Inspiration

Pen of Inspiration – Danger in Rejecting Light

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Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures” [Luke 24:45]. Before this opening of their understanding, the disciples had not understood the spiritual meaning of what Christ had taught them. And it is necessary now that the minds of God’s people should be opened to understand the Scriptures. To say that a passage means just this and nothing more, that you must not attach any broader meaning to the words of Christ than we have in the past, is saying that which is not actuated by the Spirit of God. The more we walk in the light of the truth, the more we shall become like Christ in spirit in character and in the manner of our work, and the brighter will the truth become to us. As we behold it in the increasing light of revelation, it will become more precious than we first estimated it from a casual hearing or examination. The truth, as it is in Jesus, is capable of constant expansion, of new development, and like its divine Author it will become more precious and beautiful; it will constantly reveal deeper significance, and lead the soul to aspire for more perfect conformity to its exalted standard. Such understanding of the truth will elevate the mind and transform the character to its divine perfection. …

It is not God that puts the blinder before the eyes of men or makes their hearts hard; it is the light which God sends to his people, to correct their errors, to lead them in safe paths, but which they refuse to accept—it is this that blinds their minds and hardens their hearts. They choose to turn from the light, to stubbornly walk in sparks of their own kindling, and the Lord positively declares that they shall lie down in sorrow. When one ray of light which the Lord sends is not acknowledged, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned, and so the darkness will constantly increase until it is night to the soul. Christ said, “How great is that darkness!”

It is an astonishment to the whole universe that men do not see and do not acknowledge the bright beams of light that are shining upon them; but if they close their hearts to the light, and pervert the truth until it is interpreted to be darkness, they will imagine that their own criticism and unbelief is light, and will not confess their opposition to the ways and works of God. By pursuing a course like this, men who might have stood fast to the end, will place their influence against the message and messenger that God sends. But in the day of judgment, when the question is asked, “Why did you intercept yourself, your judgment and influence, between the people and the message of God?” they will have nothing to answer. …

As the prophet looked down the ages, and beheld the ingratitude of Israel, as he was shown in vision their unbelief, he also saw that which brought him joy of heart, and gave him a vivid sense of the goodness of God to Israel. He said, “I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old” [Isaiah 63:7–9]. But through their own course of rebellion the blessing of God toward Israel was turned away from them. That which they had sown in questioning and unbelief, they had to reap. The record says, “But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them” [Isaiah 63:10]. May the Lord forbid that the history of the children of Israel in departing from God, in refusing to walk in the light, in refusing to confess their sins of unbelief and rejection of his messages, should be the experience of the people claiming to believe the truth for this time. For if they do as did the children of Israel in the face of warnings and admonitions, the same result will follow in these last days as came upon the children of Israel. The apostle admonishes, “To day 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” [Hebrews 3:7–11]. Now comes the warning of the apostle, sounding down along the lines to our time: “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. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” [Hebrews 3:12–14]. …

Those who have faith in the messages of God will reveal it in their spirit, words, and actions. We are not to sit down and present excuses for unbelief; we are to realize our error, and be zealous and repent. The record says, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” [Revelation 2:4, 5].

When the Lord sends light to his people, he means that they shall be attentive to hear and ready to receive the message.

The Review and Herald, October 21, 1890.

Inspiration – A Letter from Sister White regarding Man-made Tests

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St. Helena, California, February 21, 1901

I am sorry indeed to hear that you have been passing through trials caused by any who claim to believe the truth.

God does not lead any man to advocate such actions as praying with eyes open. We have not a particle of evidence that this was done by the disciples of Christ.

Removing the shoes from the feet when entering the house of worship is not a duty required of us. Anciently those who ministered in sacred office were required, upon entering the sanctuary of God, to remove their sandals, and wash their feet on which dust has accumulated. But there is not the least occasion for this to be done now.

If those who claim to believe the sacred truth for this time should go back to the practice of the ceremonial observances required of the Jews, what kind of a representation would be made before angels and before men?

We should use the utmost care to cleanse every corner of the heart from sin. Those who, in the place of cleansing the soul-temple, perform outward ceremonies, thinking that these will recommend them to God, will find themselves enshrouded in spiritual darkness, even as were the Jews.

To ensure cleanliness God required many ceremonies from ancient