their might. The force of persecution follows the steps of the dragon. Therefore great care should be exercised to give no provocation. And again let us as a people, as far as possible, cleanse the camp of moral defilement and aggravating sins. When sin is making its march upon the people who claim to be elevating the moral standard of righteousness, how can we expect God to turn His power in our behalf and save us as a people that did righteousness?
All the policy in the world cannot save us from a terrible sifting, and all the efforts made to high authorities will not lift from us the scourging of God just because sin is cherished. If as a people we do not keep ourselves in the faith and not only advocate with pen and voice the commandments of God, but keep them every one, not violating a single precept knowingly, then weakness and ruin will come upon us. It is a work that we must attend to in every one of our churches. Each man must be a Christian.
Let the sin of pride be put away, let all superfluities of dress be overcome and repentance toward God be exercised, for the highhanded robbery toward Him which has withheld money which should flow into the treasury to sustain the work of God in its mission fields. Let the work of reformation, of true conversion, be set before and urged upon the people. Let our works, our deportment, correspond with the work for this time, that we may say, Follow me as I follow Christ. Let us humble our soul before God by humiliation, fasting, and prayer, repentance of sin, and putting it away.
The voice of the true watchman needs now to be heard all along the line, "The morning cometh, and also the night" [Isaiah 21:12]. The trumpet must give a certain sound for we are in the great day of the Lord's preparation. All the struggles to carry our appeals to the highest authorities in our land will, however earnest and strong and eloquent may be the pleas in our favor, not bring about that which we desire, unless the Lord works by His Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who claim to believe the truth. We may struggle as a mighty man in swimming against the current of Niagara, but we shall fail unless the Lord pleads in our behalf. God will be honored among His people. They must be pure, they must be divested of self, steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. The Lord will elevate the humblest that trusts in Him. He will unite His power with human effort, if that man will honor Him as did Daniel. But as a people we need the beauty of righteousness, holiness, and truth. The most harmonious theory will not save us. The God that ruled in Babylon is the same God that rules now.
There are many doctrines current in our world. There is many a religion current that numbers its thousands and tens of thousands, but there is but one that bears the superscription and the stamp of God. There is a religion of man and a religion of God. We must have our souls riveted to the eternal Rock. Everything in God's world, both men and doctrines and nature itself, is fulfilling God's sure word of prophecy and accomplishing His grand and closing work in this world's history.
We are to be ready and waiting for the orders of God. Nations will be stirred to their very center. Support will be withdrawn from those who proclaim God's only standard of righteousness as the only sure test of character. And all who will not bow to the decree of the national councils, and obey the national laws to exalt the Sabbath instituted by the man of sin to the disregard of God's holy day, will feel, not the oppressive power of Popery alone, but of the Protestant world, the image of the beast.
Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out--the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths. The remnant that purify their souls by obeying the truth gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness amid the surrounding apostasy. We must be divested of our self-righteousness and arrayed in the righteousness of Christ. All these, He says, "I have graven...upon the palms of my hands" [Isaiah 49:16]. They are held in everlasting, imperishable remembrance. We want faith now, living faith. We want to have a living testimony that shall cut to the heart of the sinner. There is too much sermonizing and too little ministering. We want the holy unction. We need the spirit and fervor of the truth. Many of the ministers are half paralyzed by their own defects of character. They need the converting power of God.
That which God required of Adam before his fall was perfect obedience to His law. God requires now what He required of Adam, perfect obedience, righteousness without flaw, without shortcoming in His sight. God help us to render to Him all His law requires. We cannot do this without that faith that brings Christ's righteousness into daily practice.
Dear Brethren, the Lord is coming. Lift up your thoughts and heads and rejoice. Oh, we would think that those who hear the joyful news, who claim to love Jesus, would be filled with joy unutterable and full of glory. This is the good, the joyful news which should electrify every soul, which should be repeated in our homes, and told to those whom we meet on the street. What more joyful news can be communicated! Caviling and contention with believers or unbelievers is not the work God has given us to do.
If Christ is my Saviour, my sacrifice, my atonement, then I shall never perish. Believing in Him, I have life for evermore. Oh, that all who believe the truth would believe in Jesus as their own Savior. I do not mean that cheap faith unsupported by works, but that earnest, living, constant, abiding faith, that eats the flesh and drinks the blood of the Son of God. I want not only to be pardoned for the transgression of God's holy law, but I want to be lifted into the sunshine of God's countenance. Not simply to be admitted to heaven, but to have an abundant entrance.
Are we so insensible as a peculiar people, a holy nation, to the inexpressible love that God has manifested for us? Salvation is not to be baptized, not to have our names upon the church books, not to preach the truth. But it is a living union with Jesus Christ, to be renewed in heart, doing the works of Christ in faith and labor of love, in patience, meekness, and hope. Every soul united to Christ will be a living missionary to all around him. He will labor for those near and those afar off. He will have no sectional feeling, to have the interest merely to build up one branch of the work over which he presides and there let his zeal end. God requires [that] all will work with interest to make every branch strong. There will be no self-love, no selfish interest. The cause is one, the truth a great whole.
Well may the question be asked with earnest, anxious heart, Is envy cherished, is jealousy permitted to find a place in my heart? If so, Christ is not there. Do I love the law of God, is the love of Jesus Christ in my heart? If we love one another as Christ has loved us then we are getting ready for the blessed heaven of peace and rest. There is no struggling there to be first, to have the supremacy; all will love their neighbor as themselves. Oh, that God would open the understanding and speak to the hearts of our churches by arousing its individual members.
The Lord appoints and sends forth ministers not only to preach, for this is a small part of His work, but to minister, to educate the people not to be fighters but to be examples of piety. There are workers in every department appointed to do their work. When Jesus ascended on high he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Some have entered the work with a human commission rather than the divine. They have educated themselves as debaters and the churches under their care show the character of their work. They were not ready, they were not fitted for the work. Their hearts are not right with God. In short, they have a theory but not true conversion and sanctification through the truth. The great issue so near at hand will weed out those whom God has not appointed and He will have a pure, true, sanctified ministry prepared for the latter rain.
Our prayer should ascend to the throne of grace with fervor for the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His vineyard. My heart aches as I look around upon the mission fields and see so feeble efforts to get the truth before the people. No censure can be attached to our leading men. I believe, brethren, you are one with me in heart, in sentiment, in regard to our great need, and in the earnest desire and earnest efforts to meet the mind of the Spirit of God in these things.
Those who are at ease in Zion need to be aroused. Great is their accountability who bear the truth and yet feel no weight or burden for souls. Oh, for men and women professing the truth to arouse, to take on the yoke of Christ, to lift His burdens. There are wanted those who will not have merely a nominal interest but a Christ-like interest, unselfish--an intense ardor that will not flag under difficulties or cool because iniquity abounds.
I want to speak to the ears of our people in America in every church. Awake from the dead, and
Christ will give you life. Souls are perishing for the light of truth as it is in Jesus. We are
standing upon the very borders of the eternal world. Fair-weather Christians will not be wanted
for this work. The sentimental and tasteful religion is not needed for this time. There must be
intensity brought into our faith and in the proclamation of truth. I tell you, a new life is
proceeding from satanic agencies to work with a power we have not hitherto realized. And shall
not a new power from above take possession of God's people? The truth, sanctifying in its
influence, must be urged upon the people. There must be earnest supplications offered to God,
agonizing prayer to Him, that our hopes as a people may not be founded on suppositions, but on
eternal realities. We must know, by the evidence of God's Word for ourselves, whether we are in
the faith, going to heaven or not. The moral standard of character is God's law. Do we meet its
requirements? Are the Lord's people bringing their property, their time, their talents and all their
influence into the work for this time? Let us arouse. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" [Colossians 3:1].
Letter 65, December 31, 1886,
We are approaching stormy times, and we want to study the true foundation of our faith. We want to search the book of the law to see if our title to the immortal inheritance is without a flaw....
The Christian world is now making movements which will necessarily bring the commandment-keeping people of God to notice. There is a daily suppression of God's truth for the theories and false doctrines of human origin. There are plans and movements being set on foot to enslave the consciences of those who would be loyal to God. The law-making powers will be against God's commandment-keeping people. Every soul will be tested. Oh, that we would as a people be wise for ourselves and by precept and example impart that wisdom to our children.
Every position of our faith will be searched into, and, if we are not thorough Bible students,
established, strengthened, settled, the wisdom of the world's great men will be too much for us.
The world is busy, anxious, and devoted. All are in pursuit of some course that God has no part
in. Evil is eagerly pursued as though it were righteousness, error as though it were truth, and sin
as though it were holiness. Darkness is thickening, covering the earth, and gross darkness the
people, and shall God's peculiar people at such a time as this be asleep? Shall those who hold
the truth be silent as if paralyzed?
Letter 34, February 5, 1887,
I understand that Bro.______has, as it were, set time, stating that the Lord will come within five
years. Now I hope the impression will not go abroad that we are time setters. Let no such
remarks be made. They do no good. Seek not to obtain a revival upon such grounds, but let due
caution be used in every word uttered, that fanatical ones not seize anything they can get to
create an excitement and the Spirit of the Lord be grieved. We want not to move the people's
passions to get up a stir, where feelings are moved and principle does not control. I feel that we
need to be guarded on every side, because Satan is at work to do his uttermost to insinuate his
arts and devices that shall be a power to do harm. Anything that will make a stir, create an
excitement on a wrong basis is to be dreaded, for the reaction will surely come.
Letter 46, April 22, 1887, (see also TDG 121)
There will be a shaking of the sieve. The chaff must in time be separated from the wheat.
Because iniquity abounds, the love of many waxes cold. It is the very time when the genuine
will be strongest. There will be a separating from us of those who have not appreciated the light
nor walked in it.
Letter 41, July 7, 1888, (see also CG 152)
"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one with another" [Leviticus 19:11]. This is done in nearly all transactions of real estate buying and selling, and many who are engaged in this business need to cut loose from it before they can be considered as healthful branches of the church....
The message from the lips of Christ is, "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in heaven that failest not" [Luke 12:23]. There will be many great failures in earthly banks, and speculations, including mining and real estate.
How pleased Satan would be if, in the very time when men should be selling their possession to sustain the cause of God he can so deceive them that all their available means shall be invested in land speculation and other worldly enterprises, thus taking away from the cause of God means which should flow into the treasury to advance His work in the earth....
Satan sets in operation schemes that will produce in the minds of our brethren a great desire to
try their fortunes, as in a lottery. One and still another are flattered by strong representations of
financial gain if they will only invest their money in lands...the device of Satan is successful...the
spirit of greed is fostered, and the naturally penurious man begrudges every dollar that is called
for to be used in the advancement of the cause of God in the earth.
Letter 38, August 11, 1888, (see also 1SM 75-76)
There were many proclaiming a new time after this [October 22, 1844], but I was shown that we should not have another definite time to proclaim to the people. All who are acquainted with me and my work will testify that I have borne but one testimony in regard to the setting of the time....I have been repeatedly urged to accept the different periods of time proclaimed for the Lord to come.
I have ever had one testimony to bear: The Lord will not come at that period, and you are weakening the faith of even Adventists, and fastening the world in their unbelief....
The time-setters have pronounced the curse of the Lord upon me as an unbeliever who said, My
Lord delayeth His coming. But I have told them that the books of heaven would not make my
record thus, for the Lord knows that I longed for the appearing of Christ. But their oftrepeated
message of definite time was exactly what the enemy wanted....Ever since 1844 I have borne my
testimony that we were now in a period of time in which we are to take heed to ourselves lest
our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day
come upon us unawares. Our position has been one of waiting and watching, with no time-proclamation to intervene between the close of the prophetic periods in 1844 and the time of our
Lord's coming. We do not know the day nor the hour, or when the definite time is, and yet the
prophetic reckoning shows us that Christ is at the door. We have not cast away our confidence,
neither have we a message dependent upon definite time, but we are waiting and watching unto
prayer, looking for and loving the appearing of our Saviour, and doing all in our power for the
preparation of our fellowmen for that great event. We are not impatient.
Manuscript 4, May 14, 1889,
The end of all things is at hand, the Lord is at the door. What influence has it had to solemnize our minds, and arouse in us an earnestness to separate from us everything that is offensive to God....The day of the Lord is right at hand, and it is not safe for us to delay His coming. Do you think that any of us, when He comes, will be brought before the great Judge and will feel that we have devoted too much time to preparation? Will such thought come into our minds? Shall we think that we have been altogether too sympathetic, that we have devoted too much time in winning souls back to Christ and binding up the broken hearted?--No indeed! Our thoughts will be these, as we look back to those who stand before the Judge: "Why didn't I help them at such a time when I ought to have," or "Oh, I am glad I did deny myself and help them to stand on the solid Rock."
These are the very thoughts that will come up to us in the judgement, when everyone is judged
according to the deeds done in the body, and as many are weighed in the balances they will be
found wanting. Then they will proclaim their sins upon the housetop. They will not be afraid to
have everybody know their sins, if they could only make restitution for them to save one soul.
Manuscript 5, June 19, 1889, (see also 7ABC 297, 348)
The enemy has worked, and he is working still. He is come down in great power and the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth. God has withdrawn His hand. We have only to look at the Johnstown [Pennsylvania flood]. He did not prevent the devil from wiping that whole city out of existence. And these very things will increase until the very close of this earth's history, because he has come down in great power, and he works with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. What is he doing?--Going about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And when he sees those who are resisting the light, and that God does not shelter them, he will exercise his cruel power upon them. This is what we may expect....
Just prior to the coming of the Son of Man, there is and has been for years a determination on
the part of the enemy to cast his hellish shadow right between man and his Saviour.
Manuscript 21, September 7, 1889, (see also MAR 197; OHC 99; RC 261; TDG 279)
There is a perplexity that comes to us but the Lord will find deliverance for us. The Lord knows we are living amid the perils of the last days, when temptations and trials and conflicts will have to be met.
To meet the trials, perplexities, and persecutions that are sure to come in various ways in regard to the Sabbath law, and to distinguish the path of duty clearly, will require intelligent knowledge of the Scriptures, much faith, and divine wisdom, for righteousness and truth will be darkened by error and false theories.
We shall find that we must let loose of all hands except the hand of Jesus Christ. Friends will prove treacherous and will betray us. Relatives, deceived by the enemy, will think they do God service in opposing us and putting forth the utmost efforts to bring us into hard places, hoping we will deny our faith. But we may trust our hand in the hand of Christ amid darkness and peril....
I thank the Lord that He is awaking His people, and that He is giving His messengers a message that will strengthen faith. But there are unclean spirits, "spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" [Revelation 16:14].
The children of God who have light on Bible truth must be wide awake to advance with the
opening providences of God. "Behold, I come as a thief, Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" [verse 15]. The righteousness
of Christ is the only garment that will do.
Manuscript 1, February 1, 1890, (see also 7ABC 344, 367; CS 241; 2SM 51-52)
I know of men who have been warned and reproved...but in place of being doers of the word, in place of working with all their might in harmony with Heaven, they have hugged their sins to themselves, and then what?--the seal of God could not be upon them, and, when calamities came, when placed in perilous positions, those very ones have gone down into the grave, and they will not come up in the first resurrection. They will not see the king in His beauty. They were lost simply because they took their own way. They broke away from the Spirit of God and kept venturing, and testing and testing the wiles of the devils....
Either evil angels or the angels of God are controlling the minds of men. Our minds are given to the control of God, or to the control of the powers of darkness; and it will be well for us to inquire where we are standing today--whether under the blood stained banner of Prince Emmanuel, or under the black banner of the powers of darkness....
We are coming right upon the time when Satan is to work with all manner of bewitching influence, and those who are charmed with them now, or give them the least countenance now, will be all ready to be swept right in to act a part with the devil then. Evil angels are working all the time upon the hearts of men. Satan is working with everyone who is not under the control of the Spirit of God. It is the lying wonders of the devil that will take the world captive. He will cause fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men. He is to work miracles, and this wonderful, miracle-working power is to sweep the whole world. It is now just the beginning.
I want to tell you another thing. The vials of God's wrath and the sprinkling of them are already coming....You hear of calamities by land and sea, and they are constantly increasing. What is the matter?--the spirit of God is taken away from those who have the lives of men in their hands, and Satan is coming in to control them, because they give themselves to his control. Those who profess to be the children of God do not place themselves under the guardianship of the heavenly angels, and as Satan is a destroyer, he works through those men and they make mistakes; and they will get drunk, and because of intemperance, many times bring these terrible calamities upon us.
And see the storms and tempests! Satan is working in the atmosphere, and here we are dependent upon God for our lives--our present and eternal life....
We need to be wide awake, wholly devoted, wholly converted, wholly consecrated to God. But
we seem to sit as though we were paralyzed. God of Heaven, wake us up!
Letter 15, August 12, 1890, (see also Ev 642-44; TDG 350)
God holds us responsible for all that we might be if we would improve our talents; and we shall
be judged according to what we ought to have been but were not; what we might have done but
did not accomplish, because we did not use our powers to glorify God. For all knowledge that
we might have gained but did not, there will be an eternal loss, even if we do not lose
our souls.
Manuscript 9, August 22, 1891, (see also 3SM 192-93)
I want you to see that it is not in the providence of God that any finite man shall, by any device
or reckoning that he may make of figures, or of types, know with any definiteness in regard to
the very period of the Lord's coming. What shall we know? We are to study the signs which
show that He is at the door.
Letter 13, 1893, (see also 7ABC 59, 382, 394-95; OHC 142)
God keeps a reckoning with nations as well as with individuals. He allows the nations a certain
period of probation, and gives them evidences of His requirements, of His supremacy, and
makes known to them His laws, which are to be the rule of His kingdom in the government of
nations. All this He does that heathen nations may not be given up to destruction unwarned, and
without light. But, after He has given light and evidence, and they still persist in insolence
toward Him, then, when their iniquity is full...God takes the matter in hand, and His judgments
are no longer withheld.
Letter 103, June 15, 1893,
Satan is an artful foe, and his work will be performed by many least expected....In these last days the false will take the field with the true, the spurious with the genuine....To men whom he desires to delude and ruin, Satan does not come as the outcast, apostate spirit, but he comes personating as an angel of light and truth....
Satan will make the best use possible of his agents,--apostasy, uniting in a desperate companionship to oppose the law of God....Satan has stolen the livery of heaven in order to deceive the very elect. As he seduced Adam, he is seducing men to unite with him in rebellion against the law of God....
Never was Satan so fiercely stirred as now. As never before he will inspire everyone who has apostatized from obedience to God's law. He will work to create rebellion at the very time when the proclamation of the third angel's message is going to the world. He will inspire members of his synagogue to make most desperate efforts to clothe in defiled garments all who take an active part in this message. Not a stone will be left unturned, not a plan or device but will be set in operation to deceive, to hold in error and strong delusion every mind that he can control....
He will stir up the minds of the disobedient and rebellious, and all apostates will unite in a firm and desperate companionship against the law of God, to war against the government of God....As we proclaim the binding claims of the law of God upon every human being, those who will not be convinced, who turn away their ears from hearing the truth and are turned unto fables, choosing to feed upon a dish of maxims, customs, and commandments of men, will use the best weapons they have in warring against the truth. They will bear false witness, manufacturing lies to blacken the reputations of those who have proclaimed the message of truth....All who come out from the world and are separated, must count on meeting ridicule, sneers, and reviling. They must expect that their lives and mission will be misrepresented....
We will bear in mind that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" [2 Timothy 3:12], and all who sneer at the truth and ridicule those who proclaim it, will weep and pray, "Lord, open to us," and He will answer, "I know you not."
Alarmed that their prey is escaping from their grasp, Satan and his synagogue will make most desperate efforts to retain every soul on his side. He will present every possible objection and device to turn aside those who would walk in the path cast up for the ransomed of the Lord. A train of circumstances will be secretly set in operation by the serpent to deceive, to allure the sinner, to wrench from him his convictions that he must return to his allegiance to God....
The conflict will be long and painful. At times there may appear to be partial defeat, but bear in mind that you counted the cost when Christ showed you the plan of battle. You are not the leaders in this conflict, for Christ is there; the armies of heaven are enlisted in the warfare....
Jesus would have every individual understand that the confederacy of evil is strong, artful in planning, and will use every dishonest measure in order to obtain the victory. Yet, not one follower of Christ is to look at his own weakness and become discouraged. "Looking unto Jesus" [Hebrews 12:2] we shall receive His inspiration. We shall know that we are fighting in full view of God, of loyal, holy intelligences, with all the children of light as companions. More than angels are in the ranks in every conflict. At the head is the Great General of armies, who says, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" [John 16:33]. Jesus will surround His faithful ones with a heavenly, holy atmosphere. Their armor is invincible, their Leader never met with defeat, and they are to advance to victory....
Satan will work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness to personate Christ. If it were
possible, he would deceive the very elect.
Manuscript 50, September, 1893, (see also 7ABC 15; SD 125; Te 49, 161-62, 165)
It is time for the message of God's forbearance to be proclaimed, to win men to repentance; and it is just as verily time for men to be warned that there are limits to God's forbearance. Men may advance, as did Belshazzar, in presumption and defiance, until they pass the boundary. Blasphemy may be so developed as to exhaust the patience of the longsuffering of God....
In the midst of mirth, feasting, and forgetfulness of God, the command will go forth for the sword of the Lord to be unsheathed, that an end may be put to the insolence and disobedience of men. The prayers of God's people have ascended, "It is time, O' Lord, for thee to work; for they have made void thy law" [Psalms 119:126]. These prayers will ere long be answered. When men pass the limit of grace, God must let the world see that He is God.
The time has nearly come when transgression will no longer be tolerated, when God will interfere to repress the overflowing tide of iniquity....
God gives to all a period of probation, but men can reach a point where they can expect from God nothing but indignation and punishment. This time is not just now, but it is fast approaching. The nations will advance from one degree of sinfulness to another. The children, educated and trained in transgression, will add to the evil entailed by their parents who have no fear of God in their hearts.
Already the judgments of God have begun to fall upon the world in various calamities, that men may repent, and be converted to truth and righteousness. But the candle of those who harden their hearts in iniquity will be put out by the Lord. They have lived only for themselves, and death must come to them. When the limit of grace is reached, God will give His command for the destruction of the transgressor. He will arise in His Almighty character as God above all gods, and those who have worked against Him in league with the great rebel will be treated in accordance with their works.
In His vision of the last days, Daniel inquired, "O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand....Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days" [Daniel 12:8-10, 12-13]. Daniel has been standing in his lot since the seal was removed and the light of truth has been shining upon his visions. He stands in his lot, bearing the testimony which was to be understood at the end of the days.
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine
as the brightness of the firmament: and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever
and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end:
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" [Daniel 12:1-5].
Letter 66, April 10, 1894, (see also 7ABC 408; OHC 309; 2SM 92-93; 3SM 403-05)
When we consider that history is being made so fast, we can but be convinced that perils are fast crowding upon us, and we cannot deliver ourselves from that which we must meet. All we can do is to seek heavenly wisdom from our only source of help. If by constant contemplation of the Author and Finisher of our faith, we grow into the similitude of Christ in character, we shall have our life hid with Christ in God. We are not to fold our hands in idle expectancy of the Lord's soon coming, but we are to keep looking unto Jesus, hanging our helpless souls upon His merits, opening our hearts to the Holy Spirits moving, our petitions ascending to God for His fashioning hands to be upon us.
Unholy ambitions will seek to secure a place in all our devising, but Oh, as never before, there is now the greatest necessity that in humility we sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn lessons from the greatest teacher the world ever knew....
In messages that profess to be from Heaven, expressions will be made that are misleading, and, if the influence of these things are accepted, it will lead to exaggerated movements, plans, and devisings that will bring in the very things that Satan would have current--a strange spirit, an unclean spirit, under the garments of sanctification; a strong spirit to overbear everything. Fanaticism will come in, and will so mingle and interweave itself with the workings of the Spirit of God, that many will accept it all as from God, and will be deceived and misled thereby....
Let not one word be expressed to stir up the spirit of retaliation in opposers of the truth. Let nothing be done to arouse the dragon-like spirit, for it will reveal itself soon enough in all its dragon character against those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus....
The time will come when we shall be called to stand before kings and rulers, magistrates, and powers, in vindication of the truth. Then it will be a surprise to those witnesses to learn that their positions, their words, the very expressions made in a careless manner or thoughtless way when attacking error or advancing truth--expressions that they had not thought would be remembered,--will be reproduced, and they will be confronted with them, and their enemies will have the advantage, putting their own construction on these words that were spoken unadvisedly....
Many things intended to deceive will come bearing some marks of truth. Just as soon as these shall be set forth as the great power of God, Satan is all ready to weave in that which he has prepared to lead souls from the truth for this time.
Some will accept and promulgate the error, and when the reproof comes that will place matters in the true light, those who have had little experience, and who are ignorant of the oftrepeated workings of Satan, will cast away with the rubbish of error that which has been set before them as truth. Thus the light and warnings which God has given for this time will be made of no effect....
Every conceivable message is coming to counterfeit the work of God--and always bearing the inscription of truth upon its banner. And those who are prepared for anything new and sensational, will handle these in such a manner that our enemies will charge all that is inconsistent and overdone upon Mrs. E.G. White, the prophetess....
It is no light matter to substitute for God's revealed will, opinions and assertions, dreams, symbols and figures from human, finite beings....
There will be counterfeit messages coming from persons in all directions. One after another will
rise up, appearing to be inspired, when they have not the inspiration of heaven, but are under the
deception of the enemy. All who receive their messages will be led astray. Then let us walk
carefully, and not open wide the door for the enemy to enter through impressions, dreams, and
visions. God help us to look in faith to Jesus, and be guided by the words He has spoken.
Letter 38, April 14, 1894, (see also 1MCP 29; 2MCP 634)
It is not human beings that are creating such intensity of feeling as now exists in the religious world. A power from Satan's spiritual synagogue is infusing the religious elements of the world, arousing men to decided action to press the advantages Satan has gained by leading the religious world in determined warfare against those who make the Word of God their guide and the sole foundation of doctrine. Satan's masterly efforts are now put forth to gather in every principle and every power that he can employ to controvert the binding claims of the law of Jehovah, especially the fourth commandment, which defines who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth....
Here is the great issue. Here are the two great powers confronting each other--the Prince of God, Jesus Christ, and the prince of darkness, Satan. Here comes the open conflict. There are but two classes in the world, and every human being will range under one of the two banners, the banner of the prince of darkness, or the banner of Jesus Christ.
God will inspire His loyal and true children with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the representative
of God, and will be the mighty working agent in the world to bind the loyal and true into bundles
for the Lord's garner. Satan is also with intense activity gathering together in bundles his tares
from among the wheat....We are engaged in a warfare that will never cease until the final
decision is made for all eternity.
Letter 12, May 10, 1894, (see also 2SM 48-49)
Let none cherish the idea that special providences or miraculous manifestations are to be proof of the genuineness of their work or of the ideas they advocate. If we keep those things before the people, they will produce an evil effect, an unhealthy emotion. The genuine working of the Holy Spirit on human hearts is promised, to give efficiency through the Word. Christ has declared the Word to be spirit and life. "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" [Habakkuk 2:14].
Satan will work in a most subtle manner to introduce human inventions clothed with angel garments. But the light from the Word is shining amid the moral darkness, and the Bible will never be superseded by miraculous manifestations. The truth must be studied; it must be searched for as hidden treasure. Wonderful illuminations will not be given aside from the Word, which will make men wise unto salvation. This is the meaning of the words of Christ in regard to eating His flesh and drinking His blood. And He says, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" [John 17:3].
We shall encounter false claims; false prophets will arise; there will be false dreams and false visions; but preach the Word. Be not drawn away from the voice of God in His Word. Let nothing divert the mind. The wonderful, the marvelous, will be presented and represented. Through satanic delusions, wonderful miracles, the claims of human agents, will be urged. Beware of all this....
Christ has given warning, so that none need accept falsehood for truth. The only channel through which the Spirit operates is that of truth....Our faith and hope are founded, not in feeling, but in God....We must walk by faith, not be feeling, nor by sight. Stormy times are before us; severe tests will come, and, if we have not educated and trained ourselves to serve God through faith in Christ our righteousness, we shall begin to look to our imperfect lives, and lose all hope....
We shall be tried sorely, for Satan will come in every conceivable form to distress, annoy, and
delude every follower of Jesus. We must live by faith, not by feeling. We must advance step by
step into a more experimental knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He hath sent.
Manuscript 27, June 7, 1894, (see also 7ABC 396; PM 225)
Through Satan's deceptions a breach has been made in the law of God, but God has a loyal people, few in number, who will not trample upon the Sabbath....
Beware that you be not ensnared. Read the warnings that have been given by the world's redeemer to His disciples to be given again by them to the world. The word of God is solid rock, and we may plant our feet securely upon it. Every soul must needs be tested, every faith and doctrine must needs be tried by the law and the testimony. Take heed that no man deceive you. The warnings of Christ on this matter are needed at this time; for delusions and deceptions will come in among us, and will multiply as we near the end.
"Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember..." [Acts 20:30, 31]. Bear in mind that trials of this character are to come upon us, not only from without, but from within our own ranks. Our only safety is in entire consecration to God.
Letter 85, July 27, 1894,
We are in the very shadow of that time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation which is fast approaching. We are not safe now in indulging our own desires, in having our own way, in following the imagination of our own hearts. Those who have done this in times past have lessons to unlearn, and lessons to learn of Jesus our Pattern. The peril of believers is great. Unbelief in the soul will marshall her power while faith is striving to gain the mastery in the battle. Many battles will have to be fought in the heart of the believer.
Wonderful is the struggle and great are the issues, although the contending elements make but little outward noise. All Heaven is looking on intensely interested to see what will be the result of these conflicts. The believer is fighting against a strong army.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints..." [Ephesians 6:12-18].
These are the marching orders that are to be followed out by every loyal soldier of Jesus Christ.
If we obey orders, we shall then exercise faith and trust, knowing that there is One who is
watching every soul in his fierce struggle with the powers of darkness. Satan will set in
operation every satanic invention to hold the soul in his grasp, but help is laid upon One that is
mighty, One who will come to the help of every soul in peril and turn back the forces of
darkness, and make us more than conquerors over our enemies. Our part in the conflict is to
obey orders, and He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day
of the Lord Jesus.
Letter 44, August 3, 1894,
Already Satan is working with signs and lying wonders, and this will increase until the end. God
will use His enemies as instruments to punish those who have followed their own pernicious
ways whereby the truth of God has been misrepresented, misjudged, and dishonored.
Manuscript 39, October 9, 1894, (see also 7ABC 256)
The stern conflict between light and darkness, between error and truth, is deepening in intensity. The synagogue of Satan is intensely active, and the deceiving power of the enemy is
working in the most subtle way in this age. Every human mind that is not surrendered to God and is not under the control of the Spirit of God will be perverted through satanic agencies....
All the vast, complicated machinery of evil agencies is put into action in these last days. Through generation after generation, from age to age, Satan has gathered human agencies through whom to work his diabolical purposes, and to bring about the enforcement of his plans and devices in the earth. The great putrid fountain of evil has been continually flowing through human society. Though unable to expel God from His throne, Satan has charged God with Satanic attributes, and has claimed the attributes of God as his own. He is a deceiver, and through his serpentine sharpness, through his crooked practices, he has drawn to himself the homage that man should have given to God, and has planted his satanic throne between the human worshiper and the divine Father....
The conflict is not ended, and as we near the close of time, the battle waxes more and more intense. As the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ draws near, satanic agencies are moved from beneath. Satan will not only appear as a human being, but he will personate Jesus Christ, and the world that has rejected the truth will receive him as the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. He will exercise his power and work upon the human imagination. He will corrupt both the minds and bodies of men, and work through the children of disobedience, fascinating and charming as does a serpent. What a spectacle for heavenly intelligences to look upon! What a spectacle for God the Creator of the world to behold!
The form Satan assumed in Eden, when leading our first parents to transgress, was of a character to bewilder and confuse the mind. He will work in a subtle manner as we near the end of this earth's history. All his deceiving power will be brought to bear upon human subjects to complete the work of deluding the human family. So deceptive will be his working, that men will do as they did in the days of Christ, and when asked, "Whom will ye that I shall do unto Him whom ye call the king of the Jews?" the cry again will be, "Crucify Him."
Christ will be represented in the person of those who accept the truth, and who identify their interest with that of their Lord. The world will be enraged at them in the same way as they were enraged at Christ, and the disciples of Christ will know that they are to be treated no better than was their Lord. But Christ will surely identify His interest with that of those who accept Him as their personal Saviour. Every insult, every reproach, every false accusation made against them by those who have turned their ears away from the truth, and are turned unto fables, will be charged upon the guilty one as done to Christ in the person of His saints.
Those who love and keep the commandments of God are most obnoxious to the synagogue of Satan, and the powers of evil will manifest their hatred towards them to the fullest extent possible. John foresaw the conflict of the remnant church and the powers of evil, and said, "The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" [Revelation 12:17].
The forces of the powers of darkness will unite with human agents who have given themselves into the control of Satan, and the same scenes that were exhibited at the trial, rejection, and crucifixion of Christ will be revived. Through yielding to satanic influence men will be merged into fiends, and those who were created in the image of God, who were formed to honor and glorify their Creator, will become the habitation of dragons, and Satan will see in an apostate race his masterpiece of evil--men who reflect his own image....
Christ said, "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" [Luke 23:31]. "They shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them....Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My names's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" [Mark 13:9, 12-13]. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" [Matthew 24:14].
The agencies of Satan are having their last chance to develop before the world, before angels
and men the true principles of their attributes. The people of God are now to stand as
representatives of the attributes of the Father and the Son. "Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of
man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he
cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his
goods" [Matthew 24:42-47].
Manuscript 49, November 3, 1894, (see also 7ABC 388, 433; CG 565; OHC 62)
"Whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service" [John 16:2]. That is a terrible deception that comes on human minds. But here He has shown you the plan of the battle. He tells you what you are to meet: "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" [Ephesians 6:12].
This is what we have to meet. Then what does He say? "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand...in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" [Verses 11, 13]. You are to fight as in the presence of the universe of heaven. You are to fight the battles of the Lord. Then He tells you that the angels that excel in strength are the warriors there. He tells you that as Captain of the Lord's host, He is there. They are to do the warring.
You are to stand in the army of God, and they will gain for you the victory. They will give power to everyone that is fighting the battles of the Lord to the very gate. The power of God shall be upon every soldier who is true and who will bear hardness as a good soldier. But we cannot meet the evil angels and overcome them. It is the divine power; it is the partaking of the divine nature....
When we are caught up to meet Him [Christ] and enter through the pearly gates into the city of
God, He leads us by the living waters, and all the time He is educating and talking with us about
the things that He would have opened to our understanding upon the earth, if we could have
borne it.
Letter 7, 1895, (see also 7ABC 397, 420)
We are not to be bribed or to attain the world's favor by bowing to the laws of men and setting aside the law of God. We are not to be brought in bondage to the world. And yet, we are in the world, to live as long as God shall permit, and the Lord has given us a special work to do to save the world....
In this, the closing period of the earth's history, let not men be careless in words or acts; let them not indulge a masterful spirit and provoke the wrath of their enemies. Let not any soul who claims to believe the truth give others occasion to conclude that he is not a Christian because he talks and acts like a sinner.
There are many who have never had the light. They are deceived by their teachers, and they have not received the mark of the beast. The Lord is working with them. He has not left them to their own ways. Until they shall be convicted of the truth, and trample upon the evidence given to enlighten them, the Lord will not withdraw His grace from them....
Let none who have received the truth cherish the spirit of the Pharisees and make it appear
prominent that they want nothing from the power that be. God does not give any such burden.
We may make a very hard time for ourselves, and bring reproach upon the cause of God, if we
feel that we are to put on the armor and battle to arouse the combative spirit of our enemies, and
to provoke them to fight and destroy. Our influence is to be of such a character that we shall not
unnecessarily stir up angry feelings and arouse the enmity of those who do not believe as we do.
Manuscript 3, February 1, 1895, (see also 7ABC 372)
It is the privilege and duty of every man to take God at his word, to believe in Jesus as his
personal Saviour, and to respond eagerly, immediately to the gracious proposition which he
makes. He is to study to believe and obey the divine instruction in the scriptures. He is to base
his faith not on feeling, but upon the evidence and the word of God....Those who feel at liberty
to question the Word of God, to doubt everything where there is any chance to be unbelieving,
will find that it will require a tremendous struggle to have faith when trouble comes. It will be
almost impossible to overcome the influence that binds the mind that has been educated in the
line of unbelief, for by this course the soul is bound to Satan's snare, and becomes powerless to
break the dreadful net that has been woven closer and closer about the soul.
Manuscript 59, February 9, 1895, (see also MAR 284)
I thought of the day when the judgment of God would be poured out upon the world, when blackness and horrible darkness would clothe the heavens as sackcloth of hair....My imagination anticipated what it must be in that period when the Lord's mighty voice shall give commission to his angels, "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth" [Revelation 16:1].
"Thy right hand, O' God, shall dash in pieces thine enemies" [Exodus 15:6]. Revelation 6 and 7 are full of meaning. Terrible are the judgments of God revealed. The seven angels stood before God to receive their commission. To them were given seven trumpets the Lord was going forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth was to disclose her blood and no more cover her slain....
But there are mercies mixed with judgment....The Lord has a people whom He will preserve. John beheld the "four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree" [Revelation 7:1] till the seal of the Living God shall be placed upon those who love God and keep His commandments. The elements of nature are to be placed in the power of angels of God, "He holdeth the winds in his fists; He gathereth the waters in the hollow of his hand, He maketh the clouds his chariots" [Psalms 29:10; Proverbs 30:4; Isaiah 40:12; Psalms 104:3].
The Lord is ruler of nations. The sequence of nature is under God's jurisdiction....John's attention was called to another scene: "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God" [Revelation 7:2]. Who is this?--the Angel of the covenant. He comes from the sunrising. He is the Dayspring from on high. He is the Light of the World....He cried as one who had superiority over the hosts of angels in heaven, "to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" [verses 2, 3].
Here is the divine and the human united. The command is given to the four angels to hold in check the four winds until they receive His summons....Judgment and wrath were to be repressed only for a little space until a certain work was done. The message, the last message of warning and mercy, has been retarded in doing its work by the selfish love of many, the selfish love of ease, and the unfitness of man to do a work that needs to be done. The angel that is to lighten the earth with his glory has waited for human instrumentalities through whom the light of heaven could shine, and they thus cooperate to give in its sacred, solemn importance the message which is to decide the destiny of the world.
But the churches are not awake. New life must enter into the churches. The last work of warning and mercy for a fallen world is being done. None are to be deceived, thinking to lay their individual work on somebody else. When this probationary time shall close, there is no opportunity for those who have received the warning message, the proclamation of pardon and salvation, and have refused--have turned from light and truth, and accepted fables--to be justified. There is no second bidding to the marriage feast, no intermediate state when another call will be made to come to the heavenly feast....
The work is before us individually. Our moral identity cannot be submerged in any human being. We shall be called of God to do our work according to our several ability....Everyone who will hear the message and believe the truth will no longer be confined, bound to creeds, but will take the bible as his guide, as the very creed of life, as the water of Salvation. The very intensity of the light shining from heaven makes men messengers of truth and salvation. They cannot hold their peace. They have accepted the truth and emerged into the light, the light shining in these last days.
The message of warning is to be given with a deep sense of individual responsibility.... What is
the condition of those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus? If in
families there are those who are refusing obedience to the Lord in keeping His Sabbath, then the
seal cannot be placed upon them. The seal is a pledge from God of perfect security to His
chosen ones. [See Exodus 31:13-17]. Sealing indicates you are God's chosen. He has
appropriated you to Himself. As the sealed of God, we are Christ's purchased possession and no
one shall pluck us out of His hands. The seal given in the forehead is: God, New Jerusalem--"I
will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God" [Revelation
3:12].
Letter 24, May 19, 1895,
You cannot keep yourself one moment. You are kept by the power of God through faith. Let your faith rest in His merits, rely upon His mercy, trust in the sufficiency of His grace to keep you every moment. Never allow the enemy to obtain an advantage over you because you do not think you are good enough to be called a child of God. By faith you are constantly to repose in the righteousness that God has provided you through His Substitute, Jesus Christ the Righteous. He forgiveth sins, and pardoneth iniquities and transgressions. He takes away our sin and in its place imputes His own righteousness. What a blessing this is for us! It is only as you take God at His Word, accept Jesus as your Redeemer, that you preserve the honor of God, that you show that you "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" [1 Peter 1:5].
Why this revelation of the power of faith in the last time? Why is it to be revealed in the very close of this world's history? Because iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold through the deceptive workings of satanic agencies, who especially oppose the commandment-keeping people of God at this time, and bring trial and sorrow upon them. In these closing days of probation, days of great trial of faith, you cannot keep yourself. You are kept alone by the power of God, which is revealed in a special manner to offset the working of Satan through the children of disobedience. He would grieve and hurt the soul of everyone who would be loyal and true, who would keep the way of the Lord and do His commandments. Manifold temptations will come to all who believe in Jesus. Satan will seek to discourage those who manifest their love for God by keeping His commandments.
The warfare against God's law commenced in heaven. Satan was determined to bring God to his ideas, his way, to force Him to change the law of His government. This was the cause of the war in heaven. Satan worked upon the sympathies of the angelic host by his deceptive attitude, but he was expelled from heaven, and now he is determined to carry out on this earth the plans he instituted in heaven. If he can persuade man to be disloyal to the laws of God, he will feel that he is revenged upon God. He strives to instill into the minds of men his masterly deception, thus perverting judgment and justice, and trampling down the law of God. This work--the conflict between truth and error--lies at the foundation of the trials and tribulations that the children of God will experience. This is the "trial of their faith" [1 Peter 1:7].
By pressing upon the soul the idea that God is displeased with us, Satan tries to torture us into unbelief. But we are to "rejoice in the Lord always" [Philippians 4:4].
[1 Peter 1:6-9 quoted]. The Lord Jesus is our only hope....Although God is so high and holy, and
though His glory and majesty fills the heavens, yet He looks with pitying tenderness upon all that
tremble at His word. These are the contrite ones. They may feel that they can scarcely hope in
His mercy, yet they are the special objects of His care and love. [Isaiah 57:10 quoted]. When
you have plain "thus saith the Lord" for your course of action, He will sustain you.
Manuscript 12, May 19, 1895, (see also AH 32; CG 172; 1MCP 154; 2MCP 426)
Do we realize that not a trial shall come upon a saint...but it is in the providence of God who wants to work out for us individually an experience that is of the highest value for us to stand in this time. It is of the highest consequence to us that we are prepared for the manifold temptations that shall come upon us....
Do you think that Satan will not oppose our way? Do you think he will not meet us with his hellish army? Why, he will work with all the forces that are beneath. Shall we stop because we see the whole world has chosen to be under his banner?--No. We have decided that the Captain of our salvation, who took down the walls of Jericho without the touch of a human hand, can be with His people. He will arm them with sufficiency, He will arm them with power. He will give them grace, that they can walk through the fiery trials that the enemy has prepared wherewith to tempt every soul upon the face of the earth....
We see a retinue of angels on either side of the gate, and as we pass in, Jesus speaks, "Come, ye
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"
[Matthew 25:34]. Here He tells you to be a partaker of His joy; and what is that? It is the joy of
seeing that your efforts, mothers, are rewarded. Here are your children. The crown of life is
upon their heads, and the angels of God immortalize the name of the mother whose efforts have
won their children to Jesus Christ.
Letter 35, November 21, 1895, (see also Ev 65, 75)
How carefully we should be in giving advice, lest our counsel should result in great evil and suffering. It is much better for the families to go out into other cities or some other country, but never encourage a spirit of defiance and resistance, even if they are placed in the chain gang. The bigotry that exists, the prejudice against truth to sustain religious error is firm, for the human agent is stirred with hellish power from beneath....
Our work is to study to weed out of all our discourses everything that savors of retaliation and
defiance...because this is not Christ's way and method. He did not pronounce scathing rebukes
against those who knew not the truth, but against those whom God had made depositaries of
sacred responsibilities, people chosen and favored with every temporal and spiritual advantage,
and yet bearing no fruit.
Letter 56, January 19, 1896,
Truth and error are both in the field, striving for the master. The champions of truth will have a fierce conflict. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The warning comes and the directions are repeated. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all to stand" [Ephesians 6:12, 13]. All that the Lord has told you it devolves on you to do. No one needs to be deceived if they will take the word of God their study. How little is the book of Revelation studied. It is a hidden mystery to the religious world; and why? Because the events not pleasant for their consideration, are so faithfully traced by the prophetic pen; and people who are in any way troubled about the matter are soothed with the statement from their shepherds that the Revelation cannot be understood. But it especially concerns us who are living in these last days. "Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are written therein; for the time is at hand" [Revelation 1:3]. Read the last chapter of Revelation carefully and prayerfully. What significance there is in the statements of this chapter. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last....Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city....I Jesus have sent mine angels to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the off spring of David, and the bright and morning star" [Revelation 22:13-14, 16]....
We are not to drift into world channels. Consider the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Christ's ministry. He found the Jews intent on gain. They had made the court of the temple a scene of sacrilegious traffic; and had turned the ancient and sacred institution of the Passover into a means of vile profit. They bartered freely, turning the service instituted by Christ himself into the worship of mammon. But Christ came suddenly into the temple court, divinity flashed through humanity, and raising a whip of small cords in his hand with a voice that they will hear again in the execution of the judgment he said, "Take these things hence. It is written, My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. The priests and rulers saw as it were an avenging angel, such as guards the way to the tree of life.
Today this sacrilegious work is being more than repeated. There will be messages borne, and those who have rejected the messages God has sent, will hear most startling declarations. The Holy Spirit will invest the announcement with a sanctity and solemnity which will appear terrible in the ears of those who would not hear the pleading of Infinite Love, and who have not responded to the offers of pardon and forgiveness. Injured and insulted Deity will speak, proclaiming the sins that have been hidden. As the priests and rulers, full of indignation and terror, sought refuge in flight at the cleansing of the temple, so will it be in the work for these last days. The woes that will be pronounced upon those who had light from heaven, and did not heed it, they will feel, but they will have no power to act. This is represented in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. They cannot obtain a character from the wise virgins, and they have no oil of grace to discern the clear light, or to accept it, that thy may join the procession going into the marriage supper of the Lamb....
Study Revelation in connection with Daniel; for history will be repeated.
Letter 102a, March 9, 1896, (see also PM 218, UL 82)
The Lord has not concealed from His followers the plan of the battle. He has presented before His people the great conflict, and He has given them words of encouragement. He charges them not to enter into the battle without counting the cost, while He assures them that they do not fight alone, but that supernatural agencies will enable the weak, if they trust in Him, to become strong against the vast confederacy of evil arrayed against them. He points them to the universe of heaven, and assures them that holy beings are wrestling against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The children of God are cooperating with all the invisible hosts of light. And more than angels
are in their ranks. The Holy Spirit, the representative of the Captain of the Lord's host, comers
down to direct the battle. Our infirmities may be many, our mistakes and sins numerous, but forgiveness is for all who, with contrition of heart, will confess and forsake their sins. Angels of
light are sent to render them all the help that is required.
Letter 83, May 22, 1896, (see also PM 389-90)
The Lord has a time appointed when He will bind off the work; but when is that time? When the
truth to be proclaimed for these last days shall go forth as a witness to all nations, then shall the
end come. If the power of Satan can come into the very temple of God, and manipulate things as
he pleases, the time of preparation will be prolonged.
Letter 28, July 29, 1897, (see also 3SM 84)
There will be false and fanatical movements made by persons in the church who claim to be led of God,--those who run before they are sent--who will give day and date for the occurrence of unfulfilled prophecy. The enemy is pleased to have them do this, for their successive failures and leading into false lines [will] cause confusion and unbelief....
We are nearing the great day of God. The signs are fulfilling, and yet, we have no message to tell us of the day and hour of Christ's appearing. The Lord has wisely concealed this from us, that we may always be in a state of expectancy and preparation for the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven.
We are to search the prophecies that point to the roll of fast fulfilling events...which Christ has plainly told us will take place prior to the end of this earth's history. We are to watch and pray, wait patiently and work faithfully to save the perishing....
The day and hour of Christ's coming is pronounced, by lips that speak the truth and the truth
only, to be beyond the ken of man. Even the angels, the heavenly intelligences, are not informed
of this. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father
only" (Matthew 24:36).
Letter 90, August 18, 1897, (see also 1MCP 321; 2SM 359)
In the interpretation of the king's dream [see Daniel 2:32-45], Daniel had told him, "Thou art this
head of gold." The Dream was given the king to show him that earthly kingdoms were not
enduring, but would pass away and be followed by the kingdom of the Prince of Heaven, which
should fill the whole earth.
Letter 108, November 25, 1898, (see also 7ABC 353; CG 107-08)
Satan is constantly at work to make as forbidding as possible the establishment of God in our world. There will be difficulties to obstruct to work of God, for Satan through his masterly power will use unconsecrated hearts to present the characters of the professed people of God to the world as a stumbling block. The precious truths which they hold are not practiced in their lives. While there are those who will advance, there are others who think so much of their individual selves, that they cannot see that which needs to be done at the right time. There is no harmony of spirit of action. They magnify the difficulties. But as those who seek to carry out God's plans advance, the great mountain becomes a plain....
All the powers of darkness, represented by the great mountain, will melt away as God's people move forward with the mind of Christ....The truth of the third angel's message is bound to triumph, and those who purify their souls from all defilement will triumph with it. When the human agent will give up his own important ideas in regard to himself, when he will bear in mind that he is working in sight of the universe of heaven, then his piety will be sweet and fragrant. It will not be that kind which tastes so strong of the dish--one's own human feelings and attributes....
Here is the explanation of the olive trees: They take of the Holy Spirit of God and empty the holy
oil out of themselves into the clean, pure, sanctified souls that are prepared to receive it. This is
the kind of oil that the wise virgins had,--oil that one could not communicate to another. Each
individual must prepare his soul for himself through humbleness of mind, by wearing Christ's
yoke, and learn of Him.
Letter 77, May 1, 1899, (see also 7ABC 251, 413; MM 11-12)
Great deception will come to the mind of men. They will acquiesce in the theory of the truth, but they do not apply the truth to the life. Therefore they do not become one with Christ....Our day is signalized by an intensity of action on the part of the powers of darkness, for the enemy sees that he has but a short time to work....The Lord would have us wide awake and gathering with Christ, preparing His truth to go from nation to nation, until it belts the world. The intensity of Satan is setting in operation every evil work to counteract the efforts of the heavenly universe. God's people are to cooperate with Him and no longer retard the final completion of His eternal plan....
Each individual soul is on trial for his life. Has he given to God that which belongs to Him?
Has he surrendered to God all that is His as his purchased possession? All who cherish Lord as
their portion in this life will be under His control, and will receive the sign, the mark of God,
which shows them to be God's special possession. Christ's righteousness will go before them,
and the glory of the Lord will be their reward. The Lord protects every human being who bears
His sign. [Exodus 31:12-17 quoted].
Manuscript 122, August, 1899, (see also 1MCP 51; 7T 161-68)
The world is soon to be left by the angel of mercy and the seven last plagues are to be poured
out....The storm is gathering. The bolts of God's wrath are soon to fall, and, when He shall begin
to punish the transgressors, there will be no period of respite until the end. He shall come forth
to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and "the earth...shall disclose her blood,
and shall no more cover her slain" [Isaiah 26:21]. Only those stand who are sanctified through
the truth in the love of God. They will be hid with Christ in God until the desolation shall be
overpast.
Manuscript 154, November 18, 1899,
The time is at hand when a fearful confederacy will be formed, a brotherhood inaugurated by
Satan. Unholy human agencies will combine with demon forces, and the whole will be imbued
with satanic impulses. Satan has come down with great power, and he is working with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. He is now marshaling the hosts who will
be ready to voice his words: "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
[Revelation 13:4].
Letter 207, December 15, 1899, (see also 7ABC 331, 364, 425-26)
Man-made theories and suppositions are not to be allowed to enter the work....We must let the great principles of the third angel's message stand out clear and distinct. The great pillars of our faith will hold all the weight that can be placed upon them....
All must be careful what they present to the people is truth. Do not present your own imaginations as Bible truth....The enemy tries to warp and twist human minds. To the one who will listen to him he presents ideas that are odd and peculiar, which create a sensation....These he leads him to present to others with a test which he has imagined....Those who present the idea that the blind, the deaf, the lame, the deformed, will not receive the seal of God, are not speaking words given them by the Holy Spirit....The Lord has afflicted ones, dearly beloved in His sight, who bear the suffering of bodily infirmities. To them special care and grace is promised. Their trials will not be greater than they can endure.
Paul had a bodily affliction; his eyesight was bad. He thought that by earnest prayer the difficulty might be removed. But the Lord had His own purpose, and He said to Paul, "Speak to me on more of this matter. My grace is sufficient. I will enable you to bear the infirmity."...
There are living upon our earth men who have passed the age of four score and ten. The natural results of old age are seen in their feebleness. But they believe God, and God loves them. The seal of God is upon them, and they will be among the number of whom the Lord has said, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord" [Revelation 14:12]. With Paul they can say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not me only, but unto all them also which love His appearing" [2 Timothy 4:7-8]. There are many whose gray hairs God honors, because they have fought a good fight and kept the faith.
There is no need of entering into controversy with the poor souls who think they are doing God's service when they are believing the Devil's fables....I have been shown that there are those to whom the words apply, [Hebrews 5:12-14 quoted].
If ever anyone needed such instruction as this, it is those who, while claiming to labor in the ministry, are preaching the production of perverted imagination. Today, as in Christ's day, odd, strange ideas are springing up....
There are those who need in their hearts the touch of the divine Spirit. Then the message for this time will be their burden. They will not search for human tests, for something new and strange. The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the test for this time....
Satan is well pleased when he can thus confuse the mind. Let not ministers preach their own suppositions. Let them search the scriptures earnestly, with a solemn realization that if they teach for doctrines the things that are not contained in God's word, they will be as those represented in the last chapter of Revelation...
It is the white robe of Christ's righteousness that gives the sinner admittance into the presence of the heavenly angels. His perfect obedience to all God's commandments, open for him the gates of the Holy City....In the great day of God, all who are faithful and true will receive the healing touch of the divine Restorer. The Life-giver will remove every deformity and will give them eternal life.
In God's Word, the question is not, "What is the color of the hair or the form of the body," but,
"Has the heart been purified, made white, and tried?"
Letter 3, January 1, 1900,
The world will not do the work that God has committed to His people. He requires us to be wide awake in preparing the way for Christ's second coming. This work is included in the commission Christ gave to his disciples. He bids us, "Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the House of Jacob their sins" [Isaiah 58:1]....
The time is soon coming when the work of God's judgments will begin at His sanctuary. God
Himself is now drawing the separating line. He says, "As for Me also, Mine eye shall not spare,
neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head" [Ezekiel 9:10].
Manuscript 18a, 1901, (see also CM 89)
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Bring into the work an earnest desire to learn how to bear responsibilities. With strong arms and brave hearts go forth into the conflict all must enter, a conflict that will grow more and more severe as we approach the closing struggle....
The Lord has instructed me that the time will come, when men, women, and youth will be imbued with the spirit of the last message of mercy to be given to our world....Remember that the nearer we approach Christ's coming, the more earnestly and firmly we are to work, for the whole synagogue of Satan is opposed to us....
When the religious denominations unite with the papacy to oppress, places where there is
religious freedom will be opened by evangelistic canvassing. If in one place the oppression
becomes severe, do as Christ has told you to do: When they persecute you in one place, go to
another place, and if persecution comes there go to still another. God will lead His people,
making them a blessing in many places. Were it not for persecution, God's people would not be
scattered abroad to proclaim the truth. Christ declares, "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of
Israel, till the Son of Man be come" [Matthew 10:23].
Letter 177, May 7, 1901, (see also 7ABC 430; CDF 364; TDG 136)
It is now too late to cling to worldly treasures. Soon houses and lands will be of no benefit to
anyone, for the curse of God will rest more and more heavily upon the earth. The call comes,
"Sell that ye have, and give alms" [Luke 12:33]. This message should be faithfully borne--urged
home to the hearts of the people, that God's own property may be passed on in offerings to
advance His work in the world.
Manuscript 169A, July 14, 1902,
We are not to think that we are to secure all the help from them (the world) that we can by conforming somewhat to their standard, and yet remain Seventh-day Adventists. Between God and mammon there can be no union.
Unless we stand on the elevated platform of eternal truth, we shall be swept away by the tide of delusive error that is sweeping over the world. Satan is coming down with great power to work miracles, and unless we are abiding in Christ, we shall be deceived. God's people are not the only ones who will have miracle-working power in the last days. Satan and his agencies will work "with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish."
It is not miracle-working power by which our faith is substantiated. We must rely upon the
power of God. We must stand upon His platform of eternal truth. His word, the Bible, is the
foundation of our faith. Unless we plant our feet upon this foundation, unless we substantiate
our faith "By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," we shall be deceived by
Satan when he comes in glory, claiming to be Christ.
Manuscript 71, June 18, 1903, (see also 7ABC 152; Ev 109, 687; MLT 47; MM 293; 3SM 303)
The wicked are being bound up in bundles, bound up in trusts, in unions, in confederacies. Let us have nothing to do with these organizations. God is our Ruler, our Governor, and He calls us to come out from the world and be separate. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing" [2 Corinthians 6:17]. If we refuse to do this, if we continue to link up with the world, and to look at every matter from a worldly standpoint, we shall become like the world. When worldly policy and worldly ideas govern our transactions, we cannot stand on the high and holy platform of eternal truth.
God promises that if we will separate ourselves from the world, He will receive us, and will be
Father unto us, and we shall be His sons and daughters. Shall we not separate ourselves from the
world, and claim this sacred relationship now, that when our Father comes He may acknowledge
us as His children?
Manuscript 38, March 27, 1905, (see also 7ABC 120-21, 124-25; Ev 193; UL 100)
The followers of Christ are to combine in a strong effort to call the attention of the world to the fast-fulfilling prophecies of the Word of God. Infidelity is gaining a strong hold in the churches. Shall those to whom great light has been given now be cold and faithless? A power from beneath is leading men to war against the truth. Church members have confederated with satanic agencies to make void the law of God.
At this time--a time of overwhelming iniquity--a new life, coming from the Source of all life, is to take possession of those who have the love of God in their hearts, and they are to go forth to proclaim with power the message of a crucified and risen Saviour.
The inhabitants of the world are fast becoming as the inhabitants of the world in Noah's day who were swept away by the flood, and as the inhabitants of Sodom who were consumed by fire from heaven. The powers of Satan are at work to keep minds diverted from eternal realities. The enemy has arranged matters to suit his purposes. Horse racing, gambling, games of every kind, the fashions of the day--these things occupy the minds of men and women. In the broad road that leads to eternal ruin, there walks a long procession. The world, filled with violence, reveling, and drunkenness, is converting the church. The law of God, the divine standard of righteousness, is declared to be of no consequence....
Satan has come down with great power, knowing that his time is short. The controversy is being
waged in full view of the heavenly universe; and angels stand ready to lift up for God's hard-pressed soldiers a standard against the enemy, and to put into their lips songs of victory and
rejoicing.
Letter 191, 1905, (see also 1MCP 41)
The end of all things is at hand. The signs foretold by Christ are fast fulfilling. The nations are
angry, and time of the dead has come, that they should be judged. There are stormy times before
us, but let us not utter one word of unbelief or discouragement. Let us remember that we bear a
message of healing to a world filled with sin-sick souls.
Letter 311, October 30, 1905, (see also Ev 122, 180; TDG 312; UL 317)
I have light from the Lord that at this time we must act with great caution; for the enemy is watching our every movement. At times I have been ready to take steps that would be called aggressive....The Lord has wrought in behalf of His people. But Satan is not dead or palsied, and he prepares minds by degrees to become imbued with his spirit, and to work after the same manner as he works against those who bear responsibilities in the work of God for these last days. In the future Satan's last exploits will be carried out with more power than ever before. He has learned much, and he is full of scientific scheming to make of no effect the work that is under the supervision of the One who came to the Isle of Patmos to educate John, and to give instruction to be given to the churches.
The miracles that Christ wrought gave to the world evidence of the divinity of His mission. This powerful evidence the Jews would not receive, because Christ's teaching did not harmonize with their preconceived ideas, or exalt the human agencies who continually exalted themselves.
The Lord has been giving me instruction that we are meeting the same unbelief today, and that we shall continue to meet it as we bear the last message of mercy to the world. Every ingenious device will be used, every possible method taken advantage of, to lead men to live a lie, that the truth shall not stand as God designed it to stand, to prepare a people through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, to stand firm as a rock to principle.
All who believe and practice the work of God will answer the prayer of Christ as given in the seventeenth chapter of John. Read this chapter from the first verse to the last. In it you have the plan of redemption. God's angels are preserving the world from destruction because there are some who have never yet heard the message of truth.
The course of false science led the Jews to strong unbelief....Christ came to this world, and received at the hands of the unbelieving Jews that which prophecy declared he would receive. The Jews who were fulfilling the prophecies in the Old Testament Scriptures, did not realize what they were doing. They professed to believe these prophecies, and they did not know that they were working out the plan foretold....
"Wherefore the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouths, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts afar from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work, and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potters clay; for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not, or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?" [Isaiah 29:13-16].
Every word of this will be fulfilled. There are those who do not humble their hearts before God, and who will not walk uprightly. They hide their true purposes, and keep in fellowship with the fallen angel, who loveth and maketh a lie. The enemy puts spirit upon the men whom he can use to deceive those who are partially in the dark. Some are becoming imbued with the darkness that prevails, and are setting the truth aside for error. The day pointed out by prophecy is come. Jesus Christ is not understood. Jesus Christ is to them a fable. At this stage of the earth's history, many act like drunken men. "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry; they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes. The prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered" [Isaiah 29:9, 10]. A spiritual drunkenness is upon many who suppose they are the people who shall be exalted. Their religious faith is just as is represented in this Scripture. Under its influence, they cannot walk straight. They make crooked paths in their course of action. One and then another, they reel to and fro. They are looked upon by the Lord with great pity. The way of truth they have not known. They are scientific schemers, and those who could and should have helped, because of a clear spiritual eyesight, are themselves deceived, and are sustaining an evil work.
The developments of these last days will soon become decided. When these spiritualistic deceptions are revealed to be what they really are,--the secret workings of evil spirits,--those who have acted a part in them will become as men who have lost their minds....
It is presented to me that in our experience we have been and are meeting this very condition of things. Men who have had great light and wonderful privileges have taken the word of leaders who think themselves wise, who have been greatly favored and blessed by the Lord, but who have taken themselves out of the hands of God and placed themselves in the ranks of the enemy. The world is to be flooded with specious fallacies. One human mind, accepting these fallacies, will work upon other human minds, who have been turning the precious evidence of God's truth into a lie. These men will be deceived by fallen angels, when they should have stood as faithful guardians, watching for souls, as they that must give an account. They have laid down the weapons of their warfare, and have given heed to seducing spirits. They make of no effect the counsel of God and set aside his warnings and reproofs, and are positively on Satan's side, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
Spiritual drunkenness is now upon men who ought not to be staggering as men under the influence of strong drink. Crimes and irregularities, fraud, deceit, and unfair dealing fill the world, in accordance with the teaching of the leader who rebelled in the heavenly courts.
History is to be repeated. I could specify what will be in the near future, but the time is not yet. The forms of the dead will appear, through the cunning device of Satan, and many will link up with the one who loveth and maketh a lie. I warn our people that right among us some will turn away from the faith, and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and by them the truth will be evil spoken of.
A marvelous work shall take place. Ministers, lawyers, doctors, who have permitted these falsehoods to overmaster their spirit of discernment will be themselves deceivers, united with the deceived. A spiritual drunkenness will take possession of them. To the unfaithful stewards the Lord says, Take you pleasure and walk in blindness as drunken men; for after having many opportunities, and refusing to improve them, you will act at last as the drunkard acts, throwing away your hope of eternal life. Seeking deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and making lies their refuge, they will misinterpret the warnings and messages God has sent, placing on these warnings their false statements, to make God's word of no effect. Reports and suggestions are gathered up and kept in the memory, to be used when it is thought they can be used with the best effect. This has been going on for some time. Those who do this work seek deep to hide their counsel from those whom they would injure. But the Lord is acquainted with every movement, every performance. All the secret workings of men are open to the One who knows the heart.
Some who have been deceived by men in responsible places will repent, and be converted. And in all our dealings with them, we must remember that none of those who are in the depth of Satan's snares know that they are there.
[Isaiah 29:17-24 quoted].
[Isaiah 35:1, 2 quoted].
I was instructed to speak to you these words of cheer which were spoken to me. I am to call for every soul to be glad, as my heart has been made glad, and to speak this gladness in the congregation of the saints, and to tell of the goodness and power of God in every place where they shall carry the precious gospel of Jesus Christ to those who know not the truth for this time.
Now, just now, we are to proclaim present truth, with assurance and with power. Do not strike one dolorous note; do not sing funeral hymns. The message to be proclaimed for this time is, "Strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. Say unto them that are of a fearful heart. Be strong, fear not. Behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
[Isaiah 35:3-10 quoted].
O what a promise is this for those who will separate themselves from all cunning and scientific scheming, and will follow on to know the Lord identifying themselves with those who have received the truth and are sanctified through the truth. Every promise is for those who will learn the only true science, which is found in the prayer of Jesus Christ....
The prayer of Christ lays open before the intelligent, understanding mind that not one taint of the science of Satan's practice can enter the holy city.
Satan worked in every possible way to come out victorious in standing in the highest place in the heavenly courts. How artful were his contrivances to win the game! He employed every artful intrigue and device to carry his science against God and His son Jesus Christ.
As I am shown special things of Satan's science, and how he deceived the holy angels, I am afraid of the men who have entered into the study of the science that Satan carried into the warfare in heaven....How my heart has been agonized as I have seen souls accepting the inducements held out to them to unite with those who were warring against God. When they once accept the bait it seems impossible to break the spell that Satan casts over them, because the enemy works out the science of deception as he worked it out in the heavenly courts. He has worked so diligently with men in our day that he has won the game again and again.
What, I ask, can be the end? Again and again have I asked this, and I have always received the
same instruction, Never leave a soul unwarned. Those who are bound in Satan's coils are the
most confident and the most boastful. They will protest at the thought that they are ensnared, yet
it is the truth.
Manuscript 145, October 31, 1905,
Satan is using his science in playing the game of life for human souls. His angels are mingling
with men, and instructing them in the mysteries of evil. These fallen angels will draw away
disciples after them, will talk with men, and will set forth principles that are as false as can be,
leading souls into paths of deception. These angels are to be found all over the world, presenting
the wonderful things that will soon appear in a more decided light.
Letter 50, January 30, 1906, (see also GW 302-03; 3SM 83-86)
One error after another pressed in upon us, ministers and doctors brought in new doctrines. We would search the scriptures with much prayer, and the Holy Spirit would bring the truth to our minds....The power of God would come upon me, and I was enabled clearly to define what is truth and what is error....
I would be taken off in vision, and explanations would be given me. I was given illustrations of
heavenly things, and of the sanctuary, so that we were placed where light was shining on us in
clear, distinct rays.
All these truths are immortalized in my writings. The Lord never denies His word. Men may get up scheme after scheme, and the enemy will seek to seduce souls from the truth, but all who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message, will be safe from the many delusions that will come in the last days.
I know that the sanctuary question stands in righteousness and truth just as we have held it for so many years. It is the enemy that leads minds off on sidetracks. He is pleased when those who know the truth become engrossed in collecting scriptures to pile up around erroneous theories, which have no foundation in truth. The scriptures thus used are misapplied. They were not given to substantiate error, but to strengthen truth.
I am thankful that the instruction contained in my books establishes present truth for this time.
These books were written under the demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
Manuscript 43, March 14, 1908, (see also 7ABC 161-64; CDF 309; OHC 15)
Evil angels are striving to obscure the clear vision of commandment-keepers, and so darken the understanding that they will not be able to discern between righteousness and unrighteousness....In some way or other the enemy will seek to deceive all, even the very elect....
When we are guided by the Lord, we shall have clear discernment. We shall not call righteousness unrighteousness, nor think that things that the Lord has forbidden are right. We shall understand where the Lord is working.
Many have not understood this. There are some who I know have been led astray by the enemy. But God wants to make you a partaker of the Divine nature. He wants no yoke of human authority on your neck, but that you shall look to him who is able to save to the uttermost every one that comes to him in righteousness and truth. We have no time to tamper with the enemy, for we are very weak near the close of this earth's history....
Soon laws will be passed compelling all to observe the first day of the week instead of the seventh. We must meet this difficulty, and we shall find trouble enough, without stirring up contention among those who profess to be keeping God's commandments....
The agencies of Satan will work with every mind that will allow itself to be worked by him.
But there are also heavenly agencies waiting to communicate the bright rays of the glory of God
to all who are willing to receive Him.
Letter 42, February 21, 1909, (see also 7ABC 152-53, 158)
Dear Brother and Sister Haskell,--
I have read your letters, and I wish to speak to you words that I have pondered over the past night as I read the fifty-sixth chapter of Isaiah.
"Thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgment, and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold upon it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hands from doing any evil" [Verses 1, 2]. The truth that is found in the word of the Lord God is to be our constant assurance.
"Cast ye up," the Lord declares through His prophet, "cast ye up, prepare the way; take up the stumbling-block out of the way of My people" [Isaiah 57:14]. Is not this the very work that the Lord has given us to do in connection with those who see and feel the importance of the work that must be done in the earth that the truth may triumph gloriously? Every man who undertakes to hedge up the way of the servants of God, binding them about by human restrictions, so that they cannot follow the leading of the Spirit of God, is hindering the advance of the work of God.
The Lord sends the message, "Take up the stumbling-block out of the way of My people." Earnest effort is to be put forth to counterwork the influences that have kept back the message for this time. A solemn work is to be done in a short space of time. "Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" [Verse 15].
A very strange work has for years been struggling for recognition. Here and there men have exalted themselves and revealed a strong desire for human power. And the Lord has declared that as His messenger I must bear my message and rebuke any work of placing of man-made yokes upon the necks of the disciples of Christ.
"I will not contend forever," God declares, "neither will I be always wrath: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote; I hid me, and was wrath, and he went on forwardly in the way of his own heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comfort to him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" [Verse 16-21].
In the chapters that follow, the 58th to the 62nd of Isaiah, there is present truth for the people. Study these chapters carefully.
In the seasons of the night I am declaring in earnest terms to our people the word of the Lord. I am pleading with the churches, telling them that the Lord requires us to heed every warning and reproof given by His prophets in the Old Testament and in the new. Both are written for our instruction. To every warning we should give careful heed.
Eternal life is the highest value; it's worth cannot be weighed or measured. A life is offered to us that, once obtained, will measure with the life of God. O why are we as a people so dull of comprehension, why so inattentive? Why do we misapply the great treasures that God desires us to appreciate and grasp as our own! It is impossible to find language with which to describe the favor that is offered us in the Word for our acceptance.
In the night season I seemed to be speaking to different congregations, making the application of the truth, and not without effect. I repeated these words to the Oakland church: The church is yet militant in a world that is apparently in midnight darkness, and growing worse and worse. Then I heard testimonies offered by different voices, and the question was asked, How long, O Lord, how long shall a stupor remain upon the church? Then I said, While the requirements of a plain Thus saith the Lord remain unheeded by the worldly element within the church, the voices of God's faithful people are to be strengthened to give the solemn messages of warning. The works that should characterize the church militant and the works of the church that has had the light of truth for this time do not correspond. The Lord calls upon church members to clothe themselves with the beautiful garments of Christ's righteousness. Praise and prayer and thanksgiving should now be heard coming daily from converted hearts and lips.
We have a work before us in preparing for the constantly changing scenes of the world's population. Our church members need to pray more and more. There needs to be a living testimony borne from converted hearts. God is our sufficiency. The church needs to awake to an understanding of the subtle power of the Satanic agencies that must be met. If they will keep on the whole armor, they will be able to conquer all the foes they meet, some of which are not now developed.
Confederacies will increase in number and power as we draw nearer to the end of time. These confederacies will create opposing influences to the truth, forming new parties of professed believers who will act out their own delusive theories. Then apostasy will increase, "Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils" [1 Timothy 4:1]. Those who have started this warfare at their own charges will come more and more to practice the works of Satan.
Satanic agencies in human form will take part in this last great conflict to oppose the building up of the kingdom of God. And heavenly angels in human guise will be on the field of action. Men and women have confederated to oppose the Lord God of heaven, and the church is only half awake to the situation. There needs to be much more of prayer, much more of earnest effort among professed believers.
The two opposing parties will continue to exist till the closing up of the last great chapter in this
world's history. Satanic agencies are in every city. We cannot afford to be off our guard for one
moment. The true, staunch believers will pray more and more, and will talk less of matters of
little consequence. More and more decided testimonies will come from their lips to encourage
the weak and needy souls. This is no time for the people of God to be weaklings, neither one
thing nor the other. Let all be diligent students of the word. We must be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might. We cannot live haphazard lives and be true Christian.
Letter 46, February 26, 1909, (see also 2MCP 504-05; 3SM 410)
The Lord has made some remarkable revelations regarding the experiences that His people will pass through....I have been shown that evil angels in the form of believers will work in our ranks to bring in a strong spirit of unbelief. Let not even this discourage you, but bring a true heart to the help of the Lord against the powers of satanic agencies. These powers of evil will assemble in our meetings, not to receive a blessing, but to counterwork the influences of the Spirit of God. Take up no remark that they may make, but repeat the rich promises of God, which are yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
We are never to catch up the words that human lips may speak to confirm the evil angels in their
work, but we should repeat the words of Christ. Christ was the instructor in the assemblies of
these angels before their fall from their high estate.
Manuscript 21, May 17, 1909, (see also CG 244)
Very soon the strife and oppression of foreign nations will break forth with an intensity that you do not now anticipate....
Your opponents will make statements about your work that are false. Do not repeat their statements, but hold to your assertions of the living truth, and angels of God will open the way before you. We have a great work to carry forward, and we must carry it in a sensible way. Let us never get excited or allow evil feelings to arise....
Those who have departed from the faith will come to our congregations to divert our attention
from the work that God would have done. You cannot afford to turn your ears from the truth to
fables. Do not stop to try to convert the one who is speaking words of reproach against your
work, but let it be seen that you are inspired by the spirit of Jesus Christ, and angels of God will
put into your lips words that will reach the hearts of opposers. If these men persist in pressing
their way in, those who are of a sensible mind in the congregation will understand that yours is a
higher standard. So speak that it will be known that Jesus is speaking through you.
Manuscript 85, August 21, 1909, (see also SD 265; UL 247)
Time is passing. Satan is boasting to his evil agencies that he will take possession of the world, and he encourages them to work through every possible means for the accomplishment of this purpose....Let us not think that we can pass through this world doing just as we please and yet be accepted by God as followers of His son. The gates of the city of God will never be thrown open to those who have not lifted the cross and followed after Christ in self-denial and self-sacrifice....
There is a world to be saved. What are you doing to cooperate with Christ?...Are you using your opportunities and advantages and means in winning souls to Christ? You may say, "I am not a minister, and therefore, cannot preach the truth." You may not be a minister in the generally accepted sense of the word, you may never be called to stand in the desk nevertheless, you can be a minister for Christ....
Many of us have neglected to study the scriptures. We have failed to develop such characters as
Christ can use....He calls upon us individually to take up our appointed work wherever we
are....Put away the foolish reading matter and study the Word of God. Commit its precious
promises to memory, so that, when we shall be deprived of our bibles we may still be in possession of the word of God.
Manuscript 61, September 17, 1909,
The perils of the last days are upon us, and at this time we are each determining what our destiny for eternity shall be. Individually we are to form characters that will stand the test of the judgment. Individually we are to give in the church where we are an example of faithfulness and consecration. The ministry of the word is designed to prepare a people to stand in the times of temptation in which we live; and church members are to cooperate with the work of ministry by revealing in the life the principles of the truth, that no word should be spoken or act performed that will lead into false paths or create a condition of things that God cannot approve.
There has been revealed to me the grave dangers we shall meet in these last days of peril and temptation. Our only reliable light and guide for this time is the Word of God. We must take this Word as our counselor, and faithfully follow its instructions, or we shall find that we are being controlled by our own peculiar traits of character, and our lives will reveal a selfish work that will be hindrance and not a blessing to our fellow men. We need to go to the word of God for counsel for every step we take, for self is every ready to strive for the mastery.
It is the duty of those who stand as leaders and teachers of the people to instruct church members how to labor in missionary lines, and then to see in operation the great, grand work of proclaiming widely this message which must arouse every unworked city before the crisis shall come, when, through the working of satanic agencies, the doors now open to the message of the third angel shall be closed....
The judgments of God are being stayed, that the voice of truth may be heard in it simplicity. Let those who have a part in this sacred work be wide awake and each endeavor to labor in God appointed way. Let none set up as the Lord's way the way of human devisings....
The righteous judgments of God, with their weight of final decision, are coming upon the land. Do not hover over the churches and repeat over and over again the same truths to the people, while the cities are left in ignorance and sin, unwarned, and unlabored for. Soon the way will be hedged up and these cities will be closed to the gospel message....
We must expend less means in the few places where the message has been quite fully preached, that we may go out into other places where the warning has not been given, and where men and women are ignorant of the great crisis that is about to come to all who live upon the earth....
The warning message for this time is not being given earnestly in the great business world. Day after day the centers of commerce and trade are thronged with men and women who need the truth for this time, but who gain no saving knowledge of its precious principles, because earnest, persevering efforts are not put forth to reach this class of people where they are....
The world is preparing for the closing work of the third angel's message. The truth is now to go
forth with a power that it has not known for years. The message of present truth is to be
proclaimed everywhere. We must be aroused to give this message with a loud voice, as
symbolized in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation. There is danger of our accepting the theory
of the truth without accepting the great responsibility which it lays upon every recipient. My
brethren, show your faith by your works. The world must be prepared for the loud cry of the
third angel's message--a message which God declares shall be cut short in righteousness.
- The End Time -
Manuscript 2, 1858
Letter 38, March 28, 1886
Letter 21, July 9, 1886
Manuscript 11, July 25, 1886
Letter 53, 1887
Letter 58, 1887
Letter 3, 1890
Manuscript 24, January, 1891
Letter 45, December 28, 1891
Letter 2c, 1892
Letter 12, August 22, 1892
Letter 30a, September 6, 1892
Letter 32, December 19, 1892
Letter 60, July 20, 1893
Manuscript 51, 1896
Letter 12, January 23, 1897
Letter 106, May 14, 1897
Letter 28, July 29, 1897
Manuscript 90, August 2, 1897
Manuscript 116, 1897
Manuscript 139, December 9, 1897
Manuscript 151, 1897
Manuscript 161, December 16, 1897
Letter 4, February 20, 1898
Manuscript 64, May 19, 1898
Letter 65, August 23, 1898
Manuscript 42, March 28, 1899
Manuscript 77, May 14, 1899
Letter 79, May 10, 1900
Letter 83, June 5, 1900
Letter 94, July 3, 1900
Letter 20, January 28, 1901
Manuscript 14, February 21, 1901
Letter 98, June 19, 1901
Letter 153, October 26, 1901
Manuscript 124, December 9, 1901
Manuscript 125, December 9, 1901
Manuscript 106, July 21, 1902
Manuscript 71, June 18, 1903
Letter 156, July 27, 1903
Letter 161, July 30, 1903
Letter 165, August 3, 1903
Manuscript 87, August 11, 1903
Letter 250, November 16, 1903
Letter 259, November 23, 1903
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904
Letter 103, February 24, 1904
Letter 197, June 15, 1904
Manuscript 153, November 2, 1905
Letter 54, January 30, 1906
Manuscript 20, February 7, 1906
Letter 84, February 17, 1906
Letter 90, March 6, 1906
Manuscript 41, October 11, 1906
Letter 190, May 6, 1907
Letter 230, July 22, 1907
Letter 248, August 16, 1907
Letter 416, December 30, 1907
Letter 32, January 6, 1908
Manuscript 117, December 17, 1908
Manuscript 134, 1908
Letter 364, December 17, 1908
Manuscript 19, May 15, 1909
Letter 106, September 26, 1909
Letter 15, 1910
Manuscript 66, Undated
Manuscript 84, Undated
Manuscript 85, Undated
Manuscript 2, 1858,
I saw that a time of trouble was before us, when stern necessity will compel the people of God to
live on bread and water, but I saw that God did not require His people to live so now. God
commands that all who He has not especially called to labor in word and doctrine should labor
with their hands in the things that are good, and supply their own necessities, and have wherewith to bestow upon others....But in the time of trouble none will labor with their hands. Their
sufferings will be mental, and God will provide food for them.
Letter 38, March 28, 1886,
In the vision of John [in Revelation 7], four mighty angels were shown him as holding the four
winds that they should not blow upon the earth until God's servants are sealed in their foreheads.
When this work is done, then the ministers of vengeance are called and commanded to pour
upon the earth tempests, thunders, pestilence, calamity.
Letter 21, July 9, 1886,
The crisis is just before us, when each will want all the strength and power from God that he can have in order to stand against the wiles of Satan, which will come in every conceivable form. Those who have allowed themselves to be [made] the sport of Satan's temptations will be unprepared then to take the right side....We need to live very close to Jesus in order to discern the precious from the spurious....
Christ is soon to come. Will He find you ready and waiting? The bridal lamps must be kept
trimmed and burning. His chariot wheels have been delayed because of His longsuffering to
usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have
eternal life. When we shall stand with the redeemed upon the sea of glass, with the harps of God
and crowns of glory, and before us unmeasured eternity, we shall then see how short was the
waiting period of probation.
Manuscript 11, July 25, 1886,
The mystery is how did sin enter into our world? Just as soon as you can understand how sin came, then it will be proved that it is not sin. There is no excuse for sin. There is no sign of a reason for sin....
The power that claims to have the right to change times and laws is the man of sin. But does he have [the power to] change times and laws? No, because God's law is written on the tables of stone, engraved there with His own finger, and are placed in the temple of God in heaven; and that great moral standard will be the criterion that will judge every being upon the face of the earth, both dead and living....
When He [Christ] cometh the second time, it is not to wear the crown of thorns, it is not to have that old purple robe placed upon His divine form. The voices will not be raised, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" but there is a shout from the angelic host and from those who are waiting to receive Him, "Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain"--a divine conqueror. In the place of the crown of thorns, He will wear the crown of glory. In the place of that old kingly robe that they put in mockery upon Him, He will wear a robe whiter that the whitest white. And those hands that were bruised with the cruel nails will shine like gold. His eyes are like a flame of fire to search creation through, and the righteous dead come forth from their graves and they that are alive and remain are caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall they ever be with the Lord. And they will listen to the voice of Jesus, sweeter than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, "Your warfare is accomplished. Come ye blessed of My Father, enter into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the earth."...
While nearly all the world is making void the law of Jehovah, He will have a people that will keep His law....He requires obedience from every one of us. All the false ideas that are held against God and His law, the people are willing to accept, but it is because the human mind chooses fables rather than the truth of God. They want an easier way than to resist evil and to be obedient to God's requirements....
As Christ denied self and sacrificed at every step, so must we, if we would sit with Him upon
His throne. And then what do we get?--everlasting life, an eternal weight of glory. The streets
are all pure gold, like transparent glass; and there is the tree of life, whose leaves are for the
healing of the nations. Everything is lovely. There is no sickness, no sorrow, no pain, no death
there, but our life there will measure with the life of God.
Letter 53, 1887,
When the truth we now cherish was first seen to be Bible truth how very strange was the opposition we had to meet in presenting it to the people for the first time. But how earnest and sincere were the truth loving, truth obeying ones. We were indeed a peculiar people. We were few in numbers, without wealth, without worldly wisdom, or worldly honors; and yet we believed God, and were strong and successful, a terror to evil doers. Our love for one another was firm, it was not easily shaken. The people of God manifested in our midst, and the sick were healed, and there was much calm, sweet, holy joy.
But while the light continued to increase, the advancement of the church has not been
proportionate to the light. The fine gold has gradually become dim, and deadness and formality
have come in to cripple the energies of the church. Their abundant privileges and opportunities
have not led His people onward and upward to purity and holiness. A faithful improvement of
the talents entrusted to them by God would have increased those talents greatly. Where much is
given, much will be required. Those only who faithfully accept and appreciate the light God has
given us, and who will take a high noble stand in self denial and self sacrifice will be channels of
light to the world. Those who do not advance will retrograde, on the very borders of the
heavenly Canaan.
Letter 58, 1887, (see also MAR 264)
The eye of Jesus, looking down the ages, was fixed upon our time when He said, "If thou hadst
known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" [Luke 19:42].
It is still thy day, Oh church of God, whom He has made the depositary of His law. This day of
trust and probation is drawing to a close. The sun is fast westering. Can it be that it will set and
thou wilt not know "the things which belong unto thy peace!" Must the irrevocable sentence be
passed, "...but now they are hid from thine eyes" [Verse 42].
Letter 3, 1890, (see also Ev 281, 360-61)
The Word of God plainly declares that His law is to be scorned, trampled upon by the world. There will be an extraordinary prevalence of iniquity. The professed Christian world will form a confederacy with the man of sin, and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony. Here the great crisis is coming upon the world. The Scriptures declare that popery is to regain its lost supremacy, and that the fires of persecution will be rekindled through the timeserving concessions of the so-called Protestant world. In this time of peril we can stand only as we have the truth and the power of God. Men can know the truth only by being themselves partakers of the divine nature. We have need now for more than human wisdom in reading and searching the Scriptures, and, if we come to God's Word with humble hearts, He will raise up a standard for us against the lawless elements....
In the absence of persecution, there have drifted into our ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity unquestionable, but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us. In the crisis they would see force in specious reasons that have had an influence on their minds. Satan has prepared various snares to meet varied minds.
When the law of God is made void, the church will be sifted by fiery trials, and a larger proportion that we now anticipate will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Instead of being strengthened when brought into strait places, many prove that they are not living branches of the True Vine, they bear no fruit, and the husbandman taketh them away. But when the iniquitous powers work to make void the law of God, what will be the effect upon the truly obedient and righteous? Will they be carried away by the strong current of evil? Because so many range themselves under the banner of the prince of darkness, will God's commandment-keeping people swerve from their allegiance? Never! No one who is abiding in Christ will fail or fall. His followers will not bow in obedience to any earthly potentate.
While the contempt placed upon God's commandments causes many to suppress the truth and show less reverence for it, the disrespect shown to the law of Jehovah causes the faithful ones with greater earnestness to hold aloft its distinguishing truths....
There is the highest reason for us to prize the true Sabbath and stand in its defense in opposition to the false, for it is the sign which distinguishes the people of God from the world. The commandment that the world makes void is the one which, for this very reason, God's people will give greater honor. It is when the unbelieving cast contempt upon the Word of God that the faithful Calebs are called for. It is then that they will stand firm at the post of duty, without parade and without swerving because of the reproach....The Psalmist says, "They have made void Thy law. Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold" [Psalms 119:126, 127].
It is at this time that the true Sabbath must be brought before the people, both by pen and by voice. As the fourth commandment of the Decalogue and those who observe it are ignored and despised, the faithful few know that it is time not to hide their faces, but to exalt the law of Jehovah by unfurling the banner on which is inscribed the message of the third angel, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Revelation 14:12].
Although the time will come when we can wage the war only at the risk of [losing] property and liberty, yet the conflict must be met in the spirit and meekness of Christ. The truth is to be maintained and advocated as it is in Jesus. Wealth, honor, comfort, homes, everything else is to be of secondary consideration. The truth must not be hid, it must not be denied or disguised, but fully avowed and boldly proclaimed....
The Lord has permitted the enemy of truth to make a determined effort against the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. He designs by this means to awaken a decided interest in that question which is a test for the people who live in these last days. This will open the way for the third angel's message to be proclaimed with power....
If in the land of boasted liberty a Protestant government is preparing to sacrifice every principle that enters into its constitution, making decrees to suppress religious liberty, and for the enforcing of papal falsehoods and delusions, then the people of God need to present their petitions in faith to the Most High. There is every encouragement in the promise of God for those who put their trust in Him.
The prospect of being brought into personal danger and distress need not cause despondency, but should quicken the vigor and hopes of God's people, for the time of their peril is the season for God to grant them clearer manifestations of His power.
We are not to sit in calm expectation of oppression and tribulation, and fold our hands, doing nothing to avert the evil. Let our united cries be sent up to heaven. Pray and work, and work and pray. But let none act rashly. Learn as never before that all who truly keep the commandments of God must be meek and lowly in heart....Sharp things must sometimes be spoken, but be sure that the Holy Spirit of God is abiding in your heart before you speak the clear-cut truth, then let it cut its way. You are not to do the cutting.
There is to be no compromise with those who make void the law of God. It is not safe to rely upon them as counselors. Our testimony is not less decided now than formerly. Our real position is not to be cloaked in order to please the world's great men. They may desire us to unite with them and accept their plans, and may make propositions in regard to our course of action which may give the enemy an advantage over us....
While we should not seek for controversy, and should not needlessly offend, we must present the truth clearly and decidedly and stand firm to what God has taught us in His Word. You are not to look to the world in order to learn what you shall write and publish, or what you shall speak. Let all your words and works testify, "We have not followed cunningly devised fables....We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place" [2 Peter 1:16].
The Lord has allowed matters in our day come to a crisis, the exalting of error above truth, that He, the God of Israel, might work mightily for the greater elevation of His truth in proportion as error is exalted. With His eye upon the church, the Lord has again and again allowed matters to come to a crisis that in their extremity the people should look to God alone for His wisdom and His help. Their prayers, their faith, together with the steadfast promise to be true to principle and loyal to the Lord's holy commandments when brought into strait places, call for the interference of God, and then He has fulfilled His promise: "Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am" [Isaiah 58:9].
God reserves His gracious interposition in their behalf till the time of their extremity. Thus He
makes their deliverance more marked, and their victories more glorious. When all human
wisdom fails, the Lord's interference will be more clearly recognized, and He will receive the
glory that is His due. Even the enemies of our faith, persecutors, will perceive that God is
working for His people in turning their captivity.
Manuscript 24, January, 1891, (see also 7ABC 22, 179, 393, 427; AH 351-52; Ev 171; IHP 283; PM 68, 150-51, 193; OHC 79; SD 105, 194, 318; 3SM 113, 391-93)
When Christ shall come the second time, the whole world will be represented by two classes, the just and the unjust, the righteous and the unrighteous. Preceding the great sign of the coming of the Son of Man, there will be signs and wonders in the heavens....There will be crimes greater than any now on record. There will be weeping and lamentation and woe....
Already sprinklings from the vials of God's wrath have been let fall upon land and sea, affecting the elements of the air. The cause of these unusual conditions are being searched for, but in vain.
God has not restrained the powers of darkness from carrying forward their deadly work of vitiating the air, one of the sources of life and nutrition, with a deadly miasma. Not only is vegetable life affected, but man suffers from pestilence....
These things are the result of drops from the vials of God's wrath being sprinkled on the earth, and are but faint representations of what will be in the near future. Earthquakes in various places have been felt but these disturbances have been very limited....Terrible shocks will come upon the earth, and the lordly palaces erected at great expense will certainly become heaps of ruins. The earth's crust will be rent by the outburst of the elements concealed in the bowels of the earth. These elements, once broken loose, will sweep away the treasures of those who for years have been adding to their wealth by securing large possessions at starvation prices from those in their employ. And the religious world too is to be terribly shaken, for the end of all things is at hand....
All society is ranging into two great classes. The obedient and the disobedient. Among which class shall we be found?
Those who keep God's commandments, those who live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, compose the church of the living God. Those who choose to follow antichrist are subjects of the great apostate. Ranged under the banner of Satan, they break God's law, and lead others to break it....
Satan is averting minds with unimportant questions, in order that they shall not with clear and distinct vision see matters of vast importance. The enemy is planning to ensnare the world.
The so-called Christian world is to be the theater of great and decisive actions. Men in authority will enact laws controlling the conscience, after the example of the papacy. Babylon will make all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Every nation will be involved. Of this time John declares: "The merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow" [Revelation 18:3-7].
"These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen and faithful" [Revelation 17:13, 14].
"These have one mind." There will be one universal bond of union, one great harmony, a confederacy of Satan's forces. "And shall give their power and strength unto the beast." Thus is manifested the same arbitrary, oppressive power against religious liberty, freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience as was manifested by the papacy, when in the past it persecuted those who dared to refuse to conform with the religious rites and ceremonies of Romanism.
In the warfare to be waged in the last days, there will be united in opposition to God's people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will be the great point at issue, for in the Sabbath commandment the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heavens and the earth....
In Revelation 13:13-17 we read concerning Satan: "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And as they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God" [Revelation 14:1-5].
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" [Revelation 16:13-15].
All things in nature and in the world at large are charged with intense earnestness. Satan, in
cooperation with his angels and with evil men, will put forth every effort to gain the victory and
will appear to succeed. But from this conflict, truth and righteousness will come forth
triumphant in victory. Those who have believed a lie will be defeated, for the days of apostasy
will be ended.
Letter 45, December 28, 1891,
There will be no probation after the coming of the Lord. Those who say that there will [be] are deceived and misled. Before Christ comes, just such a state of things will exist as existed before the flood. After the Saviour appears in the clouds of heaven, no one will be given another chance to gain salvation. All will have made their decisions.
Before the close of this world's history, those who are willing to accept the evidence will have the dark veil removed from their minds. Hearts will be cleansed through accepting Christ during the time that the whole world is lighted by the glory of the angel that comes down from heaven....
The churches are fast being converted to the world. They have beautiful music and splendid
decorations. But they are fruitless trees, bearing nothing but leaves. As the Lord unmasked the
fig tree, so He will unmask those pretentious hypocrites....
The time is right upon us when every kind of deception will be practiced. "Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing." They may speak fair words, but all the time
they are watching to see how they can get gain for themselves. They are full of selfishness, and
work at cross purposes with God, misappropriating His goods. "Ye shall know them by their
fruits," the Saviour declares [Matthew 7:15, 16].
Letter 2c, 1892, (see also Ev 506)
The tyrant is seeking to oppress man's conscience, which Christ has made free. Persecution will come more definitely and decidedly upon the people of God, because the godly are seeking for uprightness and holiness and the disobedient are in sin. The sin-loving do not choose the way and will of God, and the obedient, in their character and course of action, are a constant rebuke to the sinful. When the truth finds access to the heart, it must fight every inch of the way....Then the collision comes. Then comes the warfare, and, if the heart has yielded to Jesus in obeying the commandments of God, there is a jealous contest, error rising up to condemn truth, and truth in its God-given principles setting strongly against error. This is the experience the world over. The only way in which men will be enabled to stand firm in the conflict is to be rooted and grounded in Christ. They must receive the truth as it is in Jesus....Our probation is about ended....
As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in forcing the consciences of men to honor the false sabbath, the people of every nation on the globe will be led to follow her example....
The whole earth is to be lightened with the glory of God's truth. The Lord will not close up the period of probation until the warning shall be more distinctly proclaimed. The trumpet must give a certain sound. The law of god is to be magnified, its claims must be presented in their true, sacred character, that the people may be brought to decided for or against the truth. Yet the work will be cut short in righteousness. The message of Christ's righteousness is to sound from one end of the world to the other. This is the glory of God which closes the work of the third angel....
You have long expected the wonderful startling events that are to take place just prior to the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Now I ask, are you prepared to give the trumpet a certain sound?...
The Lord is coming. The scenes of this earth's history are fast closing, and our work is not done.
We have been waiting in anxious expectancy for the cooperation of the human agency in
advancing the work. All heaven, if I may use the expression, is impatiently waiting for men to
cooperate with the divine agencies in working for the salvation of souls.
Letter 12, August 22, 1892, (see also 7ABC 356-57; AH 472-73, 476; WM 76, 105, 166)
As character develops, men and women will take their positions; for varied circumstances brought to bear upon them will cause them to reveal the spirit which prompts them to action. Everyone will reveal the character of the bundle with which he is binding himself. The wheat is being bound up for the heavenly garner....The true people of God are now pulling apart, and the tares are being bound in bundles to burn. Decided positions will be taken....
Satan will work with his masterly power to separate the soul from God. We hear the different voices sounding from every quarter that our attention shall be taken from the true issue in this time. The end is near, and let there not be a confusion of voices to misguide and mislead some astray. To say, "Peace, peace," to these souls who have long resisted the voice of the True Shepherd, who have contended long against Omnipotence, is to quiet their consciences to [the] sleep of death. Will man in his pride forsake his own interests by cherishing thoughts or doing deeds opposed to the mind and spirit of God? God has been pleased to show me that men [who] ought to know the voice of the True Shepherd will be more ready to accept the voice of a stranger and follow in unsafe, forbidden paths because of the stubbornness of their human nature....
Before the great trouble such as has never been since there was a nation shall come upon the
world, those who have faltered, and who would ignorantly lead in unsafe paths, will reveal this
before the real vital test, the last proving comes, so that whatsoever they may say will not be
regarded as voicing the True Shepherd.
Letter 30a, September 6, 1892, (see also 7ABC 408-09, IHP 48; MAR 197: 3SM 326-27)
Satan is at work from beneath to stir up the hellish powers of his confederacy against the just. He imbues human agencies with his own attributes. Efforts will be put forth by evil angels, united with evil men, to harass, persecute, and destroy, but the Lord God of Israel will not forsake those who trust in Him. Amid the strengthening of infidelity and apostasy, amid pretended illumination, which is the blindest presumption and delusion, there will be a light shining upon God's people from the sanctuary above. The truth of God will triumph....
Every individual in our world will be arrayed under one of two banners--the chosen and loyal under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, and all others under Satan's standard. All who are on Satan's side will unite with him in honoring the spurious sabbath, thus paying homage to the man of sin, who exalted himself above all that is called God, and who thought to change times and laws. They trample upon the laws of Jehovah and frame a law to compel all to worship the false sabbath, the idol they have exalted. But the day of deliverance to God's people is not far distant....
He who stands in defense of the truth, will draw upon himself the dislike, the criticism, the decided opposition of relatives and professed friends. He will become the subject of ridicule. All opposition and persecution, whether in its mildest, or most terrible forms, is only the development of a principle that originated with the first great rebel in heaven. This work will continue as long as Satan exists.
As we near the close of time, the opposing elements will work in the same lines in which they have worked in times past. Every soul will be tested. Under persecution it will be made manifest just what banner every individual has chosen to stand under. While sin remains, the offense of the cross will never cease. Satan has a thousand masked batteries which will be opened upon the loyal, commandment-keeping people of God to compel them to violate conscience. The followers of Christ must expect to encounter sneers. They will be reviled, their words and their faith will be misrepresented. Coldness and contempt may be harder to endure than martyrdom. With some persons it would require more courage to encounter a laugh than to be thrust through with a sword.
But we must stand steadfastly for the truth, not returning railing for railing, but contrariwise,
blessing. Parents will turn harshly against their children who accept unpopular truth. Those
who conscientiously serve God will be accused of rebellion. Property that was willed to children
or other relatives who believe the present truth will be given to other hands. Guardians will rob
orphans and widows of their just dues. Those who depart from evil will make themselves a prey
through laws enacted to compel the conscience. Men will take to themselves property to which
they have no right. The words of the apostle will be verified in the near future: "All that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" [2 Timothy 3:13].
Letter 32, December 19, 1892, (see also Ev 64, 115, 318, 707)
As we near the close of time, Satan comes down with great power, knowing that his time is
short. Especially will his power be exercised upon the remnant. He will war against them, and
seek to divide and scatter them, that they may grow weak and be overthrown. The people of
God should move understandingly and should be united in their efforts. They should be of the
same mind, of the same judgment; then their efforts will not be scattered, but will tell forcibly in
the upbuilding of the cause of the present truth. Order must be observed, and there must be
union in maintaining order, or Satan will take the advantage. I saw that the enemy would come
in every way possible to dishearten the people of God and perplex and trouble them, and that
they should move understandingly, and prepare themselves for the attacks of Satan.
Letter 60, July 20, 1893, (see also TMK 346)
The powers of Satan to seduce and deceive are so strong, and his delusions of every kind so multitudinous that every watchman needs now to give the trumpet a certain sound. There must be now no deviating from the light that God gives at this present time. Light is constantly shining now upon many, and it is the very thing they need for this time....As the providence of God is certainly at work to bring the crisis, in the closing scenes of this earth's history, there will be a power, the office work of the Holy Spirit, stirring the hearts of the men...to unflinchingly stand at their posts of duty as a unit. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might" [Ephesians 6:10]. This has been always applicable to God's people in every age of the world, but how much more so to the remnant church who have to meet the constant and most powerful masterly workings of the power of darkness for this last time. The words of the apostle come sounding down the lines to this time. "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" [Verses 11, 12].
These words inspired of God are appropriate for us. The inspired apostle continues, "Wherefore," in consideration of the warfare against, "not flesh and blood," but Satanic agencies, disguised, "take unto you the whole armor of God." Make your guide the word. "Take" it. The whole armor which is furnished you in the Scriptures is all prepared for you to take. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" [Verses 13, 14]. Fiction, spurious interpretations of the scriptures, dishes of fables, are everywhere presented for your acceptance. But great discernment is needed that the girdle should be the golden chain of truth, "and having on the breast-plate of righteousness" [Verse 14], not your own but the righteousness of Christ. This is the fortress of the soul. We may with Christ's righteousness going before us, withstand the moral darkness, and penetrate the devices of the satanic agencies. "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" [Verse 15]. The inconsistencies, the unreasonable workings of the human agents stirred with a power from beneath, will create in those who reverence God a holy indignation to see the truth of God brought into contempt, and its advocates misrepresented and clothed in garments of darkness, false charges. Then is the very time the Holy Spirit is to take possession of the human mind, and it be made to appear that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. While the living human agents are being moved with a power from beneath and the satanic agencies seem to have full control (almost) of the world, acting a conspicuous part just before the second appearing of our Lord to take kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever, the two classes which are formed to enact the solemnities of the last day will be distinguished as the commandment-keeping people of God, and the commandment breakers who are inspired by the devil and his angels. The appearance is as if the infernal government had been transferred from hell to earth. The Lord Jesus will open the eyes of all who have been walking in the light that they shall not be deceived with the pretentious spirit of those who claim great sanctity and say, "Lord, Lord," while they stubbornly refuse to do the will of God. Christ repeated the princely titles of Satan as one perfectly familiar with his workings and usurped authority. Christ gave the warning to be heeded, and pointed to Satan's thrones, principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places.
The professed Christian world is under Satan's sway. Christ calls the prince of this kingdom Satan, Beelzebub, a liar, a murdered from the beginning, the wicked and evil one who is constantly working with the unholy and disobedient to trample upon the laws of Jehovah....The rebellious chieftain signalized himself as having authority to establish laws entirely contrary to the laws of Jehovah, the living and only true God, the supreme Ruler in heaven and in earth. When this deceiving power is accepted in the place of light plainly given in God's word, Satan stands as their ruler. The daring leader in rebellion is given by human agencies the preeminence above God, and the prince of darkness is acknowledged as their supreme authority. The number of his angels we cannot conjecture, but his field is the world and he multiplies himself through his agencies over his whole field, the world, concurring in and actively instigating the clergy to be his efficient workers in making of none effect the law of God, of tearing down His memorial the insignia of His honor and His supremacy. There is no lack of satanic agencies.
Every soul who will now evade through sophistry, the plain "Thus saith the Lord," and misinterpret and evade the plainest conclusions of the written inspired Word, will become instruments to tempt and coerce, and stirred with a satanic spirit purpose to afflict and oppress and compel the human agents to dishonor God's law, and accept and advocate Satan's legislation and revere his enactments with a zeal proportionate to their blinding delusions....The world is asleep. The watchmen are asleep crying peace and safety, in the place of laboring with energy and searching the Scriptures diligently to know what all this wickedness means, that is swelling to such fearful proportions. They say to the wicked who are trampling upon the law of God, It shall be well with you. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil. In place of being softened by the long-suffering of God, and His long patience, they are encouraged by His forbearance to further resistance, flattering themselves in their sinfulness and impenitence that He that has not awakened His wrath against them to curse their wicked inventions will spare a little longer, and they may be ambitious and persistently follow in their own way, with nothing to interpose or to molest them in their inventions, and at some future time they will repent.
How can we make them consider that there are limits to the forbearance of God, and that it is possible for them to pass the limit of the forbearance of God, as did Judas and Saul? God allows nations a certain period of probation; but there is a point they can reach and can pass, and then iniquity accumulated will receive not mercy, not longer forbearance, but an outbreak of the indignation of God, and be visited with punishment unmixed with mercy. God will arise in mighty power, and show, though slow in anger, He will not acquit the wicked. The wickedness of each generation is not forgotten. Each century of increased profligacy has treasured up wrath, and Christ said unto those who resisted all His mercy, all the blessings He presented to them, addressing the rejecters of His salvation, "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers" [Matthew 23:32], for the blood of all the prophets which had been shed from the foundation of the world should be required of the nation He addressed. They had the beacon warning in the jealousies, in the hatred, in the despising of warning and messages sent to them and God's punishment came upon them for their cruelty, and notwithstanding all this, those who separated from God repeated the history of their fathers, and thus it is in our day.
We have proof that God keeps a reckoning with nations, that there is a sum total of guilt, that although it is beyond the power of human minds to define the amount of God allows not to pass, but when the point of transgression is fully reached, when the law of God is made void, God takes account of the dishonor put upon His government, and He charges one generation with the crimes of the preceding generations, if they follow in the same evil course. Your light is constantly increasing.
What can I say that will affect the soul? What can I say that will arouse our people to serious
contemplation and true devotion?
Manuscript 51, 1896, (see also TM 182-83)
The world is soon to be left by the angel of mercy and the seven last plagues are to be poured
out. Sin, shame, sorrow, and darkness are on every side. God still holds out to men the precious
privilege of exchanging darkness for light, error for truth, sin for righteousness, but His patience
and mercy will not always wait. The storm is gathering; the bolts of God's wrath are soon to fall,
and, when He shall begin to punish transgressors, there will be no period of respite until the end.
He shall come forth "to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall
disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain" [Isaiah 26:21]. Only those will stand who
are sanctified through the truth in the love of God. They will be hid with Christ in God until the
desolation shall be overpast.
Letter 12, January 23, 1897, (see also UL 37)
We are in no case to swerve from our allegiance [to God]. No duties that God presents before us will cause us to work at cross purposes with Him. The word of God is to be our counselor. The word of finite man is fallible....
Henceforth in our day, the nations are to be in a very uncertain state. Kings and rulers will be involved in greater perplexities than they ever thought possible, and this is because they are disobedient to the word of the Lord and work entirely contrary to His principles. The question now comes home to all who have their Bible: "Are we prepared to follow the Word of God?" "Whosoever will come after Me," said Christ, "Let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" [Mark 8:34].
You cannot depend upon priest, rulers, human lawmakers, for, as in Christ's day they teach for
doctrines the commandments of men. They know not the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Man-made theories are placed above a plain "Thus saith the Lord." But the searching of the soul
has come: Are we obedient to the law of God? Will every soul look up in faith and answer to
God, as did Elisha, "As the Lord liveth...I will not leave thee" [2 Kings 2:2].--Whatever may
come--persecution, reproach, falsehood, or anything that shall arise,--we will not leave the
source of our strength. We are to be proved and tried as in a furnace. Those who endure to the
end will be saved. If our religious faith is spurious, it is of no manner of value.
Letter 106, May 14, 1897, (see also FLB 288)
"But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they" [Numbers 14:10-12].
We have here a positive evidence that the anger of the Lord is awakened against the rebellious people--those who had been blessed with great light and precious opportunities to know the will of God....
If the people of God had walked in His counsel, the work of God would have advanced, the
message of truth would have been borne to all people that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Had the people of God believed Him and been doers of His Word, had they kept His
commandments, the angel would not have come flying through heaven with the message to the
four angels...crying, "Hold, hold the four winds, that they blow not upon the earth, until we have
sealed the servants of God in their foreheads" [Revelation 7:13]. But because the people are
disobedient, unthankful, unholy, as were ancient Israel, time is prolonged that all may hear the
last message of mercy proclaimed with a loud voice. The Lord's work has been hindered, the
sealing time delayed. But the Lord will give them a chance to hear and be converted.
Letter 28, July 29, 1897, (see also IHP 245; MLT 177)
We are living in a very solemn period of this earth's history. Then, how appropriate for this time
that we watch unto prayer. In prayer for our oppressed ones who will feel the opposition and test
and trial of persecution the most severely, we shall find comfort and consolation. We are to
keep the lamp of faith burning brightly. We are to watch for opportunities for doing good to
those who are called [upon] to suffer, for our afflicted brethren will need our words of
consolation, of courage and hope.
Manuscript 90, August 2, 1897,
Men trample underfoot God's law and say to the people, as the Jews said to Christ, "We have a law, and by our law He ought to die" [John 19:7]. Over and over this will be repeated in the courts. Christ tells us that in the world we shall have tribulation, but that in Him we shall have peace.
Those who live in the last days of this world's history will know what it means to be persecuted for the truth's sake. Injustice will prevail in the courts. The judges will refuse to listen to the reasons of those who are loyal and true to the commandments of God, and will say, "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die." God's law is nothing to them; "our law" with them is supreme. Those who respect this human law will be favored, but those who will not bow to the idol sabbath have no favors shown them. Those by whom they are tried utterly refuse to listen to their reasons, because they know that [the Sabbath-keepers'] arguments in favor of the fourth commandment are unanswerable. All that is brought against the validity of the forth commandment is of human invention....
The Lord has not left the world without witness. He has His loyal, chosen people. They do not make this world their home, but they are here, to witness for God, and, as long as probation lasts, a living witness will be borne by these faithful messengers. Satan and his angels confederate with men who yield to temptation against God's remnant people, the champions of righteousness. They strive to counteract their testimony and to destroy them....
Many, because of their faith, will be cut off from house and heritage here, but they may still be
filled with joy, if they will give their hearts to Christ.
Manuscript 116, 1897, (see also 7ABC 111-12, 186; CS 261-62)
The people [Israelites] were sluggish and selfish. The Lord did not call them "my people" [at the time of the second temple] because they had not shown themselves willing in the day of their opportunity. They had not obeyed promptly the word of the Lord. They made pleas for delay. They tried to present a reason why they should delay. They were ingenious in framing excuses. They had begun, but they were broken off in their work because of the hindrance of their enemies. This, they reasoned, proved that it was not the proper time to build. They declared that the Lord had interposed difficulties to reprove their hot haste. But they had no real excuse for leaving the work. When the heaviest objections were raised, this was the time to build. Their real motive was a selfish dislike to go to extra trouble and expense, and encounter danger by arousing the opposition of their enemies. They did not possess that faith that is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. They did not want to move by faith, but to walk out by sight, and no further. Therefore they were easily turned aside from the work. This history will be repeated. There will be religious failures because men have not faith. When they look at the things that are seen, impossibilities present themselves, but God knows nothing of impossibilities. The great work of God will advance only by the push of faith....
He [God] will be present help to all who will serve Him in preference to serving themselves. When the Lord sees that there is a heart to do His will, His people will know of the doctrine. He will be with them. The presence of God includes everything, we have a sure refuge, a never failing friend....
My attention has been called to the last books of the Old Testament. I was directed to bid the people of God take heed how they hear and what they do. These scriptures make special reference to the last days, when Bible history will be unfolded. There are brought to our notice those who are not walking in the way of the Lord, but are following deceptive leadings. From the word, we are to learn the will of God, for the guidance of our own course of action in these last days. Let your minds take in the subject. Read and consider and be instructed....
"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets; therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts: But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate" [Zechariah 7:11-14].
These words are very impressive. The Lord calls upon dew and rain and the varied agencies of nature, and they obey His call to be used either in blessing or in judgment. They are under His conduct....God calls for famine and plague and pestilence, for calamities by sea and by land to punish the inhabitants of the earth in wasting or destruction or in mercies and blessings.
How striking is the contrast between the things of nature, the material agencies, and the tardy
inattention and slothful disobedience of men, those for whom Christ has died. Saith the Lord....I
will send on all that is yours a wasting drought. This reaches not only the fruit of the ground, but
the living creatures. The cattle must suffer because of the sins of men.
Manuscript 139, December 9, 1897,
The present time will bring dangers which we must individually be prepared to meet. The Lord has a work which is above the world's seeking. To those who have not the mind of Christ, the features of our faith and our work, the great object to be accomplished, is far above their comprehension and unseen. But we are not to come down from our position of ever remaining people distinct and peculiar from the world. Our vocation is high, holy, and elevated. Our faith, if appreciated, will keep all true believers from political strife. We are to work for the spiritual recovery of mankind to God, to bring them under His theocracy. Then only are we a safe people....
The fires of the last day will consume many souls who might have been saved if the church had
but comprehended her sacred responsibilities.
Manuscript 151, 1897, (see also CG 172; PM 273)
Peculiar and rapid changes will soon take place, and if the church is not asleep, if the followers
of Christ watch and pray, they may have light to comprehend and appreciate the movements of
the enemy.
Manuscript 161, December 16, 1897, (see also CC 37; IHP 122, 343, 346; 1MCP 320; 2MCP 777; SD 270; 3SM 360)
It is the glory of God to be merciful, full of forbearance, kindness, goodness, and truth. But the justice shown in punishing the sinner for his iniquity is as verily the glory of the Lord as is the manifestation of His mercy....
The Lord has sent us, by His ambassadors, messages of warning, declaring that the end of all things is at hand. Some will listen to these warnings, but the vast majority will disregard the warnings. When Lot warned the members of his family of the destruction of Sodom, they would not heed his words, but looked upon him as a fanatical enthusiast. The destruction that came found them unprepared. This it will be when Christ comes--farmers, merchants, lawyers, tradesmen, will be wholly engrossed in business, and upon them the day of the Lord will come as a snare....
God works through His faithful servants, who do not shun to declare the whole truth in the power of the Spirit....God's messengers are to hold aloft the standard of truth until the hand is palsied in death. When they sleep in death, the places that once knew them know them no more. The churches in which they preached, the places they visited to hold forth the word of life still remain. The mountains, the hills, the things seen by mortal vision, are still there. All these things must at last pass away. The time is coming when the earth shall reel to and fro, and shall be removed like a cottage, but the thoughts, the purposes, the acts of God's workers, although now unseen, will appear at the great day of final retribution and reward. Things now forgotten will then appear as witnesses, either to approve or to condemn.
In the day of Judgment, the course of the man who has retained the frailty and imperfection of humanity will not be vindicated. For him there will be no place in heaven. He could not enjoy the perfection of the saints in light. He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning, has not the faith that will give him an entrance into the kingdom of God....
At this time the message of mercy and warning is to go forth to awaken the world from its sleep of death. A work is to be done today that will live through the eternal ages. As watchmen entrusted with a special message, we are to keep before the people the nearness of the end. "Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" [2 Cor. 5:9, 10].
The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the great day of the Lord is right upon us. In
that day, shall it be said of any of us, "This man was called by God, but he would not hear; he
would not give heed? Again and again the Spirit moved upon his heart, but he said, 'Go thy way
for this time; and when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee' [Acts 24:25]. This man
saw the Saviour's sacrifice in a beautiful light, but some matter of minor importance came in,
and his heart was captivated. When the Spirit spoke again, the call was not respected. Every
gracious, heavenly influence was dismissed."
Letter 4, February 20, 1898, (see also 7ABC 27; 2SM 336-37)
Divisions will constantly arise. Unholy principles will be brought to the front. All classes will be called to take their stand on one side or the other. Christ says of one class, "Let them alone." Men who have so long trampled upon the rights of God, who have accepted the idol sabbath, will accept very strong and unreasonable beliefs.
The Lord is not in the alliances that are being formed with political movements. They are bound
to bring confusion and great entanglement....The loyal and disloyal have no equal ground on
which to meet.
Manuscript 64, May 19, 1898, (see also 3SM 302-03)
At the eleventh hour the Lord will gather a company out of the world to serve Him. There will
be a converted ministry. Those who have had privileges and opportunities to become intelligent
in regard to the truth, and yet who continue to counterwork the work, God would have
accomplished, will be purged out, for God accepts the service of no man whose interest is
divided. He accepts the whole heart, or none...The world and unconverted church members are
in sympathy.
Letter 65, August 23, 1898,
"And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back side, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book, neither to look thereon" [Revelation 5:1-3].
There in His open hand lay the book, the roll of the history of God's providences, the prophetic history of nations and the church. Herein was contained the divine utterances, His authority, His commandments, His laws, the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal, and the history of all ruling powers in the nations. In symbolic language was contained in that roll the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth's history to its close.
This roll was written within and without. John says: "I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon" [Verse 4]. The vision as presented to John made its impression upon his mind. The destiny of every nation was contained in that book. John was so distressed at the utter inability of any human being or angelic intelligence to read the words, or even to look thereon, his soul was wrought up to such a point of agony and suspense, that one of the strong angels had compassion on him, and laying his hand on him assuringly, said, "Weep not behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and loose the seven seals thereof" [Verse 5].
John continues: "I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne" [Verses 6, 7].
As the book was unrolled, all who looked upon it were filled with awe. There were no blanks in the book. There was space for no more writing. "And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And behold, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever" [verses 8-14].
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him. And power was given unto him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled" [Revelation 6:8-11].
"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand" [Rev. 8:1-4].
I have a word of warning to my brethren: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" [Revelation 3:6-11].
The same spirit is seen today that is represented in Revelation 6:6-8. History is to be reenacted. That which has been will be again. This spirit works to confuse and to perplex. Dissension will be seen in every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and those who have not had a spirit to follow the light that God has given through His living oracles, through His appointed agencies, will become confused. Their judgment will reveal weakness. Disorder and strife and confusion will be seen in the church.
The same spirit that controls the nations of the earth is working upon the minds of those who have had light. As the children of disobedience, irrespective of consequences, they act like the blind. They are drunken, but not with strong drink....
We have this matter placed in the heavenly scales and weighed, and the result is presented
before us. All this ambitious exercising of the spirit to exalt self will surely be worked by
satanic agencies until the persons, whatever the profession, will reveal hereditary and cultivated
attributes that will place them in the very lowest scale; and when God shall weigh them in the
golden scales of the heavenly sanctuary, the sentence will be passed, thou art "weighed in the
balances, and found wanting."
Manuscript 42, March 28, 1899, (see also Ev 266-67)
Today men may persecute even unto death in an effort to make their fellowmen worship an idol sabbath which had been brought into existence by the man of sin, who thinks to change times and laws. But to torture and put to death the body is all they can do....Under his direction men have inflicted untold pain and misery on their fellowmen. But they have never been able to harm the soul....The ruler of the universe bears long with the perversity of men, but He keeps a record of their works, and in proportion as they have caused pain to others, they will themselves be punished....
A spirit of exasperation, of revenge, of hatred, works in the children of disobedience, as it worked in the first great rebel. He imbues his followers with every species of malignity against those who cannot be induced to join his ranks. Gaping prisons are opened before them. They are threatened with the chain gang and the stocks. Thus men treat those who worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. Have they forgotten that as they judge and punish, so will they be judged and punished?
God has said, "Touch not mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm" [1 Chronicles 16:22].
Men have borne false witness against God's chosen ones. They have bruised their limbs with
fetters and burnt them at the stake. The Lord will avenge his children. As men have carried out
the spirit and purposes of Satan in causing pain to human beings, so will they suffer. Thus will
they perish who have done all in their power to compel men to transgress the law which God has
commanded all to obey.
Manuscript 77, May 14, 1899, (see also 7ABC 34, 157-58; TMK 38)
Christ forewarned His disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs to take place prior
to the coming of the Son of man. The whole of the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew is a
prophecy concerning the events to precede this event, and the destruction of Jerusalem is used to
typify the last great destruction of the world by fire.
Letter 79, May 10, 1900, (see also 7ABC 366, 411, 422-23; OHC 28; UL 144)
As invisible agencies, angels are working through human beings to proclaim the commandments of God. Angels have far more to do with the human family than many suppose. Speaking of the angels: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" [Hebrews 1:14].
Holy angels will join in the song of the redeemed. Though they cannot sing from experience, "He hath washed us in His own blood, and redeemed us unto God," yet they understand the great peril from which the people of God have been saved. Were they not sent to lift up for them a standard against the enemy? They can fully sympathize with the glowing ecstasy of those who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.
John writes, "I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne" [Revelation 5:11]. Angels were united in the work of Him who had broken the seals and taken the book. Four mighty angels hold back the powers of this earth till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The nations of the world are eager for conflict, but they are held in check by the angels. When this restraining power is removed, there will come a time of trouble and anguish. Deadly instruments of warfare will be invented. Vessels with their living cargo will be entombed in the great deep. All who have not the spirit of truth will unite under the leadership of satanic agencies. But they are to be kept under control till the time shall come for the great battle of Armageddon.
Angels are belting the world, refusing Satan his claim to supremacy, made because of the vast multitude of his adherents. We hear not their voices, we see not with the natural sight the work of these angels, but their hands are linked about the world, and with sleepless vigilance they are keeping the armies of Satan at bay till the sealing of God's people shall be accomplished.
The ministers of Jehovah, angels, have skill and power and great strength, being commissioned
to go forth from heaven to earth to minister to His people. They are given the work of keeping
back the raging power of him who has come down like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. The Lord is a refuge for all who put their trust in Him. He bids them hide in Him for a
little moment, until the indignation be overpast. He is soon to come out of His place to punish
the world for its iniquity. Then the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her
slain [see Isaiah 26:21].
Letter 83, June 5, 1900,
It is a soul-periling sin to desecrate that which God has made holy. Satan has managed by his
subtlety...to manage the matter [so] that God's memorial is made a thing of naught. The
invention of the papacy has become supreme. He has worked to make the churches and the
world a unit in transgression. Sunday observance is made an oppressive power in the hands of
those who are under the control of the enemy, for, when Satan gets control of men's minds, it
means oppression and compulsion.
Letter 94, July 3, 1900,
Never was there a period of time when I have felt more deeply the necessity of decidedly carrying the work of the gospel ministry in its own elevated, sacred character than today. Every kind of voice is heard: "Christ is here," and "Christ is there;" "Christ is in the wilderness," and "Christ is in the cities." We may open our ears to every call, if we will, but Christ has told us, "Go not ye after them, nor heed them."
We have our work outlined in the prophetic word, and we will not be diverted from God's way and methods of bringing the truth before the world. Satan will set everything possible in operation to divert the work into wrong lines. The reason for this is that it shall, under the devising of human methods and human inventions, lose its peculiar, holy, select character to represent its efficiency and power to our world--the order and sanctification and elevated character of those who shall compose the chosen, commandment-keeping people of God.
Satan would so commingle the righteous with the wicked that the distinction will be so indistinct as not to have the sign of God's commandment-keeping people appear as God distinguishing sign of the sanctification of the spirit in true humility and holiness. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" [Isaiah 8:20]....
We have the truth, which in its proclamation is to bring the crisis for this world's history. The
observance of the Lord's memorial, the Sabbath instituted in Eden, the seventh-day Sabbath, is
the test of our loyalty to God. Those who bring in, as there will be brought in, lords many and
gods many, so that there is no distinct recognition of acknowledged loyalty to the Lord God,
cannot have His mark, His seal of obedience.
Letter 20, January 28, 1901, (see also CWE 23-25; 3SM 418-20)
Often God's workers are opposed in the place where they labor, and thus their usefulness is hindered. They may have done their best in all wisdom. They have sown good and precious seed. But the opposing elements become fiercer and more discouraging, and it may be wise for them to go to another place, for even though some are convinced of the truth, they are intimidated by the opposition. They have not the courage to acknowledge that their reason is convicted.
Let the messengers of truth pass on to another field. Here there may be a more favorable class of people, and may successfully accomplish the work of sowing and reaping. The report of their success will find its way to the place where God's work was apparently unsuccessful, and the next messenger of truth who goes there will be more favorably received. The seed sown in trial and discouragement will be seen to have life and vitality. First will appear the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.
The rejection of the truth of the gospel by some prepares the way for its reception by others, who can see the weakness and inconsistency of the arguments used to make the truth of none effect. Thus those who oppose the counsel of God are by their inconsistency advancing the truth rather than hindering it. One thing we must be prepared to encounter: the enemy's determined resistance. He works through human agencies whom he can use to hold the people in ignorance of the word of the Lord.
In some places where the opposition is very pronounced, the lives of God's messengers may be endangered. It is then their privilege to follow the example of their Master and go to another place. "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel," Christ said, "till the son of man be come" [Matthew 10:23]....
Those in the world, having lost their connection with God, are making desperate, insane efforts to make centers of themselves. This causes distrust of one another, which is followed by crime. The kingdoms of this world will be divided against themselves. Fewer and fewer will become the sympathetic cords which bind men in brotherhood to his fellow man. The natural egotism of the human heart will be worked upon by Satan. He will use the uncontrolled wills and violent passions which were never brought under control of God's will.
This man wants his own way; the next man wants his own way. Every man's hand will be against his fellowman's. Brother will rise against brother, sister against sister, parents against children, and children against parents. All will be in confusion. Relatives will betray one another. There will be secret plotting to destroy life. Destruction, misery, and death will be seen on every hand. Men will follow the unrestrained bent of their hereditary and cultivated tendency to evil....This is the world picture. What is the representation in the church? "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" [2 Timothy 3:1-5].
God has a store of retributive judgments which He permits to fall upon these who have continued in sin in the face of great light. I have seen the most costly structures erected, and supposed to be fireproof, and just as Sodom perished in the flames of God's vengeance, so will these proud structures become ashes. I have seen vessels, seeking to breast the angry billows. But with all their treasures of gold and silver, and with their human freight they sink into a watery grave. Man's pride will be buried with the treasures he has accumulated by fraud. God will avenge the widow and orphans who in hunger and nakedness have cried to Him for help from oppression and abuse. And the Lord keeps a record of every action of good or evil.
The time is right upon us when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. The flattering monuments of men's greatness will be crumbled in the dust, even before the last great destruction comes upon the world.
The words of Revelation 18 will be fulfilled. Is not this description enough to cause all who read it to fear and tremble? But those who do not love the light, who will not come to the light lest their deeds be reproved, will not follow on to know the Lord. By their attitude they say, I want not thy way, Lord; I want my own way....
In the twenty first chapter of Luke, Christ foretold what was to come upon Jerusalem; with it he
connected the scenes which were to take place in the history of the world just prior to the
coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory....Let all
remember that these words were among the last Christ gave his disciples....In these sacred,
solemn warnings the danger signal is lifted. It is this instruction that church members and the
people of the world need; for it is present truth.
Manuscript 14, February 21, 1901,
The Lord has much more for those who will use the knowledge He shall give. The Lord will
give understanding to many minds. No man, after receiving knowledge from God, is to put a
price upon that knowledge, and so bind the movements of his fellowmen that he [alone] will
receive benefits.
Letter 98, June 19, 1901, (see also 7ABC 406; CDF 272-73, 352)
We need to be wide awake, that we may distinguish between the true and the false. Movements will be made by religious organizations which, though apparently designed to benefit the world, are not in accordance with God's mind. In these movements we are to take no part. Many will give them their sympathy, thereby becoming entangled....
Many will agree to half-concealed plans and will find themselves working on the enemy's side. The Lord desires His servants to be wise in regard to the working of the enemy, to know when to speak and when to keep silent....In all that we do or say we are to be guided by the inspired Record. "Thus saith the Lord" is to be our rule of action. That which God forbids we are not to endorse. The instruction of His word is to be brought into every transaction of life....
The Lord desires those who take part in His work to be men of spiritual understanding, sensible
men, who will follow his way and make known His will. Their voices are to be heard amid the
din and confusion of unconsecration. Those in the synagogue of Satan will profess to be
converted and, unless God's servants have keen eyesight, they will not discern the working of the
power of darkness.
Letter 153, October 26, 1901, (see also TDG 308)
The signs of the times--the wars and rumors of wars, the strikes, murders, robberies, and accidents--tell us that the end of all things is at hand. God's Word declares, "As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be" [Matthew 24:37-39].
How true a description this is of the condition of the world today. The daily papers are full of notices of marriage after divorce--the marriage condemned in the words of the Saviour,--full of accounts of amusements and games, of pugilistic contests in which human beings main and disfigure one another to exhibit their brutal strength.
Under their great leader, Lucifer, men are educating themselves to represent him. Who can doubt the truth of the prophets words, "The wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand" [Daniel 12:10]. There is an awful development of moral degeneracy. Under the guidance of Satan, men have lost their horror for bloodshed and murder....
It is not only human agencies filled with the spirit of Satan that are arrayed against God. Satan himself stands at the head of his army, striving with all his power to perfect the force over which he rules, that he may wreak his vengeance on God's people. Knowing that his times is short, he has come down with great power, to work against all that is good. He fills the minds of his instrumentalities with hatred against God and with an intense desire for revenge. In the Scriptures he is represented as walking up and down as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The inhabitants of the world have largely given themselves into Satan's control. He acts as the god of this earth. Human beings, wholly given over to evil, cooperate with him in his conspiracies, helping him to carry out his plans against the government of God....
Among the people of God there is to be no dissension, no controversy, no warfare against one another. The forces of righteousness are to be a unit in their conflict with evil. All the strength of God's people is to be directed against the forces of the enemy. The will of every child of God is to be placed on the side of God's will. Satan's strong efforts against God's agencies, show the need of union and harmony among the forces of righteousness.
A terrible contest is before us. We are nearing the battle of the great day of God Almighty. That which has been held in control is to be let loose. The angel of mercy is folding her wings, preparing to step down from the golden throne and leave the world to the control of Satan, the king they have chosen, a murderer and a destroyer from the beginning.
The principalities and powers of earth are in bitter revolt against the God of heaven. They are filled with hatred against all who serve Him; and soon, very soon, is to be fought the last great battle between good and evil. The earth is to be the battlefield, the scene of the final contest and the final victory. Here, where for so long Satan has led men against God, rebellion is to be forever suppressed....
God's people are to bear a bold, decided testimony for the truth, unfolding the purposes of God
by the witness of pen and voice. In place after place they are to proclaim the message of God's
word, arousing men and women to comprehend the truth.
Manuscript 124, December 9, 1901, (see also PM 168)
The whole of the third chapter of Zechariah was portrayed before me. The words were repeated: "And He shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" [Zechariah 3:1, 2]....
After Satan leads men into wrong positions, he stands at the right hand of the Angel as the adversary of man, to resist every effort made to save the purchase of the blood of the Lamb of God. The devil persecutes those whom he has caused to sin. He is the accuser of the brethren. Day and night he accuses them before God. This is his special work.
A perversion of right principles is a transgression of God's Law. Those who in their actions
pervert the grand principles of His holy law, are under condemnation; for the righteousness of
Christ cannot cover one unconfessed sin. The law has been lightly regarded. "Because sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in
them to do evil" [Ecclesiastes 8:14]. We must obey God's law, if we are to be loyal to Him and
accepted by Him.
The first step toward obedience is to examine ourselves in the light of the law, thus discovering the penalty of transgression. Those of God's people who do not purify their souls by coming into clearer and still clearer light are a reproach to His glorious cause. Too often those who should remain true and faithful to principle are obnoxious to God, because in His justice He cannot endure the sins that they cherish--sins that not only lead them into false paths, but cause others also to be led astray.
Carefully reread these two verses: "And He shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" He (Joshua) was a representative of an imperfect, sinful people, those who had become contaminated with sin. Satan accused Joshua of being a criminal. What, then, is the only hope of the people of God in their defections of Christian character?--their only hope is reconversion, repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is made unto us righteousness and sanctification. In heaven Joshua was accounted as a justified sinner....
Joshua was accused as a sinner, but Jesus Christ, the Sin-bearer, the Substitute for the offender,
to whom all types point, cannot be thus accused. He is the one who takes away the sin of the
repentant, believing transgressor. How sad it is that human agencies, by their loss of spirituality,
make it possible for Satan to accuse them of being unworthy!
Manuscript 125, December 9, 1901, (see also 7ABC 188; NBL 133-34; SD 55, 355; 1SM 107-08; UL 357)
The Word of God declares that when it suits the enemy's purpose, he will through his agencies manifest so great power under a pretense of Christianity that, "if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" [Matthew 24:24]. The enemy is revealed in persons whom he has given power to work miracles. He creates sorrow and suffering and disease. Seeming to change his attributes, he apparently heals those whom he himself has tormented....
Deceptions of every kind will be invented. So-called higher critics will set their ingenious minds to work in an attempt to invalidate the Word of God. But there is a Higher Critic, greater than any human mind....
Zechariah pictures the elect of God, showing their allegiance to His holy law in a time of unrivaled depravity, when by pen and by voice the so-called Protestant world show marked contempt for the law of God, revealing by their actions that they have decided not to recognize His standard as the rule of life.
Men are fast becoming imbued with an intense hatred of even hearing the law mentioned. They are fast approaching the bounds set by a long-suffering God. Soon the limits of His grace will be reached. Then He will interfere, vindicating His own name and before all the world magnifying His law as holy, just, and good, as unchangeable as His own character.
The eye of the Lord is upon His people. They will suffer for the truth's sake. Not always have they been firm and true to principle. Some have erected idols and served them. This has separated them from God....
Those who honor God and keep His commandments are subject to the accusations of Satan. The enemy works with all his energy to lead persons into sin. Then he pleads that on account of their past sins, he should be allowed to exercise his hellish cruelty on them as his own subjects. Of this work Zechariah has written: "And He showed me Joshua the high priest (a representative of the people who keep the commandments of God) standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him" [Zechariah 3:1].
Christ is our High Priest. Satan stands before Him night and day as an accuser of the brethren. With his masterly power he presents every objectionable feature of character as sufficient reason for the withdrawal of Christ's protecting power, thus allowing him to discourage and destroy those whom he has caused to sin. But Christ has made atonement for every sinner.
Can we by faith hear our Advocate saying, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
"Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments" [Verses 2, 3]. Thus sinners appear before the enemy who by his masterly, deceptive power has led them away from allegiance to God. With garments of sin and shame the enemy clothes those who have been overpowered by his temptations, and then he declares that it is unfair for Christ to be their Light, their Defender.
But, poor, repentant mortals, hear the words of Jesus, and believe as you hear: "And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him saying, Take away the filthy garments from him." I will blot out his transgressions. I will cover his sins. I will impute to him My righteousness. "And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment" [Verse 4].
The filthy garments are removed, for Christ says, "I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee." The iniquity is transferred to the innocent, the pure, the holy Son of God; and man, all undeserving, stands before the Lord cleansed from all unrighteousness, and clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ. Oh, what a change of raiment is this!
And Christ does more than this for them: "And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by" [Verses 5-7].
This is the honor that God will bestow on those who are clothed with the garments of Christ's righteousness. With such encouragement as this, how can men continue in sin? How can they grieve the heart of Christ?...
Two classes have ever been before the world, the obedient and the disobedient, the genuine and
the counterfeit. Amid all the temptations and deceptions of Satan, let everyone remain loyal to
all of God's commandments. Then Christ will restore in man the moral image of God, and will
finish the work He has begun in the plan of redemption, presenting man before God clothed in
His righteousness.
Manuscript 106, July 21, 1902,
Transgression is developing in a most marked manner. We shall meet those who have received light and evidence, but who in their perversity reject all that does not harmonize with their own plans, persisting in their determination to follow their own way. They refuse to receive good themselves, and do all in their power to lead others to regard with indifference the word of the Lord....Men learned in the wisdom of the world may think they can explain the mysteries of the world, but in the explanation of the mysteries of the gospel, babes and children in Christ are far in advance of them. Unlearned and ignorant men are chosen by the Lord as teachers, because He sees that they are willing to learn as well as teach....
The truth is to be placed before the great men of this world, that they may choose between it and
the world. God is not the author of their ignorance. He sets everlasting truth before them,--truth
that will make them wise unto salvation,--but He does not force them to accept it. If they turn
from it, He leaves them to themselves, to be filled with the fruit of their own doings.
Manuscript 71, June 18, 1903, (see also 7ABC 152; Ev 109, 687; MLT 47; MM 293; 3SM 303)
The wicked are being bound up in bundles, bound up in trusts, in unions, in confederacies. Let us have nothing to do with these organizations. God is our Ruler, our Governor, and He calls us to come out from the world and be separate. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing" [1 Corinthians 6:17]. If we refuse to do this, if we continue to link up with the world, and to look at every matter from a worldly standpoint, we shall become like the world. When worldly policy and worldly ideas govern our transactions, we cannot stand on the high and holy platform of eternal truth....
There is before us a mighty conflict. God calls upon His people to stand firm upon the platform
of eternal truth. He calls upon them to stand in oneness, in unity; and He promises that He will
be with us, to help us by His mighty power. We may lose our lives in the conflict, but at the last
day we shall receive a crown of life, that fadeth not away.
Letter 156, July 27, 1903, (see also PM 360; SD 219; 3SM 84)
One thing is certain: Those Seventh-day Adventists who take their stand under Satan's banner will first give up their faith in the warnings and reproofs contained in the Testimonies of God's Spirit....
Some who are now voicing Satan's suggestions will come to their senses. There are those in
important positions of trust who do not understand the truth for this time. To them the message
must be given. If they receive it, Christ will accept them, and will make them workers together
with Him. But if they refuse to hear the message, they will take their stand under the black
banner of the prince of darkness.
Letter 161, July 30, 1903, (see also 3SM 57)
The people of God need to study what characters they must form in order to pass through the test and proving of the last days. Many are living in spiritual weakness and backsliding. They know not what they believe. Let us read and study the twelfth chapter of Daniel. It is a warning that we shall all need to understand before the time of the end. There are ministers claiming to believe the truth who are not sanctified through the truth. Unless a change comes in their lives, they will say, "My Lord delayeth His coming."...
The signs of the times are fulfilling in our world, yet the churches generally are represented as
slumbering. Shall we not take warning from the experience of the foolish virgins, who when the
call came, "Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" [Matthew 25:6], found that
they had no oil in their lamps? And while they went to buy oil, the bridegroom went in to the
marriage supper with the wise virgins, and the door was shut. When the foolish virgins reached
the banqueting hall, they received an unexpected denial. The master of the feast declared, "I
know you not" [Verse 12]. They were left standing without in the empty street, in the blackness
of the night.
Letter 165, August 3, 1903,
The enemy works untiringly to deceive human beings and lead them away from God. He and his angels will in the future assume the shape of human beings and will work to make the truth of God of no effect....
In these last days the representation made in the twelfth chapter of Revelation will be fulfilled.
Satan will carry on the great conflict that he began in heaven, of which we read, "And there was
war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought, and his
angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" [Revelation 12:7,
8].
Manuscript 87, August 11, 1903,
Men will exalt and rigidly enforce laws that are in direct opposition to the law of God. Though
zealous in enforcing their own commandments, they will turn away from a plain "Thus saith the
Lord." Exalting a spurious rest day, they will seek to force men to dishonor the law of Jehovah,
the transcript of His character. Though innocent of wrongdoing, the servants of God will be
given over to suffer humiliation and abuse at the hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are
filled with envy and religious bigotry....
When Christ suffered for the human race, He felt neither remorse, despair, or hatred. Far
different will be the feelings of the sinner who has not availed himself of Christ's atoning
sacrifice. Too late he will realize what he has lost by refusing to accept the salvation of God.
His heart will then be filled with an agony of remorse and despair, even though still fired by
satanic hatred against God.
Letter 250, November 16, 1903, (see also UL 334)
Because of frequent triumphs, Satan is becoming more bold and defiant in his rebellion against God. The rapid development of evil, the confusion among the laboring classes, reveal that men are rapidly taking sides. They are being bound up in bundles to be burned. The labor unions are quickly stirred to violence if their demands are not complied with. Plainer and plainer it is becoming that the inhabitants of the world are not in harmony with God.
No scientific theory can explain the steady march of evil workers under the generalship of Satan. In every mob wicked angels are at work rousing men to commit deeds of violence. Satan seems to have taken control of the minds of men. Murder, robbery, wickedness of every kind, reveal the leadership of the great enemy of souls.
In the days of Noah, violence filled the land; and thus Christ has told us that it will be in the last days. The history of the old world is to be repeated. The perversity and cruelty of men will reach such a height that God will reveal Himself in His majesty. Very soon the wickedness of the world will have reached its limit, and as in the days of Noah, God will pour out His judgments.
But even when wickedness is at its height, we many know that our Helper is close by our side.
Letter 259, November 23, 1903, (see also 7ABC 35, 383; 2SM 53; TDG 336; UL 341)
In the future great watchfulness will be needed. There is to be among the people of God no spiritual stupidity. Evil spirits are actively engaged in seeking to control the minds of human beings. Men are binding up in bundles ready to be consumed by the fires of the last days. Those who discard Christ and His righteousness will accept the sophistry that is flooding the world. Christians are to be sober and vigilant, steadfastly resisting their adversary the devil, who is going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Men under the influence of evil spirits will work miracles. They will make people sick by casting their spell upon them, and will then remove the spell, leading others to say that those who were sick have been miraculously healed. This Satan has done again and again....
We are living in the great day of atonement, and we are to confess our sins and make diligent
work for repentance. We are to put all our capabilities to work, that we may be delivered from
wicked and unreasonable men. Satan comes down as a beautiful angel, and presents lovely
pictures before the eyes of those who have so perverted their ways before God that they do not
see what they are, or know what they need. The enemy has come down with great power, to
work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish....Those who are determined
to exalt themselves must be blotted out.
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904,
How long shall the testimonies of warning be rejected for the wisdom of men? There are many things that I have not wanted to specify, but I am compelled to do this....I shall now have to be far more explicit that I have been in the past. I shall be compelled to make statements in order to save the flock of God from deceptive influences....
There may be a necessity of doing the very work that the Lord has in the past inspired His messengers to do, in order to save the largest number of souls from the satanic influences that would lead them astray. The world's opinion will oppose the very work that must be done in order that the safety of the flock of God shall not be imperiled.
The fact that men whom I might name are imperiled by the sophistries that are coming in at this time, shows that a power from beneath is making its imprint on human minds. Every movement made now is to be carefully guarded, for the forces of Satan have minds under their control, and will strive through them to unsettle faith in the experience of the past, which bears the signature of heaven. The delusive influences working upon human minds are of a character to unsettle the faith of the people of God in the testimonies the Lord has given His people.
In His Word the Lord declares what He would do for Israel if they would obey His voice. But the leaders of the people yielded to the temptations of Satan, and God could not give them the blessings He designed them to have, because they did not obey His voice, but listened to the voice and policy of Lucifer. This experience will be repeated in the last years of the history of the people of God, who have been established by His grace and power. Men whom He has greatly honored will, in the closing scenes of this earth's history, pattern after ancient Israel, because they are converting the truth of God into a falsehood. And many heresies will come from Lucifer that will bewilder, if possible, the very elect....
Bear this in mind, history is being repeated. The perils that God's people encountered in past ages they will encounter again, intensified. Satan has obtained influence over men whom God has honored above all human intelligence....
The things that had been spoken by priests and rulers had become leavened with erroneous theories. The gospel of the Old Testament had been misinterpreted by the teachers who had desired to fit the presentation with their condition spiritually in the place of exacting truth and laboring to bring the people who claimed to be the chosen of God, up to the holy principles given by Him. Christ came to give the gospel in its purity and its true bearing, and all are to show their esteem of His teaching.
The Lord was leading His people back to the real truth. The scriptures show the loss they had sustained and would continue to sustain unless they went back to the word, refusing to let anything they had heard slip from their memory.
Unless we give the most earnest heed to the Word of God, human minds will work up theories according to their own deficient practices, which we met in 1842, 1843, and especially after the passing of the time [October 22, 1844], and will misrepresent and misapply a "Thus saith the Lord." A departure from the great principles Christ has laid down in His teachings, a working out of human projects, using the Scriptures to justify a wrong course of action under the perverse working of Lucifer, will confirm men in misunderstanding, and the truth that they need to keep them from wrong practices will leak out of the soul like water from a leaky vessel.
Thus it is in our time. A departure from right principles will blind the understanding as to what
is truth....Those who refuse the testimonies God has sent them are not eating the flesh and
drinking the blood of the Son of God. The character developed tells its history to the end.
Through the refusal to receive correct principles, and the corruption of human nature, Satan
works by his sophistry to deceive if possible the very elect.
Letter 103, February 24, 1904,
We have no time to lose. Troublous times are before us. The world is stirred with the spirit of
war. Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies will take place. The prophecy in
the eleventh [chapter] of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Much of the history
that has taken place in fulfillment of this prophecy will be repeated. In the thirtieth verse a
power is spoken of that "shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy
covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the
holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength,
and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh
desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupt by flatteries: but the
people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
"And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: by many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that is determined shall be done" [Daniel 11:30-36].
Scenes similar to those described in these words will take place. We see evidence that Satan is fast obtaining the control of human minds, who have not the fear of God before them. Let all read and understand the prophecies of this book, for we are now entering upon the time of trouble spoken of....
"At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" [Daniel 12:1-4].
The spirit of the Lord is being withdrawn from the world. It is no time now for men to exalt
themselves. It is no time for the people of God to be erecting costly buildings, or to be using the
Lord's entrusted talent of means in glorifying themselves.
Letter 197, June 15, 1904,
There are many men in our world who are like Cornelius....As God worked for Cornelius, so He
works for these true standard-bearers. He prepares the way for them to take the place of those
who have been given a knowledge of Bible truth, but who have disappointed the Lord our
Saviour. These men will be true to pure, holy principles in their investigation of the laws which
rule our world. They will obtain a knowledge of God as did Cornelius through the visitation of
angels from heaven.
Manuscript 153, November 2, 1905, (see also MAR 270)
During the night a very impressive scene passed before me. There seemed to be great confusion
and the conflict of armies. A messenger from the Lord stood before me, and said, "Call your
household. I will lead you. Follow me." He led me down a dark passage, through a forest, then
through the clefts of mountains, and said, "Here you are safe." There were others who had been
led to this retreat. The heavenly messenger said, "The time of trouble has come as a thief in the
night, as the Lord warned you it would come."
Letter 54, January 30, 1906,
The testing time is right upon us. We must build upon the Rock that will stand the storm of test and trial. As we see the fulfillment of prophecy we know that the end of all things is at hand....The God who gave Daniel instruction regarding the closing scenes of this earth's history will certainly confirm the testimony of His servants as at the appointed time they give the loud cry.
All the messages given from 1840 are to be made forcible now....There should be no delay in
repeating the message, for the signs of the times are fulfilling. The closing work must be done.
A great work will be done in a short time. A message will soon be given by God's appointment
that will swell into a loud cry. Then Daniel will stand in his lot, to give his testimony.
The attention of our churches must be aroused. We are standing upon the borders of the greatest event in the world's history, and Satan must not have power over the people of God, causing them to sleep on. The papacy will appear in its power. All must now arouse and search the Scriptures, for God will make known to His faithful ones what shall be in the last time. The word of the Lord is to come to His people in power.
The signs of the end are fast fulfilling. The time of trouble is very near us now. We are to be brought into strait places in a way in which we have not been brought heretofore. The time of trouble is near, and we are to awake to a realization of this. We are to be sure that our feet are in the narrow way. We need an experience that we have not yet had, that we may have the assurance that the God of all grace is a very present help in time of need. The time of trouble:--trouble such as was not since there was a nation--is right upon us, and we are like the sleeping virgins. We are to awake and ask the Lord Jesus to place underneath us His everlasting arms, and carry us through the time of trial before us.
Let us turn our attention from unimportant things, and give ourselves to God. We scarcely dream of the destroying angels that already are permitted to bring disaster and destruction in their path....How little we know of what is going on in heaven! What fearful indifference those on this earth show to eternal realities. Souls are unprepared for what is about to take place in our world. The warning must be given. The end of all things is at hand.
The last message of mercy is to be given to prepare a people to stand in these last days.
Everything is to be shaken that can be shaken, that those things that cannot be shaken may
remain.
Manuscript 20, February 7, 1906, (see also Ev 616-17; PM 224-25)
The time will come which many will be deprived of the Written Word. But, if this Word is printed in the memory, no one can take it from us; and it is a talisman that will meet the worst forms of error and evil.
We are now to make diligent work for eternity. Only for a very short time longer will the Lord bear with the gross wickedness that fills the world. Oh, how suddenly will the end come, surprising the world in their increasing iniquity.
For the past fifty years I have been receiving intelligence regarding heavenly things....We are very sorry to read the article written by Elder Tenney in the Medical Missionary on the Sanctuary question. The enemy has obtained the victory over one minister. If this minister had remained away from the seducing influences that Satan is exerting at the present time in Battle Creek, he might yet be standing on vantage ground....The Sanctuary question is the foundation of our faith....
There is a sanctuary, and in that sanctuary is the ark, and in the ark are the tables of stone, on
which is written the law spoken from Sinai amidst scenes of awful grandeur. These tables of
stone are in the heavens, and they will be brought forth in that day when the judgment shall sit
and the books shall be opened, and men shall be judged according to the things written in the
books. They will be judged by the law written by the finger of God, and given to Moses to be
deposited in the ark. A record is kept of the deeds of all men, and according to his works will
every man receive sentence, whether they be good, or whether they be evil.
Letter 84, February 17, 1906, (see also TDG 56)
It is now as it was when the message was given in Noah's time and the invitation went forth for all who would to enter the ark. We know not how soon the last message of warning may be given and our cases fixed for eternity....There was hope for all the inhabitants of the Noachian world to enter the ark before the door was closed. After it was closed, those who entered were severely tried, for they were in the ark a full week before the rain came. Oh, what fearful scoffing and mocking and defiance of God there was by those who had refused to enter! But after the week ended, the rain began to fall gently. This was a new thing. The rain continued until every living thing was destroyed from the face of the earth. But one family--the family that entered the ark--was saved.
We need to be prepared for the closing scenes of this earth's history. Let all search their own hearts diligently, and be converted, that their sins may be pardoned. The world is becoming more and more decidedly opposed to God and the truth of God. All who will do the will of God will be successful in obtaining knowledge, and their experience will be valuable. We must now prepare to do a great work in a short time. We must have an individual experience....
I have been weighed down as I have thought of the situation of those who have had such great
light, and yet have gone steadily on step by step in rejection of light.
Letter 90, March 6, 1906, (see also 7ABC 375; CM 126; 3SM 122; TDG 74)
Satan has not yet given up the idea that the world's armies will be so large that they will
overcome the heavenly host.
Manuscript 41, October 11, 1906, (see also 9T 95-96)
The right-doers, who would fear and glorify God, will use the words of David, "It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" [Psalms 119:126]. And it is only when men reach this point in towns and in cities that the universal perversion of the law of Jehovah becomes a destructive, determined evil. Through the prophet Zephaniah the Lord specifies the things that He will bring upon evil-doers: "I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord. I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; And them that worship the host of heaven upon the house tops; and them that worship and that swear by Malcham; And them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for him. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills" [Zephaniah 1:2-10].
"I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revelings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border" [Zephaniah 2:8].
"Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my
determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them
mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my
jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name
of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants,
even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be
ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away
out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty
because of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people,
and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor
speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie
down, and none shall make them afraid" [Zephaniah 3:8-13].
"Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord" [Zephaniah 3:14-20].
There is to be, at this period, a series of events that will reveal that God is the master of the situation. The truth will be proclaimed in clear, unmistakable language. Those who preach the truth will strive to demonstrate the truth by a well-ordered life and godly conversation. And as they do this, they will become powerful in advocating the truth and in giving it the sure application that God has given it....
As a people, we must prepare the way of the Lord, under the overruling guidance of the Holy Spirit, for the spread of the gospel in its purity. The stream of living water is to deepen and widen on its course. In all fields, nigh and afar off, men will be called from the plow and from the more common commercial business vocations that largely occupy the mind, and will become educated in connection with men who have had experience--men who understand the truth. Through most wonderful workings of God, mountains of difficulties will be removed and cast into the sea....
That message that means so much to the dwellers upon the earth, will be seen and understood.
Men will know what is truth. Onward, and still onward, is the work to advance. The most
marked events of Providence will be seen and recognized, and it will be seen that the truth bears
away the victory.
Letter 190, May 6, 1907, (see also RC 204)
Those who desire to be refreshed in mind and instructed in the truth should study the history of
the early church during and immediately following the day of Pentecost. They need to study
carefully the experience of Paul and the other apostles, for God's people in these last days must
pass through similar experiences. As the world becomes more imbued with the spirit of the
enemy, there will be more vehement opposition to the Word. Some will be imprisoned because
they refuse to desecrate the Sabbath of the Lord. Those who would hold the beginning of their
confidence firm unto the end must bear a living testimony to the world. Their words are to have
a convincing power upon minds, and many through them will be turned to the Lord.
Letter 230, July 22, 1907, (see also 7ABC 228-29; SD 228)
We are certainly living in the last days. In the matters that are daily being unfolded in the papers regarding the corruption in San Francisco and crime in Montana, we can see a perfect revelation of the working of sin. Evil men have pledged themselves to take the lives of those who have stood in their way, or who would not become one with them in their work of robbery. For the sake of gain they have become the murderers of the fellowmen. And this work of revelation is only the beginning of what is to be revealed in the future.
I have been shown that all the warnings of Christ regarding the events that will occur near the close of this earth's history are now being fulfilled in our large cities. God is permitting these things to be brought to light that he who runs may read. The city of San Francisco is a sample of what the whole world is becoming. The wicked bribery, the misappropriation of means, the fraudulent transactions among men who have power to release the guilty and condemn the innocent--all this iniquity is filling other large cities of the earth, and is making the world as it was in the days that were before the flood....The Lord understands all about His work in the world. He knows every secret which we must wait for the future to unfold. At this time He calls upon His people to become truly converted....
Time is rapidly passing, and wickedness is increasing. If we refuse to do the good we may do, we place ourselves in a perilous position. If we delay to enter the ranks of those who are workers together with God, we will find ourselves in the ranks of those who oppose truth and righteousness, who have turned away from the truth and are turned unto fables. The condition of this class is a sad one, for, unless some power shall break the spell that is upon them, they will be lost, eternally lost....
God's people will be called to pass through trying experiences. Many will fall at their posts,
betrayed and condemned by their fellowmen. In such timers of trial they can remember that the
Saviour suffered in like manner, passed over that very ground in their behalf. His followers will
never be called to suffer more than He endured in order to win salvation for them.
Letter 248, August 16, 1907, (see also 1MCP 22-23)
I have been shown that the Spirit of the Lord is being withdrawn from the earth. God's keeping power will soon be refused to all who continue to disregard His commandments. The reports of fraudulent transactions, murders, and crimes of every kind, are coming to us daily. Iniquity is becoming so common a thing that it no longer shocks the senses as it once did. I have been shown that the whole world is fast becoming as it was in the days of Noah. "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew it not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be....Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come....Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh" [Matthew 24:38, 39, 42, 44].
Before the Son of Man appears in the clouds of heaven, everything in nature will be convulsed. Lightning from heaven, uniting with the fire in the earth, will cause the mountains to burn like a furnace, and pour out their floods of lava over villages and cities. Molten masses of rock will cause the water to boil, and they will send forth rocks and earth. There will be mighty earthquakes and great destruction of human life. But as in the days of the great deluge, Noah was preserved in the ark that God had prepared for Him, so in these days of destruction and calamity, God will be the refuge of His believing ones....
There is a work to be done at this time by those who believe that we are living in the closing days of this earth's history. Light must be imparted to those who are in darkness. The truths of the Word of God must be brought in straight, clear lines to the people, whether they will receive or whether they will reject them. "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods" [Matthew 24:45-47]. Here is represented a class of workers who will not fail nor become discouraged in their work....
We are warned that in these last days satanic influences will work with such power that, if it
were possible, they would deceive even the very elect. But living amid these opposing forces,
we may, through the exercise of faith and prayer, call to our side a retinue of heavenly angels,
who will guard us from every corrupting influence. The workers who make the Word of God his
guide, will walk in the light of the Lord, and be safe.
Letter 416, December 30, 1907, (see also 3SM 427)
There is a great work to be done in the earth before the eternal purpose of God is fully worked out....While the angels are holding the four winds, we are to make the most of time, using every capability and power in the service of God. We have no time to lose. Soon the way of souls will be hedged up by obstacles that we do not now think of....
Let us all bear in mind that we are ever to be earnest students in the school of Christ. If we will
keep in the position of humble learners, our light will shine forth brighter and brighter unto the
perfect day. And, when our earthly labors are ended and Christ shall come for His faithful
children, we shall then shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father. But before that time
shall come, everything that is imperfect in us will have been seen and put away. All envy and
jealousy and evil surmising, and every selfish plan will have been banished from the life.
Letter 32, January 6, 1908,
The time is soon coming when God's people, because of persecution, will be scattered in many
countries. Those who have received an all-round education will have a great advantage
wherever they are.
Manuscript 117, December 17, 1908,
I was instructed [last night] that fanaticism similar to that which we were called to meet after the passing of the time in 1844 would come in among us again in the closing days of the message, and that we must meet this evil just as decidedly now as we met it in our early experiences.
We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange
and eventful history is being recorded in the books of heaven--events which it was declared
should shortly precede the great day of God. Everything in the world is in an unsettled state.
The nations are angry, and great preparations for war are being made. Nation is plotting against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The great day of God is hasting greatly. But although the
nations are mustering their forces for war and bloodshed, the command to the angels is still in
force--that they hold the four winds until the servants of (our) God are sealed in their foreheads.
Letter 364, December 17, 1908,
Dear Brother and Sister Haskell,--
I am often weary, and yet I realize at times the blessing of the Lord resting upon me in large measure. I want to walk humbly with God. I am praying that the Lord will guide me by His Spirit every moment.
The Lord has given me a special work to do in giving words of warning that should come to our people. Satan's forces are preparing their seductive temptations to deceive if possible the very elect. Satan will work through those who have disregarded the warnings of God to the church. They will be exceedingly zealous under the working of a deceptive influence, and most strange manifestations will appear.
We need in all our churches the evidence of the meekness of Christ. In order to do intelligently the solemn work committed to us, we must hide self in Jesus Christ. We have a short time in which to accomplish the work that is essential. Let us earnestly prepare for the conflict that is before us, for Satan's armies are marshalling for the last great struggle. I am instructed to say to all our people, Let your light so shine in words and deeds, that you will reveal that truth is cherished in the heart....
Satan is rallying his forces and seeking to bring in heresies to confuse the minds of those who have not been trained to understand the leadings of the Holy Spirit. A delusive net is being prepared for them, and those who have been warned again and again, but have not educated themselves to understand the warnings, will be surely taken in Satan's snare.
The angels of God have been holding the four winds that they shall not blow. John writes in Revelation 7:1-17, "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads.
"And I heard the number of them that were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
"After this, I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
"And all the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen; blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.
"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto Him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, They are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
"They shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" [Revelation 7:1-17].
Let this chapter be carefully read and studied. Wonderful things are about to transpire. The
future is full of intense interest to every soul who shall live upon the earth.
Manuscript 134, 1908,
The end is near, and every year Satan is drilling his army to develop strong parties to be ready
against the battle of the last great conflict.
Manuscript 19, May 15, 1909, (see also IHP 279; OHC 144)
Terrible trials are to come upon our world, and the world is preparing for this. We too must be
prepared, that we may have the protection of our heavenly Father. And, if we lose our life in the
conflict, let us have faith to believe that it will be restored to us again.
Letter 106, September 26, 1909, (see also TDG 278)
"Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is
passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a
great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths
revealed to them, but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience. The time
is short, God is calling; will you hear? Will you receive his message? Will you be converted
before it is too late? Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity.
Letter 15, 1910,
The third angel's message is now to be proclaimed, not only in far-off lands, but in neglected places close by, where multitudes dwell unwarned and unsaved. Our cities everywhere are calling for earnest, wholehearted labor from the servants of God. The message for this time is now to be proclaimed earnestly in the great business world. Day after day the centers of commerce and trade are thronged with men and women who need the truth for this time, but who gain no saving knowledge of its precious principles because earnest, persevering efforts are not put forth to reach them where they are.
The spiritual darkness that covers the whole world is intensified in the crowded centers of population. It is in the cities of the nations that the gospel worker finds the greatest impenitence and the greatest need. And in these same cities are presented to soul-winners some of the greatest opportunities. Mingled with the multitudes who have no thought of God and heaven are many who long for light and for purity of heart. Even among the careless and indifferent there are not a few whose attention may be arrested by a revelation of God's love for the human soul....
Men will soon be forced to great decisions, and they must have opportunity to hear and to understand Bible truth, in order that they may take their stand intelligently on the right side. God is now calling upon His messengers, in no uncertain terms, to warn the cities while mercy still lingers and while multitudes are yet susceptible to the converting influence of Bible truth....When the cities are worked as God would have them, the result will be the setting in operation a mighty movement such as we have not yet witnessed. May the Lord give wisdom to our brethren, that they may know how to carry forward the work in harmony with His will. With mighty power the cry is to be sounded in our large centers of population, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him" [Matthew 25:6]....Time is rapidly passing. There is much work to be done before satanic opposition shall close up the way....
The Saviour declares that before His second coming there would be wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places....These calamities are becoming more and more frequent, and each report of calamity by land and sea is a testimony to the fact that the end of all things is near. The world is filled with iniquity, and the Lord is punishing it for its wickedness. As crimes and iniquities increase, these judgments will become more frequent, until the time shall come when the earth shall no more cover her slain.
The judgments of God are hanging over our cities. We know not how soon they will be visited by just such a calamity as recently befell Italy. I pray for the deep movings of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of God's people, that this message--the last message of warning--may be given without delay. The day of the Lord is hasting greatly. The end is nearer than when we first believed.
Everything in this world is in an unsettled state. The nations are angry, and preparations for war are being made. But though there is among nations an increasing unrest, though they are mustering their forces, they are as if held back from action by an unseen power. The angels are holding the four winds, until the servants of god are sealed in their foreheads.
Soon strife among the nations will break out with an intensity that we do not now anticipate.
The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all the living. Rulers and statesmen, men who
occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their
attention fixed upon the events taking place about them. They are watching the strained, restless
relations that exist amongst the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of
every earthly element, and they realize that something great and decisive is about to take place,
that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.
Manuscript 66, Undated, (see also Ev 602-03)
Spiritualism is about to take the world captive. There are many who think that Spiritualism is upheld through trickery and imposture, but this is far from the truth. Superhuman power is working in a variety of ways, and few have any idea as to what will be the manifestations of Spiritualism in the future.
The foundation for the success of Spiritualism has been laid in the assertions that have been made from the pulpits of our land. The ministers have proclaimed as Bible Doctrines falsehoods that have originated with the arch deceiver. The doctrine of consciousness after death, of the spirits of the dead being in communion with the living, has no foundation in the Scriptures, and yet these theories are affirmed as truth. Through this false doctrine, the way is
opened for the spirits of devils to deceive the people in representing themselves as the dead. Satanic agencies personate the dead and thus bring souls into captivity. Satan has a religion. He has a synagogue of devoted worshipers. To swell the ranks of his devotees, he uses all manner of deception.
The signs and wonders of Spiritualism will become more and more pronounced as the professed Christian world reject the plainly revealed truth of the Word of God, and refuse to be guided by a plain, Thus saith the Lord, accepting instead the doctrines and the commandments of men. Through rejecting light and truth, many are deciding their destiny for eternal death, and as men reject truth, the Spirit of God will gradually withdraw itself from the earth, and the prince of this world will have more and more control over his subjects. He will show great signs and wonders as credentials of his divine claims, and through Spiritualism will work against Christ and His agencies.
The Scriptures positively forbid intercourse with evil angels on the supposition of communion with the dead. Through this deception Satan can educate souls in his school of falsehood and make of none effect the lessons that Christ would teach, which, if practiced, would result in the eternal life of those who obey.
Satan is seeking to form a great confederacy of evil by uniting fallen men and fallen angels. But the Lord says, "When they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" [Isaiah 8:19, 20]. "And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people" [Leviticus 20:6].
The great power that attends spiritualism has its origin in the great leading rebel, Satan, the prince of devils. It is through his artifice that evil angels have been able to substitute themselves for the dead, and through lying hypocrisy they have led men to have intercourse with those who will have a corrupting, demoralizing power upon the mind.
Christ commanded that we should have no intercourse with sorcerers and with those who have familiar spirits. This class are represented...as among those who shall perish in their iniquity: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" [Revelation 21:18].
For years Spiritualism has been growing in strength and gaining in popularity by advocating a certain kind of faith in Christ, and thus many Protestants are becoming infatuated with this mystery of iniquity. It is little wonder that they are deluded when they persistently retain the error that the spirit goes immediately to heaven or hell as soon as the breath leaves the body. Through the hold this doctrine has upon them, the way is prepared for the delusive working of the prince of the power of the air.
Satan personated the serpent in Eden, regarding this creature as the best adapted for his line of temptations. Satan has been increasing in skillful methods by constantly practicing upon the human mind. It is his one purpose to complete the work that he began in Eden, and work the ruin of mankind. Through his mysterious workings he can insinuate himself into the circles of the most educated and refined, for he was once an exalted being, in a high position of responsibility among the heavenly hosts. It is a mistake to represent him as a being with hoofs and horns, for he is still a fallen angel. He is capable of mingling the highest intellectual greatness with basest cruelty and most debasing corruption. If he had not this power, many who are charmed with his attractive representations and taken captive by his delusions would escape his snares.
As the spirit of God shall be withdrawn from the earth...his [Satan's] power will be more and more manifest. The knowledge that he had through being in connection with God as a covering cherub, he will now use to subordinate his subjects who fell from their high estate. He will use every power of his exalted intellect to misrepresent God and instigate rebellion against Jesus Christ, the commander of heaven.
In the synagogue of Satan, he brings under his scepter and into his councils those agents whom he can use to promote his worship. It is not a strange matter to find a species of refinement, and a manifestation of intellectual greatness in the lives and characters of those who are inspired by fallen angels. Satan can impart scientific knowledge and give men chapters upon philosophy. He is conversant with history and versed in worldly wisdom.
Almost every phase of talent is now being brought into captivity to the prince of the power of darkness. Worldly minded men, because they wish to exalt themselves, and have separated from God, do not love to retain God in their knowledge, for they claim to possess a higher, grander intellect than that of Jesus Christ. Satan envies Christ, and makes the claim that he is entitled to higher position than the Commander of heaven. His self-exaltation led him to despise the law of God, and resulted in his expulsion from heaven.
Through the papacy he has manifested his character and wrought out the principles of his government. Of this power the apostle Paul says, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God....For the mystery of iniquity doeth already work: only he that now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of righteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they might all be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" [2 Thessalonians 2:2-4, 7-12].
The confederacy of evil will not stand. The Lord says, "Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of Hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary" [Isaiah 8:9-14].
Satan will use his agencies to carry out diabolical devices, to overpower the saints of God, as in time past he used the Roman power to stay the course of Protestantism, Yet the people of God can look calmly at the whole array of evil and come to the triumphant conclusion that, because Christ lives, we shall live also. The people of God are to advance in the same spirit in which Jesus met the assaults of the prince of darkness in the past. The evil confederacy can advance only in the course that Jesus allows. Every step of their advance brings the saints of God nearer the great white throne, nearer the successful termination of their warfare.
The confederacy of evil will finally be destroyed, for the prophet [Malachi] says, "Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch" [Malachi 4:1].
Even of him whose heart was lifted up because of his beauty, who corrupted his wisdom by
reason of his brightness, the Lord says, I will "bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall
devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold
thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a
terror, and never shalt thou be any more" [Ezekiel 28:18, 19].
Manuscript 84, Undated,
Christ reveals to His people the fearful conflict that they must meet before His second coming. Before the scenes of their bitter struggle are opened to them, they are reminded that their brethren also have drunk of the cup and [have] been baptized with the baptism. He who sustained these early witnesses to the truth will not forsake His people in the final conflict....
To John were opened the great events of the future that were to shake the thrones of kings and cause all earthly powers to tremble. He beheld the close of all earthly scenes, the ushering in of His reign, who is to be King of kings, and whose kingdom shall endure forever. "Behold," he said, "He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him" [Revelation 1:7]. He saw Christ receiving the adoration of all the hosts of heaven, and heard the promise that whatever tribulation might come upon God's people, if they would but patiently endure, they would be more than conquerors through Him that loved them; and Jesus said to the overcomer, "I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels" [Revelation 3:5].
John was now prepared to witness the thrilling scenes in the great conflict between those who keep the commandments of God and those who make void His law. He saw the wonderworking power arise that was to deceive all who should dwell upon the earth, who were not connected with God, "Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" [Revelation 13:14-17].
The prophet heard the solemn warning against the worship of this blasphemous power: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name" [Revelation 14:9-11].
Of the loyal and true, who do not bow to the decrees of earthly rulers against the authority of the King of heaven, the Revelator says, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" [Verse 12].
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the Mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth....And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God" [Revelation 14:1-4, 5].
[Revelation 15:1-4 quoted].
These lessons are for our benefit. We need to stay our faith in God, for there is just before us a time that will try men's souls.
Christ upon the Mount of Olives rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars...Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famine, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginnings of sorrows" [Matthew 24:6-8]. While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application in the last days.
John was a witness of the terrible scenes that will take place as signs of Christ's coming. He saw armies mustering for battle, and men's hearts failing them for fear. He saw the earth move out of its place, the mountains carried into the midst of the sea, the waves thereof roaring and troubled. He saw the vials of God's wrath opened, and pestilence, famine, and death come upon the inhabitants of the earth.
Already the restraining Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed, but, when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture....
There is soon to open before us a period of overwhelming interest to all who are living. The controversies of the past are to be revived. New controversies will arise. The scenes to be enacted in our world are not even dreamed of. Satan is at work through human agencies. But God's servants are not to trust to themselves in this great emergency. The program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The world is not without a ruler. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of the nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His own hands....When the strongholds of kings shall be overthrown, when destruction shall come upon the wicked, His people have the assurance that they are safe in His hands. In patience they are to possess their souls.
The important future is before us. To meet its trials and temptations and to perform its duties will require persevering faith. But we may triumph gloriously, for not one watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the enemy. All heaven is interested in our welfare, and awaits our demand upon its wisdom and strength.
In the time of trial before us, God's pledge of security will be placed upon those who have kept the word of His patience. If you have complied with the conditions of God's Word, Christ will be to you a refuge from the storm. He will say to His faithful ones, "Come My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thee as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast" [Isaiah 26:20]. The Lion of Judah, so terrible to the rejecters of His grace, will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. The pillar of fire that speaks terror and wrath to the transgressor of God's law, is light and mercy and deliverance to those who have kept His commandments. The arm strong to smite the rebellious, will be strong to deliver the loyal. Every faithful one will surely be gathered. "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" [Matthew 24:31].
The adherents of truth are now called upon to choose whether to disregard a plain requirement of God's Word or forfeit their liberty. If we yield the Word of God, and accept human customs and traditions, we may still be permitted to live among men, to buy and sell, and have our rights respected. But, if we maintain our loyalty to God, it must be at the sacrifice of our rights among men, for the enemies of God's law have leagued together to crush out independent judgment in matters of religious faith, and to control the consciences of men. They are determined to put an end to the long continued controversy concerning the Sabbath, to prohibit all further spread of truth upon this point, and to secure the exaltation of Sunday in the very face of the injunction of the fourth commandment.
The people of God will recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment, and will try by precept and example to teach obedience to it as a scared duty within its legitimate sphere. But, when its claims conflict with the claims of God, we must obey God rather than men. The Word of God must be recognized as above all human legislation. "Thus saith the Lord" is not to be set aside for a "Thus saith the church or the state." The crown of Christ is to be uplifted above the diadems of earthly potentates.
The principle we are to uphold at this time is the same that was maintained by the adherents of the gospel in the great Reformation....The banner of truth and religious liberty, which these reformers held aloft, has in this last conflict been committed to us....
It is possible to be a formal, partial believer, and yet be found wanting, and lose eternal life. It is possible to practice some of the Bible injunctions, and be regarded as a Christian, and yet perish because you lack qualifications essential to Christian character. If you neglect or treat with indifference the warnings that God has given, if you cherish or excuse sin, you are sealing your soul's destiny. You will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. Grace, peace, and pardon will be forever withdrawn; and Jesus will have passed by, never again to come within the reach of your prayers and entreaties....
God will hold men accountable who have the plain teachings of His word, but disregard them and accept the sayings and customs of men. And yet how many are doing this!...
Ministers and people, with the Bible open before them, show contempt for the Word of God in His holy precepts, while they exalt a spurious sabbath, which has not other foundation than the authority of the Roman Church. Protestant churches, having received doctrines that the Word of God condemns, will bring these to the front and force them upon the consciences of men. Just as the papal authority urged their dogmas upon the advocates of truth in Luther's time. The same battle is again to be fought and every soul will be called upon to decide upon which side of the controversy he will be found....
The great truth of our entire dependence upon Christ for salvation lies close to the error of
presumption. Freedom in Christ is by thousands mistaken for lawlessness, and, because Christ
came to release us from the condemnation of the law, men declare that the law itself is done
away, and that those who keep it are fallen from grace. And thus, as truth and error appear so
near akin, minds that are not guided by the Holy Spirit will be led to accept the error, and in so
doing place themselves under the power of Satan's deceptions. In thus leading men to receive
error for truth, Satan is working to secure the homage of the Protestant world.
Manuscript 85, Undated,
Why do not those who claim to believe the truth show by their actions that they are sanctified through the truth, and not conformed to the world? Why do they not come out from the world and be separate? The time for us to represent the self-denial, the purity and holiness of our religion is today. The time will soon pass when we can individually deny self daily, and take up the cross and follow Jesus....
I am bowed to the earth with a weight of sorrow I cannot express....They have not the mark of God's people. They have not the meekness and lowliness of Christ, thus cannot shine as lights in the world. They conform to the world and their influence is the same character as that of the world.
With such solemn truths as we are handling, with the signs fulfilling everywhere in our world to
show that the end is near, the great crisis right upon us, the stupor, the lethargy, the pride and
conformity to the world in dress and in spirit is most astonishing. Famines, pestilences,
earthquakes, storms by land and sea, are putting out the lives of thousands, and this is only the
beginning of that which is to come.
- Calamities -
Manuscript 127, November 22, 1897
Manuscript 134, October 19, 1898
Manuscript 139, October 21, 1898
Letter 21, February 16, 1902
Manuscript 89, October 22, 1906
Letter 12, December 23, 1909
Manuscript 13, August 8, 1910
Manuscript 127, November 22, 1897, (see also 3SM 311-12; UL 340)
In the formation of our world, God was not be holden to pre-existent substance or matter. "For the things that are seen were not made of the things which do appear" [Hebrews 11:3]. On the contrary, all things, material or spiritual, stood up before the Lord Jehovah at His voice, and were created for His own purpose. The heavens and all the host of them, the earth and all things that are therein, are not only the work of His hand, they came into existence by the breath of His mouth.
The Lord had given evidence that by His power He could in one short hour dissolve the whole frame of nature. He can turn things up side down, and destroy the things that man has built up in His most firm and substantial manner. He "removeth the mountains," He "overturneth them in His anger," He "shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble." "The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His reproof." "The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence" [see Job 9:5, 6].
The Lord gives warnings to the inhabitants of the earth, as in the Chicago fire, and the fires in Melbourne, London, and the city of New York. When God's restraining hand is removed, the destroyer begins his work. Then in our cities the greatest calamities will come....The Lord is slow to anger. This should inspire the heart with gratitude. [Nahum 1:3 quoted]. The Lord puts constraint upon His own attributes. Omnipotence is exerted over Omnipotence Himself. Notwithstanding the perversity of men who are cumberers of the ground, the Lord Jehovah bears with them because there are some in the wicked cities who are within the possibility of forgiveness and acceptance with God. It is something that makes my heart sore and sad and at times in an agony, that those who have great light and knowledge should abuse the mercies of God....
Ere long there will be a sudden change in God's dealings. The Lord is prepared to visit the earth, for the iniquity of men is swelling to terrible proportions. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" [Ecclesiastes 8:11]....
The Lord is teaching men that there are limits to His forbearance. In fires, in floods, in earthquakes, in the fury of the great deep, in calamities by sea and land, the warning is given that God's Spirit will not always strive with men. The times in which we live are times of great depravity and crime of every degree. Why?--because men, whom God has blessed and favored, have reduced His holy law to a dead letter, making void the law of God by the traditions and inventions of the man of sin....
In proportion as the commandments of God are despised and set aside for the commandments of
men, which bear not the least sanctity, the appreciation of those who have come out from the
world, and have separated from it, is strikingly developed. On the other side, Satan through his
masterly power will seek to obtain the supremacy. It is the last of the great controversy and will
end in his destruction. There is a point in the iniquity of men when it is necessary that God shall
interfere, and this point is being reached; and those who are loyal to God's commandments are
more than ever bound to prize and love the law of God.
It is a terrible thing for a nation to wear out the patience of God. Each century of profligacy has
treasured up wrath for its iniquity against the day of wrath. Christ is now bidding the abandoned
of our day to fill up the measure of their fathers in their iniquity. When that time shall come,
and their cup of iniquity is filled up, it will be demonstrated that to wear out the patience of God
brings tremendous consequences to the disobedient. The nations of earth will act upon a
shortsighted policy. Through their own course of action the priests and rulers will restore the
lost ascendancy of the man of sin.
Manuscript 134, October 19, 1898,
Already the Spirit of God, insulted, refused, abused, is being withdrawn from the earth. Just as
fast as God's Spirit is taken away, Satan's cruel work will be done upon land and sea. The air is
filled with the poison malaria. Judgments by fire and flood will increase in fearfulness, for
Satan claims his harvest of souls in the destruction.
Manuscript 139, October 21, 1898, (see also CG 134-35; Ev 456, 474-75; IHP 76, 179, 222; MLT 331; TDG 303)
Satan is working to the utmost to make himself as God, and to destroy all who oppose his power, and today the world is bowing before him....It seems that the whole human creation wondered after the beast. The kings and rulers of the earth, those who are called noblemen, think themselves altogether too great to submit to the yoke of Christ, but they are willing to bow at Satan's bidding.
Behold Satan's miracle-working power. Every object in the earth, in the air, and in the water has been employed to confirm his claims. Those who yield to these claims are alive with intense activity, one influencing and stimulating another by confirming the greatness and glory of their kingdom. See the activity, the restless surging of the masses in their determination to take and occupy the place of the throne of God. What eagerness, what rage they exhibit in their religious enthusiasm. Mark the defiant rebellion written in their countenances. Their warfare is against their Creator and Redeemer. How vast is the procession they form! How mighty they think themselves to be in their countless numbers.
But they do not see all things. The cloud of judicial wrath hangs over them containing the elements that destroyed Sodom. John saw this multitude. This demon-worship was revealed to him, and it seemed as if the whole world was standing on the brink of perdition. But as he looked with intense interest, he beheld a company of God's commandment-keeping people. They had upon their foreheads the seal of the living God, and he exclaimed: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like the Son of man,
having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out
of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and
reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on
the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came
out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out
from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp
sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her
grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of
the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was
trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by
the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs" [Revelation 14:12-20].
When the storm of God's wrath breaks upon the world, it will be a terrible revelation for souls to
find that their house is being swept away, because it is built upon the sand.
Letter 21, February 16, 1902, (see also CM 19-20)
Is it true that the end of all things is at hand? What mean the awful calamities by sea--vessels shipwrecked and lives hurled into eternity without a moment's warning? What mean the awful accidents by land--fire consuming the riches men have hoarded, much of which has been accumulated by oppression of the poor? The Lord will not interfere to protect the property of those who transgress His law, break His covenant, and trample upon His Sabbath, accepting in its place a spurious rest day. As Nebuchadnezzar set up an image in the plains of Dura, and commanded all to bow before it, so this false sabbath has been exalted before the world, and men are commanded to keep it holy....
The plagues of God are already falling upon the earth, sweeping away costly structures as if by a
breath of fire from heaven. Will not these judgments bring professing Christians to their senses?
God permits them to come that the world may take heed, that sinners may be afraid and tremble
before Him.
Manuscript 89, October 22, 1906,
The Lord permits calamities to come that men may understand the sinfulness of their course, and turn to the Lord with humble confession. Often men, who were in darkness have, through trying circumstances which the Lord has permitted, been awakened and turned to Him. They have become men whom the Lord can use in the proclamation of His truth....
They who will not seek to exalt themselves are the one whom God can most safely entrust with
responsibilities.
Letter 12, December 23, 1909, (see also 7ABC 123-24; 1MCP 40-42)
Calamities are becoming more and more common, but every report of calamity by sea or by land
is a testimony of the fact that the end of all things is near. The world is filled with iniquity, and
the Lord is punishing [the world] for its wickedness. As crime and iniquity increase, these
judgments will become more frequent and more marked, until the time shall come when the
"earth...shall no more cover her slain" [Isaiah 26:21].
Manuscript 13, August 8, 1910,
As we begin active work for the multitudes in the cities, the enemy will work mightily to bring in confusion, hoping thus to break up the working forces. Some who are not thoroughly converted are in constant danger of mistaking the suggestions of the enemy as the leadings of the Spirit of God....
Satan is at work with vehement power to divert the minds of the multitudes, so that they shall not understand and obey the truth. He will entangle with every snare that he can devise.... But his supreme effort is to ensnare and deceive church members who have had long experience, and ministers of the gospel of Christ. With all their ingenuity Satan and the armies under him are working with their superior knowledge to deceive, if possible, the very elect....
We must remember that though they have lost their first estate, the fallen angels are wise above
the wisdom of earth, for they have been in the councils of heaven....He who is closely connected
with Christ will be strengthened to withstand human and satanic devisings.
- Judgment and Punishment -
Manuscript 1, June, 1857
Manuscript 5, 1876
Letter 14, August 8, 1883
Manuscript 41, 1896
Manuscript 58, June 21, 1897
Manuscript 122, August, 1899
Letter 30, February 25, 1900
Manuscript 33, June 25, 1900
Manuscript 151, 1901
Letter 195, September 6, 1903
Manuscript 102, July 2, 1904
Letter 217, July 3, 1904
Letter 154, May 12, 1906
Manuscript 1, June, 1857, (see also MAR 264)
The Lord in judgment will at the close of time walk through the earth; the fearful plagues will
begin to fall. Then those who have despised God's word, those who have lightly esteemed it,
shall "wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to
seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it" [Amos 8:12]. A famine is in the land for the
hearing of the Word. The ministers of God will have done their last work, offered their last
prayers, shed their last bitter tear for a rebellious church and an ungodly people. Their last
solemn warning has been given. O then how quickly would houses and lands...dollars that have
been miserly hoarded...be given...by those who have professed the truth and have not lived it
out....But no, they must hunger and thirst on in vain. Their thirst will never be quenched, no
consolation can they get. Their cases are decided and eternally fixed. It is a fearful, awful time.
Manuscript 5, 1876,
Because of his holy integrity and unwavering adherence to God's commands, Noah was counted singular indeed and made himself an object of contempt and derision by answering to the claims of God without a questioning doubt....Noah was tested and tried thoroughly and yet he preserved his integrity in the face of the world--all, all against him. Thus will it be when the Son of Man shall be revealed. The saved will be few, as is represented by Noah and his family. The world might have beheld the warnings....
The class who professed to acknowledge God were the ones who took the lead in rejecting the preaching of Noah and through their influence leading others to reject it.
To everyone comes the time of test and trial....The men before the flood sought to quiet their consciences, which the Spirit of God had aroused, by arguing how impossible it was for the message of Noah to be true and a flood to deluge the world that would turn nature out of her course. The same reasoning is heard today: "Why, the world will not be destroyed by fire." The siren song is sung, "All things continue as they were from the beginning. No need to pay any regard to this preaching that the worlds's history will soon close. Why, the laws of nature show the inconsistency of this." He who is Lord of nature can employ it to serve His purposes, for He is not the slave of nature.
They reasoned that it was not in accordance with the character of God to save Noah and his family, eight persons only, in that vast world, and let all the rest be swept out of existence by the waters of the flood....As they reasoned in Noah's day, they reason today when the warning message is proclaimed to fear God and keep His commandments, for the wrath of God is soon to fall on all the sinful and disobedient, and they will perish in the general conflagration. Professed servants of Christ who are unfaithful, who do not reverence God and with fear prepare for the terrible future event, will lull themselves to carnal security with their fallacious reasoning, as they did in Noah's day: God is too good and too merciful to save just a few who keep the Sabbath and believe the philosophers and men of wisdom would see the Sabbath and the shortness of time, if it were true. They do not believe a merciful God who made men will consume them with fire because they do not believe the warnings given. This, they reason, is not in accordance with God....
God's love is represented in our day as being of such a character as would forbid His destroying the sinner. Men reason from their own low standard of right and justice. "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself" [Psalms 50:21]. They measure God by themselves. They reason as to how they would act under the circumstances and decide God would do as they imagine they would do.
God's goodness and long forbearance, His patience and mercy exercised to His subjects will not hinder Him from punishing the sinner who refuses to be obedient to His requirements. It is not for man--a criminal against God's holy law, pardoned only through the great sacrifice He made in giving His son to die for the guilty because His law was changeless to dictate to God. After all this effort on the part of God to preserve the sacred and exalted character of His law, if men, through the sophistry of the devil, turn the mercy and condescension of God into a curse, they must suffer the penalty. Because Christ died, they consider they have liberty to transgress God's holy law, which condemns the transgressor, and would complain of its strictness and its penalty as severe and unlike God. They are uttering words Satan utters to millions, to quiet their conscience in rebellion against God.
In no kingdom or government is it left to the lawbreakers to say what punishment is to be executed against those who have broken the law. All we have, all the bounties of His grace which we possess, we owe to God. The aggravating character of sin against such a God cannot be estimated any more than the heavens can be measured with a span. God is a moral governor as well as a Father. He is the Lawgiver. He makes and executes His laws. Law that has no penalty is of no force.
The plea may be made that a loving Father would not see His children suffer punishment by fire while He had the power to relieve them. But God would, for the good of His subjects and for their safety, punish the transgressor. God does not work on the plan of man. He can do infinite justice, which man has no right to do...[to] his fellow man. Noah would have displeased God to have drowned one of the scoffers and mockers that harassed him, but God drowned the vast world. Lot would have had no right to inflict punishment on his sons-in-law, but God could do it in strict justice.
Who will say God will not do what He says He will do? "Let God be true and every man a liar" [see Romans 3:4]. The Lord is coming in flaming fire to take vengeance on those sinners who know not God and obey not His gospel. And because in His infinite mercy He delays His coming to give the world a larger span for repentance, sinners flatter themselves [that] He will never come. In the public press, in the haunts of sin, as well as in the schools of science so-called, there is one sentiment: They curl the lips with scorn, and jest and ridicule at the warnings given them, and look upon the thousands who will not believe. Jests are uttered, witty paragraphs published at the expense of those who wait and look for His appearing, and, with fear, like Noah, prepare for the event. This is not new, but as old as sin. It is as false as the father of lies.
When ministers, farmers, merchants, lawyers, great men, and professedly good men shall cry,
"Peace and safety," sudden destruction cometh. Luke reports the words of Christ, that the day of
God comes as a snare--the figure of an animal prowling in the woods for prey, and lo, suddenly
he is entrapped in the concealed snare of the fowler.
Letter 14, August 8, 1883,
I was shown in the vision given me of the judgment, that God would send warnings, counsels, and reproof. Some would take heed to their ways and seek the Lord, while some would follow their own judgment because it was more convenient and pleasing to their natural hearts to do so. While some others would kick against the pricks, rising up against the testimonies of reproof, despise the warnings, choose their own wisdom, be ensnared and overcome by the enemy, and become so blinded by his infatuation they would be utterly unable to discern the things of God and would work directly against the light, enshrouding themselves in darkness and error. Then these very ones sustain and strengthen the hands of our bitterest enemies....
I was shown that the time was in the near future that these whom God has warned and reproved and given great light, but they would not correct their ways and follow light, He would remove from them that heavenly protection that had preserved them from Satan's cruel power. The Lord would surely leave them to themselves to follow the judgment and counsels of their own wisdom. They would simply be left to themselves and the protection of God [would] be withdrawn from them, and they would not be shielded from the workings of Satan....None of finite judgment and foresight can have any power to conceive of the care God has exercised through His angels over the children of men in their travels, in their houses, in their eating and drinking. Wherever they are, His eye is upon them. They are preserved from a thousand dangers, all of them unseen. Satan has laid snares, but the Lord is constantly at work to save His people from them. But those who have no sense of the goodness of God, who refuse His merciful warnings, who reject His counsels to reach the highest standard of Bible requirements, who do despite to the Spirit of grace, the Lord would remove His protecting power.
I was shown that Satan would entangle and then destroy, if he could, the souls he had tempted.
God will bear long, but there is a bound to His mercy, a line which marks His mercy and His
justice....It is Satan's power that is at work at sea and on land bringing calamity and distress, and
sweeping off multitudes to make sure of His prey. Storm and tempest both by land and sea will
be, for Satan has come down in great wrath. He is at work. He knows his time is short, and, if
he is not restrained, we shall see more terrible manifestations of his power than we have ever
dreamed of.
Manuscript 41, 1896, (see also 7ABC 37, 486; TMK 57)
In the last scenes of this earth's history, war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague, and
famine. The waters of the great deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be
destroyed by fire and flood. Disasters will come unexpectedly upon the world. This should
show us that the souls for whom Christ has died should be fitting up for the mansions that He
has gone to prepare for them. There is rest from earth's conflict. Where is it?--"that where I am,
there ye may be also" [John 14:3]. Heaven is where Christ is.
Manuscript 58, June 21, 1897, (see also 7ABC 36, 194, 267, 471)
When the test is over, when men have taken sides for or against the law of Jehovah, the season
of mercy and probation is ended. Then God will move in the straight line of justice to give to
every man as his works have been. Some will receive the reward of well-doing, others the
reward of their evil deeds.
Manuscript 122, August, 1899, (see also 1MCP 51)
The world is soon to be left by the angel of mercy and the seven last plagues are to be poured
out....The storm is gathering. The bolts of God's wrath are soon to fall, and, when He shall begin
to punish the transgressors, there will be no period of respite until the end. He shall come forth
to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and "the earth...shall disclose her blood,
and shall no more cover her slain" [Isaiah 26:21]. Only those stand who are sanctified through
the truth in the love of God. They will be hid with Christ in God until the desolation shall be
overpast.
Letter 30, February 25, 1900, (see also 7ABC 167)
Men have insulted God by accepting as holy a common working day. Nothing can put the stamp of the man of sin so definitely upon the world as the acceptance of a spurious sabbath, while the day God has set apart is trampled underfoot.
With His own finger God wrote His commandments on two tables of stone. These tables were not left in the keeping of men, but were placed in the ark; and in the great day, when every case is decided, these tables inscribed with the commandments, will be placed so that all the world will see and understand. The witness against them will be unanswerable.
And upon those who have taken upon them the work of shepherds of the flock will be visited the
heaviest judgments, because they have presented to the people fables instead of truth. Children
will rise up and curse their parents. Church members, who have seen the light and been
convicted, but who trusted the salvation of their souls to the minister, will learn in the day of
God that no other soul can pay the ransom for their transgression. A terrible cry will be raised,
"I am lost, eternally lost." Men will feel as though they could rend in pieces the ministers who
have preached falsehoods and condemned the truth. The pure truth for this time requires a
reformation in the life, but they separated themselves from the love of the truth, and of them it
can be said, "O Israel, thou has destroyed thyself" [Hosea 13:19]. The Lord sends a message to
the people, "Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the
Lord, because they have transgressed My covenant, and trespassed against My law" [Hosea 8:1].
Manuscript 33, June 25, 1900, (see also CG 513)
[The Lord declares,] "When it is made a crime for My people to keep holy the Sabbath, then I will arise out of My place and punish the world for it's iniquity. The earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain" [see Isaiah 26:21]....
When the Lord sends His servants with a message to warn the members of the church, to open before them the truth, many of those who claim to be shepherds refuse to examine the word of the Lord for themselves, and commence a tirade against the messenger and the message of truth, circulating falsehoods originated by those who have apostatized from the truth. They receive these falsehoods and make every possible use of them in opposing those whom the Lord has sent with a message of warning to lead the people to search the Bible for themselves with a sacred awe, fearing lest they shall be found fighting against God and committing blasphemy. God's messengers are charged with doing the work of Satan. But as they follow the example of the great Teacher, their work bears witness of them....
Those who have permitted themselves to be deceived will not be excused for neglecting to
search the Word of God for themselves. They committed their souls to the minister, who was
not diligent in searching the Word to know the truth. But the minister cannot pay the ransoms
for their souls.
Manuscript 151, 1901, (see also 7ABC 50, 128)
At any moment God can withdraw from the impenitent the tokens of His wonderful mercy and love. O, that human agencies might consider what will be the sure result of their ingratitude to Him, and of their disregard of the infinite gift of Christ to our world! If they continue to love transgression more than obedience, the present blessings and the great mercy of God, which they now enjoy but do not appreciate, will finally become the occasion of their eternal ruin. They may for a time choose to engage in worldly amusements and sinful pleasures, rather than check themselves in their course of sin and live for God and for the honor of the Majesty of heaven; but, when it is too late for them to see and understand that which they have slighted as a thing of naught, they will know what it means to be without God, without hope. Then will they sense what they have lost by choosing to be disloyal to God and to stand in rebellion against His commandments. In the past they [have] defied His power and rejected His overtures of mercy; finally His judgments will fall upon them. They will realize that they have lost happiness--life, eternal life in the heavenly courts. Surely they will say, "Our life was full of madness against God, and now we are lost!"
In the time when God's judgments are falling without mercy, Oh, how enviable will be the
position of those who abide "in the secret place of the Most High"--the pavilion in which the
Lord hides all who have loved Him and have obeyed His commandments! The lot of the
righteous is indeed an enviable one at such a time to those who are suffering because of their
sins. But the door of mercy is closed to the wicked. No more prayers are offered in their behalf,
after probation ends.
Letter 195, September 6, 1903, (see also TDG 258; UL 263)
In this age, a time of satanic wonders, everything conceivable will be said and done to deceive if possible, the very elect. Let believers say nothing to extol Satan's power. The Lord will distinguish His commandment-keeping people with signal marks of His favor, if they will be molded and fashioned by His Spirit, and build up in the most holy faith, harkening strictly to the voice of His word....
If we stand in the great day of the Lord with Christ as our refuge, our high tower, we must put away all envy, all strife for the supremacy. We must utterly destroy the roots of these unholy things, that they may not again spring into life. We must place ourselves wholly on the side of the Lord. Tribulation and wrath will surely come upon those who profess to be Christians, yet who accept the principles of Satan, departing from the commandments of God in the daily life of living a lie.
Can we not see the uncertainty of time? There are many, many, who are unready for the Lord's
appearing. They continue to act like the wicked, to cherish the principles of the wicked, [and]
they will be punished with the wicked. If they betray the truth of God, causing the message
given by Him to become an uncertain thing, can He shield them from the disasters by sea and by
land? No, No!
Manuscript 102, July 2, 1904, (see also Ev 274; 2MCP 575; RC 243, 250, 261, 283)
Last night a scene was presented before me. I may never feel free to reveal all of it, but I will reveal a little. It seemed that an immense ball of fire came down upon the world and crushed large houses. From place to place the cry arose, "The Lord has come! The Lord has come!" Many were unprepared to meet Him, but a few were saying, "Praise the Lord!"
"Why are you praising the Lord?" inquired those upon whom was coming sudden destruction.
"Because we now see what we have been looking for."
"If you believed that these things were coming, why did you not tell us?" was the terrible response. "We did not know about these things. Why did you leave us in ignorance? Again and again you have seen us; why did you not become acquainted with us and tell us of the judgment to come, and that we must serve God, lest we perish? Now we are lost!"...
May God help us to stand, like Daniel, in our lot and place during the days of probation that
remain. Parents, teach your children regarding the things that are coming upon the earth and
lead them to prepare to meet their Lord in peace.
Letter 217, July 3, 1904,
Night before last a very impressive scene passed before me. I saw an immense ball of fire fall
into the midst of some beautiful mansions, causing their instant destruction. I heard some say,
"We knew that the judgments of God were coming upon the earth, but we did not know they
would come so soon." Others said, "You knew! Why then did you not tell us? We did not
know." On every side I heard such words spoken.
Letter 154, May 12, 1906,
As we near the close of this earth's history, we shall see the scenes of the San Francisco calamity repeated in other places....
These things make me feel very solemn, because I know that the judgment day is right upon us. The judgments that have already come are a warning, but not the finishing of the punishment that will come on wicked cities. Our cities are most terrible places, wherein are practiced all kinds of sin and iniquity of the most revolting character. The Lord's name is greatly dishonored....
In the night season I have had many presentations of the judgments of God coming upon our cities, and now I can understand better the real meaning of these scenes I have witnessed.... How soon the scenes of destruction and desolation will come and be universal, we cannot tell. "Be ye also ready," saith the Lord, "for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh" [Matthew 24:44].
Habakkuk 2:1, 2; 2:3-20; Zephaniah 1:1-3, 20; Zechariah 1:1-4, 14; Malachi 1:1-4 quoted.
These scenes will soon be witnessed, just as they are clearly described. I present these wonderful statements from the Scriptures for the consideration of everyone. The prophecies recorded in the Old Testament are the word of the Lord for the last days, and will be fulfilled as surely as we have seen the desolation of San Francisco.
Will any body of men bring upon themselves the displeasure of the Lord by framing a law for the observance of a spurious sabbath, and then compelling obedience to this law? Will they insult God by profaning His holy day, and assuming authority as gods to exalt the first day of the week to be observed by all?...
Whoever of the human family will dare to defy the Lord God will pay the penalty by meeting the great Lawgiver over His broken law. The word has gone forth. It is not the word of a human power, but of Almighty Authority, of a living and true God. Will man dare trifle with the sacred law of Jehovah, and place in its stead a common working day, which marks the beginning of the week for the transaction of ordinary business. We will venture to meet Jehovah over His broken law....How can men dare to assume the authority of Jehovah, and represent themselves as God, change times and laws.
I call the attention of thinking men of these things. Dare you continue to take a human
enactment that bears not the stamp of divine approval, and place it before the people as
something to respect and honor? Will you substitute a counterfeit in place of the true and
genuine? Will you thus meet God over His broken law, and stand with threats of persecution
and severe punishment against people who you regard as criminals because they choose to obey
the law of Jehovah in place of spurious sabbath that man has created?
- Christ Comes -
Letter 2, August 24, 1874
Letter 97, April 29, 1886
Manuscript 56, May 21, 1886
Manuscript 6a, June 27, 1886
Letter 113, July 11, 1886
Manuscript 15b, July 21, 1886
Manuscript 81, September 21, 1886
Letter 137, April 6, 1896
Manuscript 39, March 11, 1898
Manuscript 159, September 4, 1903
Letter 257, July 27, 1904
Manuscript 36, March 24, 1906
Letter 2, August 24, 1874, (see also 1SM 74; 3SM 36-37)
When Christ the great Life-Giver shall come in the clouds of heaven to raise the dead, there will
be a terrible earthquake. The trump of God will be heard resounding through earth's remotest
bounds, and the voice of Jesus will call forth the dead from their graves to immortal life....Christ
is coming with power and great glory which shall illuminate the earth from east to west, from
north to south, with the flash of lightning.
Letter 97, April 29, 1886,
What a scene will these mountains and hills [of Switzerland] present when Christ, the Life-Giver, shall call forth the dead! They will come from caverns, from dungeons, from deep wells,
where their bodies have been buried. They will come forth with the sound of the trumpet and
the voice of God at the last great and terrible day of the Lord.
Manuscript 56, May 21, 1886,
Before the glory of Him who is to reign, the mountains will tremble and bow, the rocks will be moved out of their places, for once more will the Lord shake, not alone the earth, but the heavens also. The scattered ones, who have fled for their lives to the rocks, the dens, the caverns of the earth, because of the fury of the oppressor, will be made glad at the voice of God.
As John exiled upon the Isle of Patmos was startled from his contemplation of the works of God in nature, and, as on bended knees he was praying to Him, he hears a voice saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last" [Revelation 1:8]. At the sound of the voice, John falls down in astonishment as if dead. He is unable to bear the sight of the divine glory. But a hand raises John up, and the voice he remembers as the voice of his Master. He is strengthened and can endure to talk with the Lord Jesus. So will it be with the remnant people of God who are scattered--some persecuted. When the voice of God is heard, and the brightness of the glory is revealed, when the trial is over, the dross removed, they know they are in the presence of the One who has redeemed them by His own blood.
Just what Christ was to John in his exile, He will be to His people who are made to feel the hand of oppression for the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ. These very martyrs will one day be resplendent with the glory of God, because He has faithful ones who have been loyal, while the world and the churches have made void His holy law. These were driven by the storm and tempest of persecution to the crevices of the rocks, but were hiding in the Rock of Ages, and in the fastnesses of the mountains, in the caves and dens of the earth, the Saviour reveals His presence and His glory.
Yet a little while, and He that is to come will come and will not tarry. His eyes as a flame of fire penetrate into the fast-closed dungeons and hunt out the hidden ones, for their names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
These eyes of the Saviour are above us, around us, noting every difficulty, discerning every danger; and there is no place where His eyes cannot penetrate, no sorrows and sufferings of His people where the sympathy of Christ does not reach. They reach the persecuted ones everywhere. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" [Matthew 25:40]. Every deed of darkness that Satan, united with wicked men may do, Christ's eyes like a flame of fire detect, and it is noted and registered by the great Heart Searcher.
The child of God will be terror-stricken at the first sight of the majesty of Jesus Christ. He feels that he cannot live in His holy presence. But the word comes to him, as to John, "Fear not." Jesus laid His right hand upon John. He raised him up from his prostrate position. So will he do unto His loyal, trusting ones, for there are greater revelations of the glory of God to be given them.
There is also to be a revelation to the transgressors of the law of Jehovah--they who made void
the law of God, who have taken their stand on the side of him who thought to change times and
laws. From the terror-stricken myriads comes the cry, "The great day of His wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand?" [Revelation 6:17].
Manuscript 6a, June 27, 1886, (see also 7ABC 41; 3SM 354-55; UL 192)
[In Revelation 20:11-15] is presented before us the great and solemn day when the judgment is to sit and the books to be opened, and the dead are to be judged according to the things that are written in the books. I have questioned in my mind, as I have seen the people of our cities hurrying to and from business, whether they ever thought of the day of God that is just before us. Every one of us should be living with reference to the great day which is soon to come upon us....
Do we consider from day today that a record is going up to heaven of all our actions here? If we would take heed to our ways, and if we would have the fear of God before us, our lives here would be far better than they are today....Angels of God in heaven are sent to our earth to weigh moral worth. And our heavenly Father has sent us the message of warning, that we shall get ready for that day of final reckoning....
It is our privilege to understand the great responsibilities that God has placed upon us, so that we shall not be in darkness as to what is coming upon our world. We cannot afford to meet that day without a preparation. But when we think of this great and solemn event of Christ's coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, we should live in great humiliation before God, lest we fail of the grace of God and prove ourselves unworthy of eternal life....
We see that the world at large have no thought of this great day, and many of them do not care to hear anything about it. But we must meet the record of our lives. We must remember that there is a witness to all our works. An eye like a flame of fire beholds us in all our actions of life. Our very thoughts and intents and purposes of our hearts are laid bare to God's inspection. As the features are produced upon the polished plate of the [photographic] artist, so are our characters upon the books of record in heaven....
Everyone then will see just where he departed from the right way. Everyone will then discern the influence he had upon his fellowmen by his own departure from God's righteousness, to turn them away from the ways of truth and right. Everyone then will understand just what he did to dishonor the God of heaven by breaking His law.
Everyone who comes forth from the dead, when Christ comes in the clouds of heaven, and those who are living, will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The deeds and acts which we have thought to have been done in secret where no eye could see, are made known. There was an eye that saw and registered the deeds done by man....
Enoch walked with God three hundred years previous to his translation to heaven, and the state of the world was not then more favorable for the perfection of Christian character than it is today....Enoch was a representative of those who will be upon the earth when Christ shall come, who will be translated to heaven without seeing death....
When the judgment shall sit and the books opened, and everyone judged according to the deeds done in the body, those who have imitated Christ in obedience to God's commandments, will be blessed. "And another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" [Revelation 20:12].
John also saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem with its twelve gates and twelve foundations, coming down from God out of heaven. He was shown that city, and saw the streets of transparent gold, clear as crystal. Everyone that goes into that city is changed and sanctified in character here in this life. The nations that have kept the truth enter into the city of God, and a voice is heard clear and distinct, "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" [Revelation 22:14].
There the crown of immortal glory is placed upon the head of the overcomer....As John sees this precious company, refined and purified, around the throne of God, the angel inquires, "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" And John answers, "Sir, thou knowest," and the angel answers, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them" [Revelation 7:13-15]....
Do not place your influence against God's commandments. That law is just as Jehovah wrote it
in the temple in heaven. Man may trample upon its copy here below, but the original is kept in
the ark of God in heaven; and on the cover of this ark, right above that law, is the mercy seat.
Jesus stands right there before the ark to mediate for man....Seek for immortality, and the crown
of life, and then you will have heaven at last.
Letter 113, July 11, 1886,
I look forward in imagination to the time when the trump of God shall sound and all that are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth, those that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation.
Oh, what a scene will we then see--some coming forth to life eternal at the first resurrection.
Upon them the second death shall have no power. And then at the end of a thousand years the
wicked dead come forth. I cannot endure to think of this. I dwell with pleasure upon the
resurrection of the just, who shall come forth from all parts of the earth, from rocky caverns,
from dungeons, from caves of the earth, from the waters of the deep--not one is overlooked!
Every one shall hear His voice. They will come forth with triumph and victory. Then there is to
be no more death, no more sin, no more sorrow.
Manuscript 15b, July 21, 1886,
In the midst of their unbelief and godless pleasure the shout of the archangel and the trump of God is heard. The fatal deception is broken at last, and they find themselves weighed in the balances and found wanting....
Just when the world has been rocked to sleep by the peace and safety cry of the professed
watchmen; just when the scoffer is uttering his bold challenge, "Where is the promise of His
coming?"--when everything in our world is busy [with] activity, immersed in selfish ambition for
gain, Jesus comes as a thief in the night. Watch therefore for the solemn events predicted. The
believing, watching ones are addressed, "Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them...and they shall not escape" [1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3].... Grand and
magnificent buildings will be shaken down. The guilty worshipers will be buried in their ruins.
Manuscript 81, September 21, 1886, (see also MAR 279)
In regard to the coming of the Son of Man, this will not take place until after the mighty earthquake shakes the earth [and] after the people have heard the voice of God. [But before that time] they are in despair and trouble such as never was since there was a nation, and in this the people of God will suffer affliction. The clouds of heaven will clash, and there will be darkness, then that voice comes from heaven and the clouds begin to roll back like a scroll, and there is the bright, clear sign of the Son of Man. The children of God know what that cloud means.
The sound of music is heard, and as it nears, the graves are opened, and the dead are raised, and there are thousands of thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand of angels that compose that glory and encircle the Son of Man. Those who have acted the most prominent part in the rejection of Christ come forth to see Him as He is, and those who have rejected Christ come up to see the saints glorified, and it is at that time that the saints are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. The very ones who placed upon Him the purple robe and put the crown of thorns upon His brow, and those who put the nails through His hands and feet, look upon Him and wail. This is the very sign of the coming of the Son of Man....
There are many signs that will take place before the coming of the Son of Man, but when the
white cloud is seen, this will be the sign of the coming of the Son of Man. There will be signs in
the sun, moon, and stars, and the nations in perplexity. These all testify that Christ is coming,
and He is revealed in the clouds with power and great glory.
Letter 137, April 6, 1896,
The straight testimony must be borne whether men will hear or whether they will forbear. Those reproved who will not be warned, counseled or reformed but who justify their own course of actions, will be left to their own ways, to be filled with their own doings. Like the inhabitants of the old world, they will follow with persistent zeal the imagination of their own hearts, and they will perish in their sins.
When the earth is reeling to and fro like a drunkard, when the heavens are shaking, and the great day of the Lord is come, who shall be able to stand? One object they behold in trembling agony, from which they will try in vain to escape: "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him" [Revelation 1:7]. The unsaved utter wild imprecations to dumb nature--their god: "Mountains and rocks, 'fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb'" [Revelation 6:16].
Creation is loyal to her God, and deaf to the frenzied call. That unrequited love is now turned to wrath. Sinners who would not let Jesus take away their sins are rushing from place to place in search of a hiding place, crying, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and our souls are not saved!" [see Jeremiah 8:20]. Oh that they had seen the Rock of shelter and perfect safety--the Cleft of the Rock--whither they might flee until the indignation be overpast! "A man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest" [Isaiah 32:2]. That Lamb whose wrath will be so terrible to the scorner of His grace, will be grace, and righteousness, and love, and blessing to all who have received Him.
The pillar of cloud that was dark with terror and avenging wrath to the Egyptians, was to the
people of God a pillar of fire for brightness. So will it be to the Lord's people in these last days.
The light and glory of God to His commandment-keeping people are darkness to the unbelieving. They see that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The arm, long
stretched, strong to save all who come unto Him, is strong to execute His judgment upon all who
would not come unto Him that they might have life....The sure provision has been made to
shelter every soul, and shield those who have kept His commandments until the indignation be
overpast.
Manuscript 39, March 11, 1898, (see also 7ABC 324; UL 84)
The Son of Man will come in the clouds of Heaven in His own glory and the glory of His Father,
and of all the holy angels. There will be no lack of honor and glory. In that day the law of God
is to be revealed in its majesty, and man who has broken that law and stood in defiant rebellion
against its holy precepts, will understand that law which he has despised, discarded and trampled
under foot is God's standard of character.
Manuscript 159, September 4, 1903, (see also 7ABC 266, 342; UL 261)
In the day of His (Christ's) coming, the last great trumpet is heard, and there is a terrible shaking of earth and heaven. The whole earth, from the loftiest mountains to the deepest mines, will hear. Everything will be penetrated by fire. The tainted atmosphere will be cleansed by fire. The fire having fulfilled its mission, the dead that have been laid away in the graves will come forth--some to the resurrection of life, to be caught up to meet their Lord in the air, and some to behold the coming of Him whom they have despised and whom they now recognize as the judge of all the earth.
All the righteous are untouched by the flames. They can walk through the fire--smoke and flame
will be powerless to harm the righteous. Those who are united with the Lord will escape
unscathed. Earthquakes, hurricanes, flame, and flood cannot injure those who are prepared to
meet their Saviour in peace.
Letter 257, July 27, 1904, (see also IHP 101)
When Christ comes to gather to Himself those who have been faithful, the last trump will sound,
and the whole earth, from the summits of the loftiest mountains to the lowest recesses of the
deepest mines will hear. The righteous dead will hear the sound of the trump, and will come
forth from their graves to be clothed with immortality and to meet their Lord. And those who
pierced the Saviour, those who scourged and crucified Him, will also be raised to behold Him
whom they mocked and despised, coming in the clouds of heaven, attended by the heavenly host,
ten thousand times then thousand, and thousands of thousands.
Manuscript 36, March 24, 1906, (see also 3SM 427; UL 97)
When Christ comes, He takes those who have purified their souls by obeying the truth. Some
will go into the grave who are now in active life, and some will be alive and be changed when
Christ shall come. This mortal shall put on immortality, and these corruptible bodies, subject to
disease, will be changed from mortal to immortal. We shall then be gifted with a higher nature.
The bodies of all who purify their souls by obeying the truth shall be glorified. They have fully
received and believed in Jesus Christ.
- Standing Before God -
Letter 6, November 3, 1877
Letter 26, October 11, 1895
Manuscript 137, December 16, 1897
Letter 21, December 19, 1897
Letter 89, October 30, 1898
Manuscript 39, March 11, 1898
Letter 52, March 23, 1899
Letter 25, February 15, 1900
Letter 74, May 20, 1900
Manuscript 37, July 8, 1900
Letter 131, October 14, 1900
Letter 2, January 2, 1901
Letter 22, February 3, 1901
Manuscript 105, September 28, 1901
Letter 159, November 3, 1901
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904
Manuscript 53, 1906
Letter 90, March 6, 1906
Letter 136, April 27, 1906
Letter 6, November 3, 1877,
God will never give up His rightful claim. He will never cease to command. However, you may
be determined to refuse to obey and if you die following your own will, refusing the will of God,
He will eventually justify the reasonableness of your condemnation before the assembled
universe. Not one of the countless millions of the human family will stand alone before God
pleading that he had done all that he could to comply with the conditions of salvation revealed in
His Word, and yet he is unsaved. Everyone who fails to obtain the immortal life will be self-condemned, with not an excuse to offer before God.
Letter 26, October 11, 1895, (see also 3SM 324)
When the sin-cursed earth is purified from every stain of sin, when the Mount of Olives is rent
asunder and becomes a great plain, when the Holy City of God descends upon it, the land that is
now called the Holy Land will indeed become Holy.
Manuscript 137, December 16, 1897,
The judgment scene will be held in the presence of all the worlds, for in this judgement the government of God will be vindicated and His honor, His law, stand forth as "holy, and just, and good" [Romans 7:12]. Then every case will be decided, and the judgment sentence passed upon the whole world. Sin will not then appear attractive, but will be seen in all its hideous magnitude. Then will be seen the relation in which we stand to God and each other....
When God's people are clothed with white robes, and crowned as true subjects of His kingdom, those who have been disloyal will see the inconsistency of their [not] uniting with the loyal to honor and magnify the law of God, which they have educated themselves to disregard....
Christ had such an experience in His humanity that He would be close beside everyone who passes through suffering for the truth's sake--those who are tortured, imprisoned in dungeons, and bound in chains...And all who cause His people to suffer, will experience this suffering in their own bodies, be they pope, legate, priest, or people. They will understand in that day that they were dealing with Christ in the person of His saints. Then they will understand what these words mean, "the wrath of the Lamb" [Revelation 6:16].
Those who have tried to lay their plans in councils, and by their superior numbers gained power to oppress the saints of God, to compel them to dishonor and disobey their Redeemer, will understand the work they have done upon the earth as enemies of God, betrayers of sacred trusts. They will then know how many souls they have deceived and led away from their
allegiance to God. They will see that they have made themselves responsible for the loss of souls by misrepresenting the word of God....
[Jesus] says, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth" [John 5:28, 29]. This voice is soon to resound through all the nations of the dead, and every saint who sleeps in Jesus shall awake and leave his prison house. The general judgment shall take place at the end of the one thousand years. Whoever has disowned Christ, betrayed Him in the person of His saints, will then see the result of his work....
Christ will then sit on the throne of judgment. He will not stand before the bar of Pilate or
Herod. He is the judge, and Pilate and Herod stand before the Man whom they scourged and
delivered up to the will of His enemies, while priests and rulers clamored for the death of their
Messiah. Pilate and Herod, who suffered the Lord to be scourged, and those who scourged Him,
those who struck Him in the face and mocked Him will understand what it means to meet the
wrath of the Lamb.
Letter 21, December 19, 1897, (see also OHC 236)
Farmers, merchants, lawyers, tradesmen, will be wholly engrossed in business, and the day of the Lord will come upon them as a snare. When men are at ease, full of amusement, absorbed in buying and selling, then the thief approaches with stealthy tread. So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man....
The time is coming when the mountains shall be shaken and removed as a cottage, but the thoughts, the purposes, the action, of the faithful worker for the Master, although now unseen, will appear again at the great day of final retribution. Things that now may seem a light matter, will then appear as witnesses, either to approve or condemn....
In the great day of judgment, no man who has retained the frailty and imperfection of natural
humanity, will be vindicated, for he could not enjoy the perfection of the characters of the saints
in light. He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning,
has not that faith that will give him an entrance into the kingdom of God.
Manuscript 39, March 11, 1898, (see also 7ABC 324; UL 84)
In His teachings, Christ sought to impress human minds with the coming judgment and its publicity. This is not the judgment of a few individuals, or a nation, but of a whole world of human intelligences, of accountable beings. And that judgment must be held in the presence of the world, that the love, integrity, the service of man for God may be glorified and honored on the largest scale.
"The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" [John 5:22]. He has given His authority to execute judgment, "because He is the Son of man" [Verse 27]. In His super-added humanity consists the reason of Christ's appointment. God hath committed all judgment unto the Son, for without controversy He is God manifest in the flesh. [see 1 Timothy 3:16].
God designed that the Prince of Sufferers in humanity should be the judge of the whole world. He who submitted to be arraigned before an earthly tribunal; He who came from the heavenly courts to save man from eternal death. He whom men despised, rejected, and upon whom they heaped all the contempt of which human beings, inspired by Satan, are capable; He who suffered the ignominious death of the cross. He alone was to pronounce the sentence of reward or of punishment. When every man shall be judged as his works have been, then the words spoken to...[the Jewish leaders] in the judgment hall "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God" [see Matthew 26:64], will appear before them as if written in letters of fire. Under the inspiration of Satan, the Jews had chosen a robber and a murderer in place of Christ, and with this company they bound themselves for the judgment of the last day....
In that day the law of God is be revealed in its majesty, and men who have broken that law, and stood in defiant rebellion against its holy precepts, will understand that law which they have despised, discarded, and trampled underfoot is God's standard of character. Every commandment-keeping soul, every transgressor, will have placed before him the scene when the Sabbath was first given to man in Eden, when the foundations of the earth were laid, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Then it was that the Sabbath was instituted. This scene will be vividly brought before every mind.
Those who have administered in word and doctrine, who, by smooth words and fair speeches have taught that the law of God is no longer binding, that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment was only given for the Jews; those who have educated their hearers to show contempt for the warnings sent by the Lord's prophets and apostles and delegated servants, will have brought to their mind the scenes of Sinai with all their grandeur....
All heaven recognized the first advent of Christ....And will Christ's second coming be wanting in glory?--No! He comes in triumph. At His death creation shrouded itself in darkness, and all nature sympathized with His sorrow and humiliation; and nature will testify her triumph at His second appearing....
The same Jesus whose atonement has been rejected, whose followers have been despised and reviled, will be "revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power" [2 Thessalonians 1:7-9]. Then shall "all the kindreds of the earth...wail because of Him" [Revelation 1:7].
Too well do the unprepared inhabitants of earth know what to expect. Satan cannot pay a
ransom for their souls, and poor, deluded, professed Christians, who have been content to let the
ministers do their searching of the Scriptures, see that they will receive as their works have been.
Those, too, who have wrested the Scriptures and taught for doctrines the commandments of
men, see that they must answer for the souls of those whom they have led into error and
apostasy. A wail of despair and agony reaches heavenward, but it is echoed back to earth.
Louder, far louder than any human cry, is the last trumpet's sound, and far above all is heard the
voice of Omnipotence: "Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity" [Matthew 7:23].
Letter 89, October 30, 1898,
At the present time there are those placed as jurors, senators, lawyers, and judges, who forget that God is a party to all their transactions, and that He will call them to give an account of all their injustice toward their fellowmen in causing the innocent to suffer and the guilty to escape. Men have so long done this that they have forgotten God. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" [Ecclesiastes 8:11]. But the God of truth is a witness to every false oath, and the Holy One that inhabiteth eternity will not serve with their sins.
No man can violate justice in the common courts of today, but he will sooner or later understand that all fraud, all deception, will stand open to the universe of heaven and to the inhabitants of earth. God has given to men the talents of reason, of speech, of discrimination, and if they pervert God's gifts and use them to work fraud and unrighteousness and injustice, the Lord will surely bring them into judgment. God is either served by the reason and talents He has entrusted to men, or He is dishonored by them. He sees the transactions of the children of men. No one can practice falsehood, no one can receive a bribe to clear men from the consequences of their guilt and fasten the wrong upon the innocent, but the Lord will bring them into judgment for it.
This will be a serious matter for those who have assumed the responsibility of administering justice, and who for the sake of gain have done injustice to their fellowmen. Those men who are standing in responsible positions may know that whatever dishonors God is a transgression of His law, and places them at the bar of God to render an account for their deeds. These men who have supposed that they can violate the principles of righteousness, and that will come out right in the end, may know that for all these things the Lord will bring them into judgment....
There are men in the church and in the world, who have educated themselves to practice fraud, and for this they will be brought into judgment....Men have chosen to stand, not under the bloodstained banner of Prince Immanuel, but under the rebel flag to do the works of a rebellious prince. They may have sold their souls for money; they may have taken the Lord's money to purchase wheat and the facilities whereby poor men live, that they may extort from the Lord's creatures the highest prices; they make for themselves princely fortunes, but for all this the Lord says He will bring them into judgment....
The cries of starving humanity are coming up before God, while these men bow down to their
senseless idols as verily as do the heathen to their gods of wood and stone. Though the whole
world were in league to prove it otherwise, every dollar gained in this unholy traffic wraps a
curse up with it. The larger the bank stock, the more surely will be the judgment of God.
Letter 52, March 23, 1899,
I urge you to consider what the opening of the books of heaven will reveal. The book of remembrance will confront you at the judgment bar, revealing in distinct lines the longsuffering of God. God could cut you down as a cumberer of the ground, but instead He points you to an open door, and says, "Repent...and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" [Acts 5:19].
In the judgment, when every case is decided, there will be revealed in its fullness the responsibility of every man. You will realize the influence you might have had over other souls, had you stood under the bloodstained banner of Jesus Christ. How interwoven is the web of human influence. The course of action followed by every man has a direct bearing upon the lives of others.
I have had presented to me the solemn scenes of the judgment, and I now ask you to stop and
consider, "How is it with my soul?"
Letter 25, February 15, 1900,
Mighty, invisible powers are acting their part in the affairs of men in the last great conflict. The warfare will be so conducted that the power that has exalted itself above God, and has enlisted souls in rebellion against God, will work out fully the principles of disobedience. Every mouth shall confess the glory of God. [see Philippians 2:10 ]. It will be plainly seen that the principles of righteousness and obedience to God's law are above all powers and the retribution that falls upon transgressors is just.
The unfallen worlds and the heavenly universe will see the result of the apostasy of Satan, and
will acknowledge God as the living and only true God. The forces of rebellion will confess
God's righteousness, but their acknowledgment will not give them another probation. Their
cases are forever settled. After the second resurrection, Satan, the root, and his children, the
branches, will perish together.
Letter 74, May 20, 1900,
When the redeemed stand before the throne of God to answer to their names, there will be
precious souls there who will respond because of the faithful, patient efforts made in their
behalf, the entreaties and urgent persuasions to flee to the stronghold. Thus those who are
laborers together with God will receive their reward.
Manuscript 37, July 8, 1900, (see also UL 203)
In the day when everyone shall be rewarded according to his work has been, how will transgressors appear in their own sight as for a few moments they are permitted to see the record of their life as they have chosen to make it regardless of the law which through eternal ages will govern the universe? They will then see what God desired them to do. They will realize that they should have used their blood-bought privileges in behalf of truth and righteousness. They will see that instead of placing their talents and influence on the side of rebellion, thus strengthening
the forces of the enemy, they should have devoted their powers to being and doing good....
In the day of judgment men will see what they might have become through the power of Christ. They will see the robbery that they have practiced toward God. They will realize that they have apostatized from their Creator. They will see the good they might have done, but did not do. They utterly refused to be made better. The efforts put forth in their behalf were in vain. They knew the claims of God, but they refused to comply with the conditions laid down in His word. By their own choice they were united with demons. The power given them to use in God's service they used in the service of self. They made self their God, refusing to submit to any other control. They deceived themselves, and made themselves contemptible in the sight of God....
Fallen men and fallen angels are sure to join in a desperate companionship. He who fell because of apostasy works constantly against goodness and obedience. He is leagued with those who refuse to keep God's law. In the day of judgment, all this opens before the impenitent. Scene after scene passes before them. As plainly as the light of the noonday sun, they see what they might have been, had they cooperated with God instead of opposing Him.
The picture cannot be changed. Their cases are forever decided. They must perish with the one whose ways and works they followed.
A flash will come to all lost souls. They will see clearly the mystery of godliness, which during
their lifetime they despised and hated. And fallen angels, endowed with higher intelligence than
men, will realize what they have done in using their powers to lead human beings to choose
deception and falsehood. All who have united with the deceiver, all who have learned his ways
and practiced his deceptions, must perish with him....The Lord Jesus looks pityingly upon them
and says, "Depart." At that time Zechariah, Chapters 3 and 4 will be understood.
Letter 131, October 14, 1900, (see also Ev 220; TDG 296)
Those who exalt self place themselves in Satan's power, preparing to receive his deceptions as truth. There are ministers and workers who will present a tissue of nonsensical falsehoods as testing truth, even as the Jewish rabbis presented the maxims of new portions of meat in due season, while the poor sheep are starving for the bread of life....This fanciful mixture of food that is being prepared for the flock will cause spiritual consumption, decline and death....
As in the days of Noah, those who have had great light will show their inconsistency. Because Christ's coming has been long foretold, they conclude that there is a mistake to this doctrine....Shall we who claim to be students of prophecy forget that God's forbearance to the wicked is a part of His vast and merciful plan, by which He is seeking to compass the salvation of souls? Shall we be found among the number who cease to cooperate with the Lord, and who are found saying, "My Lord delays His coming?" [see Matthew 24:48]....
The final judgment is a most solemn, awful event. This must take place before the universe. To the Lord Jesus the Father has committed all judgment. He will declare the reward of loyalty to all who obey the law of Jehovah. God will be honored and His government vindicated and glorified, and that in the presence of the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds. On the largest possible scale will the government of God be vindicated and exalted. It is not the judgment of one individual or of one nation, but of the whole world. Oh, what a change will then be made in the understanding of all created beings. Then all will see the value of eternal life.
When God honors His commandment-keeping people, He would not have one of the enemies of
truth and righteousness absent. And when the transgressors of His law receive their condemnation, He would have all the righteous behold the result of sin....
He who occupies the position of Judge is God manifest in the flesh. What a consolation it will be to recognize in the judge our Teacher and Redeemer, bearing all the marks of the crucifixion, from which shine forth beams of glory, giving additional value to the crowns which the redeemed receive from His hands, the very hands outstretched in blessing over His disciples as He ascended.
The very voice which said to them, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" [Matthew 28:20], bids them welcome to His presence. The very One who gave His precious life for them, who by His grace moved their hearts to repentance, who awakened them to their need of salvation, receives them now into His joy. Oh, how they love Him! The realization of their hopes is so much greater than their expectation! They take their glittering crowns and cast them at His feet. Their joy is complete.
When sinners are compelled to look upon Him who clothed His divinity in the garb of humanity, and who still wears that garb, their confusion is indescribable. They remember how His love was slighted and His compassion abused. They think of how Barabbas, a murderer and a robber, was chosen in His stead; how Jesus was crowned with thorns and scourged and crucified; how in the hours of His agony on the cross the priests and rulers taunted Him, saying, "Let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He saved others, Himself He cannot save." [see Matthew 27:42, 43]. All the insults and despite offered to Christ, all the suffering caused to His disciples, will be as fresh in their recollection as when the satanic deeds were done. The voice which they heard so often in entreaty and persuasion will again sound in their ears as when the Saviour spoke in the synagogue and on the street. Then those who pierced Him will call on the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand. [see Revelation 6:16, 17].
"The Wrath of the Lamb." One who ever showed Himself full of infinite tenderness, patience, and longsuffering; who having given Himself up as a sacrificial victim, was led as a lamb to the slaughter to save sinners from the doom now falling upon them...makes them realize what they might have had, had they received Christ and improved the opportunities granted them....
In that great day, all will see that their course of action decided their destiny. They will be rewarded or punished according as they have obeyed or violated the law of God. In that great day the character of each individual will be plainly and distinctly revealed. God will look into all the feelings and motives. No one can then occupy middle ground. Men and women are either saints or sinners, either entitled to a glorious life of eternity, or doomed to eternal death. What a scene that will be! The aggravated guilt of the world will be laid bare, and the voice of the eternal judge will be heard saying, "Depart from Me. I never knew you."
The judgment will be conducted in accordance with the rules given in order that man might have eternal life. The law of God, which men are now called upon to obey and make their rule of life, but which many refuse to accept, is the law by which they will be judged. We are judged by our works. Obedience or disobedience means everything to us.
The last great day will witness the triumph of the law of Jehovah. As the impenitent look upon
the cross of Calvary, the scales fall from their eyes, and they see that which before they would
not see. The law, God's standard of righteousness, is exalted, even as His throne is exalted. God
Himself gives reverence to His law.
Letter 2, January 2, 1901,
We have been given great light in regard to God's law. This law is the standard of character. To
it man is now required to conform, and by it he will be judged in the last great day. In that day
men will be dealt with according to the light they have received. He who knew his Lord's will,
and did it not, yet committed things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with many stripes. But he
who knew it not, yet committed things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes [see
Luke 12:47, 48]. The number of talents will determine the returns expected. The sinner's guilt
will be measured by the opportunities and privileges which he failed to improve. He will not be
punished merely for his own rejection of the offer of salvation. He will be called to account for
the influence he has exerted in encouraging others in sin....The punishment of the sinner will be
measured by the extent to which he has influenced others in impenitence.
Letter 22, February 3, 1901, (see also 7ABC 430)
We cannot now enter into the many transactions that have made up the life-record of church
members. These transactions are registered in God's book of records. How will this record
appear in the great day when everyone shall receive according as his works have been?... "And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of these things which were
written in the books, according to their works" [Revelation 20:12]. Then men will have a clear
sharp remembrance of all their transactions in this life not a word of a deed will escape their
memory.
Manuscript 105, September 28, 1901, (see also 7ABC 181, 215, 254-55; 1MCP 128, 2MCP 539; MM 115-17)
To His Son the Father has committed all judgment. To prepare Himself to be judge of all the world, Christ endured the hardships and trials of mankind, suffering in all points like as we suffer, thus familiarizing Himself with the power of Satan's temptations....
Accurately recorded in the books of heaven are the sneers and trivial remarks made by sinners
who pay no heed to the call of mercy, when Christ is represented to them by a servant of God.
As the artist takes on the polished glass a true picture of the human face, so God daily placed
upon the books of heaven an exact representation of the character of every individual.
Letter 159, November 3, 1901,
Church members need to obtain the Spirit--the Holy Spirit,--to fast and pray, striving earnestly to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Not one particle of Sodomitish impurity will escape the wrath of God at the execution of judgment. Those who do not repent and forsake all uncleanness will fall with the wicked. Those who become members of the royal family and who form God's kingdom in the earth made new will be saints, not sinners.
Those who have had great light and have disregarded it stand in a worse position than those who
have not been given so many advantages. They exalt themselves but not the Lord. The
punishment inflicted on human beings will in every case be proportionate to the dishonor they
have brought on God. Many by a course of self-indulgence have put Christ to open shame.
Manuscript 5, January 20, 1904,
How long shall the testimonies of warning be rejected for the wisdom of men?...I shall now have to be far more explicit than I have been in the past. I shall be compelled to make statements that I have not wanted to make, but I must be more explicit in order [to] save the flock of God from deceptive influences....
There may be a necessity of doing the very work that the Lord has in the past inspired His messengers to do, in order to save the largest number of souls from the satanic influences that would lead them astray. The world's opinion will oppose the very work that must be done in order that the safety of the flock of God shall not be imperiled....
In His Word the Lord declared what He would do for Israel if they would obey His voice. But the leaders of the people yielded to the temptations of Satan, and God could not give them the blessings He designed them to have, because they did not obey His voice but listened to the voice and policy of Lucifer. This experience will be repeated in the last years of the history of the people of God, who have been established by His grace and power. Men whom He has greatly honored will in the closing scenes of this earth's history pattern after ancient Israel.
"Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" [Hebrews 3:7-13].
Bear this in mind. History is being repeated. The perils that God's people encountered in past ages, they will encounter again, intensified. Satan has obtained influence over men whom God has honored above all human intelligence, as He honored Solomon.
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him" [Hebrews 2:1-3].
The things that had been spoken by priests and rulers had become leavened with erroneous theories. The gospel of the Old Testament had been misinterpreted by the teachers who had desired to fit the presentation with their condition spiritually in the place of exalting truth and laboring to bring the people who claimed to be the chosen of God, up to the holy principles given by Him. Christ came to give the gospel in its purity and its true bearing, and all are to show their esteem of His teaching.
The Lord was leading His people back to the real truth. The Scriptures show the loss they had sustained and would continue to sustain unless they went back to the Word, refusing to let anything they had heard slip from their memory....
Unless we give the most earnest heed to the Word of God, human minds will work up theories according to their own deficient practices, and will misrepresent and misapply a "Thus saith the Lord." A departure from the great principles Christ has laid down in His teachings, a working out [of] human projects, using the Scriptures to justify a wrong course of action, will confirm men in misunderstanding, and the truth that they need, to keep them from wrong practices, will leak out of the soul like water from a leaky vessel.
Thus it is in our time. A departure from right principles will blind the understanding as to what is truth. The holy law of ten commandments, written on tables of stone by the finger of God, and placed in the ark, is the standard of righteousness. Before the obedient and the disobedient it will appear in the last great day, and all the wicked will be convicted. They will see that their actions proceeded from a depraved character. They will see that the part they acted served to carry on the rebellion begun in the heavenly courts. They will see all the cruelty and all the wickedness that have dishonored their Creator and brought about the wretchedness that fills the world.
The law that they disobeyed was their life. Obedience to it would have made their characters as fine gold, their principles as the golden wedge of Ophir. The law that they chose to disregard and trample under foot would, if obeyed, have kept them in happiness and peace, and obedience would have borne fruit in sanctified love and beauty of character. The world would have been filled with holiness and purity....
Those who refuse the testimonies God has sent them are not eating the flesh and drinking the
blood of the Son of God. The character developed tells its history to the end. Through the
refusal to receive correct principles, and the corruption of human nature, Satan works by his
sophistry to deceive if possible the very elect....
Unless man is given the converting grace of heaven, he will have no disposition to oppose
Satan's counsels, and will become the enemy's willing dupe.
Letter 90, March 6, 1906, (see also 7ABC 375; CM 126; 3SM 122; TDG 74)
In the books the truth is stated, barricaded by a "Thus saith the Lord," The Holy Spirit traced these truths upon my heart and mind as indelibly as the law was traced by the finger of God upon the tables of stone, which are now in the ark, to be brought forth in that great day when sentence is pronounced against every evil, seducing science produced by the father of lies....
Some may make light of these messages, misinterpret them, and say untruthful things, which
lead others' minds astray. Our only hope is in the God of truth. Our mediator understands every
phase of the matter. The more plainly the testing truth is brought before the people, the more
bitter will be the hatred manifested by those who have departed from the faith, and given their
attention to sentiments of Satan's presentation.
Letter 136, April 27, 1906, (see also 2SM 53; 3SM 54; TDG 126)
Sometimes that which men teach as "special light" is in reality specious error, which as tares sown among the wheat, will spring up and produce a baleful harvest. Errors of this sort will be entertained by some until the close of this earth's history....
Truth is sustained by a plain "Thus saith the Lord." But there has been a weaving in of error, and the use of Scriptures out their natural connection, in order to substantiate fallacies, which would deceive, if possible, the very elect....
Confession must come sooner or later; if not voluntarily now, then finally before the universe and the multitude that shall compose Satan's vast army encircling the city of God in the vain supposition that numbers will prevail. Those who persist in refusing to confess now, will then be forced to confess their errors; their unfaithful, underhanded dealing, and all their transgression of the law of God.
Oh, how much better to confess errors now, than to leave them until the opening of the records
in the books of heaven, when every act shall be revealed, and even the motives that led to the
action! God reads the secrets of every heart. And the day draws near when all who have united
in calling the actions of the unrighteous man just and righteous, will see that they have acted a
part in deceiving the man, and that they have been partakers of his unrighteous deeds. They will
then understand that, because they have strengthened his evil propensities by passing them by
without reproof, they are united with him in the sin, and as surely as the Lord has spoken, they
will share the punishment when it will be administered in the presence of an assembled universe.
Manuscript 53, 1906,
In the day of judgment some will plead this good deed and that as a reason why they should
receive consideration. They will say, "I set up young men in business. I gave money to found
hospitals. I relieved the necessities of widows, and took the poor into my home." Yes, but your
motives were so defiled by selfishness that the deed was not acceptable in the sight of the Lord.
In all that you did, self was brought prominently to view.
- Heavenly Things -
Letter 3, August 11, 1851
Letter 62, July, 1886
Manuscript 27, March 16, 1901
Manuscript 70, July 16, 1903
Letter 84, March 5, 1907
Manuscript 15, April 26, 1909
Manuscript 69, 1912
Letter 3, August 11, 1851, (see also MAR 245; 3SM 260-61)
I saw the exceeding loveliness and glory of Jesus. His countenance was brighter than the sun at noonday. His robe was whiter than the whitest white. How can I describe to you the glories of heaven and the lovely angels singing and playing upon their harps of ten strings?...
I saw that we sensed and realized but little of the importance of the Sabbath to what we yet should realize and know of its importance and glory. I saw we knew not yet what it was to ride upon the high places of the earth and to be fed with the heritage of Jacob. But when the refreshing and latter rain shall come from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power, we shall know what it is to be fed with the heritage of Jacob and ride upon the high places of the earth. Then shall we see the Sabbath more in its importance and glory. But we shall not see it in all its glory and importance until the covenant of peace is made with us at the voice of God, and the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem are thrown open and swing back on their glittering hinges, and the glad and joyful voice of the lovely Jesus is heard, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, bidding us enter.
I saw that we had a perfect right in the city, for we had kept the commandments of God, and
heaven, sweet heaven is our home, for we have kept the commandments of God.
Letter 62, July, 1886,
I walked quite frequently to the king's palace [in Oslo, Norway,] and in his broad and extensive gardens. They are very beautiful grounds, but I let my mind dwell upon the purified new earth, where all things would be made new, and there would be no more curse. How happy the thought that I was the daughter of God, a member of the royal family, a child of the heavenly King, an heir to the pure and holy everlasting kingdom.
I love to see everything that is beautiful in nature in this world, and think I would be perfectly satisfied with this earth surrounded with the good things of God, if it were not blighted with the curse of sin. But we shall have a new heavens and a new earth. John saw this in holy vision and he says, "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them, and be their God" [Revelation 21:3].
Oh, blessed hope, glorious prospect! "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son" [verse 6]. I am, I hope, waiting and watching for the appearing of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven.
We have no time now to talk of unbelief, or to enshroud our souls in an atmosphere of doubt. Jesus loves us and wants to make us happy....
If I know my own heart, it is to do the will of God to the very letter. I am willing to be a pilgrim and a stranger here, for I am seeking a city whose builder and maker is God. It is only a little while that we shall have to work, and we want to do our work with diligence. We do not want to follow our inclinations or our pleasure, but just do the will of God and wait for His salvation and the final reward. I have peace and joy in my Saviour. I am looking to the great beyond, and, if the Master says, "Well done," I shall be entirely satisfied. I love Jesus; I love to do His will. I ask not position or honor or ease or convenience. I want to labor together with God, practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice, and be a partaker with Christ in His sufferings, that I may be a partaker with Him of His glory....
We should study how to render to God the most perfect service by constantly seeking to reach perfection....The Christian life is compared to the life of a soldier, and there can be no bribes presented of ease and self-indulgence. The idea that Christian soldiers are to be excused from the conflicts, experiencing no trials...is a farce. The Christian conflict is a battle and a march, calling for endurance. Difficult work has to be done, and all who enlist as soldiers in Christ's army with these false ideas of pleasantness and ease, and then experience the trials, it often proves fatal to their Christianity....
It is time that men and women have some true idea of what is expected of a true soldier of the
cross of Jesus. Those who serve under the blood-strained banner of the Prince Emmanuel are
expected to do difficult work which will tax every power God has given them. They will have
painful trials to endure for Christ's sake. They will have conflicts which rend the soul. But if
they are faithful soldiers they will say with Paul, "For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at
the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Manuscript 27, March 16, 1901, (see also GH 40-42)
You are the children of God. He has adopted you and He desires you to form characters here that will give you entrance into the heavenly family. Remember this, you will be able to bear the trials which you meet here.
In heaven there will be no color line, for all will be as white as Christ Himself. Let us thank God
that we can be members of the royal family.
Manuscript 70, July 16, 1903,
Soon we shall be in our promised home. There Jesus will lead us by the side of the living stream
flowing from the throne of God, and explain to us the dark providences through which He led us
to perfect our characters. There we shall see on every hand the beautiful trees of Paradise,
including the tree that bears twelve manner of fruit, one kind during each month of the year.
There we shall behold with undimmed vision the beauties of Eden restored. There we shall cast
at the feet of our Redeemer the crowns that He has placed on our heads, and, touching our
golden harps, we shall render praise and thanksgiving to Him that sitteth on the throne.
Letter 84, March 5, 1907,
"Let not your heart be troubled: Ye believe in God, believe also in Me. [I am the brightness of the Father's glory, the manifestation of His love, the channel by which His mercy comes to you, and by which your prayers rise to Him]. In my Father's house are many mansions" [John 14:1, 2].
The word here translated "mansions" means "permanent abodes"--habitations that are not
removed like tents, but which permanently endure for the family of the redeemed. The Father is
there to gather His children to His paternal arms and bestow upon them His everlasting love.
Manuscript 15, April 26, 1909, (see also Ev 45-46; WM 72-73, 77-78)
In preparation for the coming of our Lord, we are to do a large work in the great cities. We have a solemn testimony to bear in these great centers. But in our planning for the extension of the work, far more than the cities alone must be comprehended. In out-of-the-way places there are many, many families that need to be looked after in order to learn whether they understand the work that Jesus is doing for His people. Those in the highways are not be neglected, neither are those in the hedges; and as we journey about from place to place, and pass by house after house, we should often inquire, "Have the people who are living in these places, heard the message? Has the truth of God's Word been brought to their ears? Do they understand that the end of all things is at hand, and that the judgments of God are impending? Do they realize that every soul has been bought with an infinite price?"...
What a reward awaits the winner of souls! When the gates of that beautiful city on high are swung back on their glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth shall enter in, crowns of glory will be placed on their heads, and they will ascribe honor and glory and majesty to God. And at that time some will come to you, and will say, "If it had not been for the words you spoke to me in kindness, if it had not been for your tears and supplications and earnest efforts, I should never have seen the King in His beauty. " What a reward is this! How insignificant is the praise of human being in this earthly, transient life, in comparison with the infinite rewards that await the faithful in the future, immortal life!...
When you enter within the gates into the city, and the crown of life is placed upon your brow and on the brow of the very ones you have worked to save, they will cast themselves upon your neck, and say, "It was you that saved my soul. I should have perished, if you had not saved me from myself. You had to take a good while, but you were patient with me and won me to a knowledge of the truth." And then, as they lay their crowns at the feet of Jesus, and touch the golden harps that have been placed in their hands, and unite in praising and glorifying their Redeemer, and they realize that theirs is the great blessing of everlasting life, there will be rejoicing indeed. And oh, the thought that we may be instrumental, under God, in helping to show men and women the way of salvation, while living on this earth!
If you give your heart to God, if in humility you take up your appointed work and remain
faithful, at last you will hear the words, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world" [Matthew 25:34]. Is not this sufficient
reward? In that happy world there will be no more temptation, no more sorrows. In your earthly
life you have labored together with God, you have so lived that your righteousness has gone
before you, and the glory of the Lord has been your reward.
Manuscript 69, 1912, (see also 7ABC 34, 47-48, 156, 184, 254)
With joy Moses saw the law of God still honored and exalted by a faithful few. He saw the last struggle of earthly powers to destroy those who keep God's law. He looked forward to the time when God shall arise to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and those who have feared His name shall be covered and hidden in the day of His anger. These acknowledge the relation existing between the Father and His law. Only by the merits of Jesus Christ is man exalted and enabled to keep God's law acceptably.
Again Moses looked and saw the covenant of peace made with God's commandment-keeping people when He spoke from His holy habitation, shaking the heavens and the earth by His voice. Moses saw that God is the hope of His people, while the despisers of the law, those who had crucified Jesus Christ afresh, bowed and groveled at the feet of the saints in fear of God's voice. He saw the countenances of the saints lighted up with glory, and beaming upon those around them as the faces of himself and those who were with him shone when the law was given on Mount Sinai. The commandment-keepers, those who had honored the law, were glorified. At the appearing of Christ in splendor and glory, they were translated to heaven without seeing death, rising with songs of triumph to enter through the gates into the city, into the land of Eden....He saw the earth purified by fire and cleansed from every vestige of sin every mark of the curse, and renovated and given to the saints to possess forever and ever. He saw the kingdoms of the earth given to the saints of the Most High. No impurity, nothing to mar their peace and happiness, was in the earth made new.
In the new earth the prophecies that the Jews applied to the first advent of Christ will be
fulfilled. The saints will then be redeemed and made immortal. Upon their heads will be crown
of immortality, and joy and glory will be pictured on their countenances, which will reflect the
image of their Redeemer.
AH The Adventist Home
CC Conflict and Courage
CDF Counsels on Diet and Foods
CG Child Guidance
CL Country Living
CM Colporteur Ministry
CS Counsels on Stewardship
CWE Counsels to Writers and Editors
DA Desire of Ages
Ev Evangelism
EW Early Writings
FLB The Faith I Live By
GCB General Conference Bulletins, 1903 only
GH Gospel Herald Articles (LOA edition)
GW Gospel Workers (1893 edition)
HS Historical Sketches
IHP In Heavenly Places
LLM Loma Linda Messages (Original Paging)
MAR Maranatha
1-2MCP Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol. 1, 2
MLT My Life Today
MM Medical Ministry
NBL Notebook Leaflets
OHC Our High Calling
PC Paulson Collection
PM The Publishing Ministry
RC Reflecting Christ
3-5RH Review and Herald Articles, Vol. 3,4,5 only
1-3SM Selected Messages, Books 1-3
4ST Signs of the Times Articles, Vol. 4
SW The Southern Work
1-9T Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1,7,9 only
TDG This Day With God
Te Temperance
TM Testimonies to Ministers
TMK That I May Know Him
UL Upward Look
WM Welfare Ministry
Child Guidance. Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association, 1954.
Colporteur Ministry. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1953.
Conflict and Courage. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1970.
Counsels on Diet and Foods. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1976.
Counsels on Stewardship. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1940.
Counsels to Writers and Editors. Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association, 1946.
Country Living. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1946.
The Desire of Ages. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1940.
Early Writings of Ellen G. White. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1945.
Evangelism. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1970.
The Faith I Live By. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1973.
General Conference Bulletin, 1903. Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1984.
Gospel Herald Articles. Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1986.
Gospel Workers (1893 Edition). Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1985.
Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists. Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1985.
In Heavenly Places. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1967.
Loma Linda Messages (Original Paging). Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1987.
Marantha; The Lord is Coming. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1976.
Medical Ministry. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1963.
Mind, Character, and Personality. 2 Vol. Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing Association, 1977.
My Life Today. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1952.
Notebook Leaflets From the Elmshaven Library. Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1981.
Our High Calling. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1952.
Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters. Payson, AZ: Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc., 1989.
The Publishing Ministry. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1983.
Reflecting Christ. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1985.
The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald Articles. Vol. 3,4,5. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1962.
Selected Messages. Book 1,2,3. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980.
The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Vol 7-A. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1957.
The Signs of the Times Articles. Vol 4. Boise, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1974.
The Southern Work. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1966.
Temperance. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1949.
Testimonies for the Church. Vol. 1,7,9. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1948.
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers. Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1962.
That I May Know Him. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1964.
This Day With God. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1979.
The Upward Look. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1982.
Welfare Ministry. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1952.
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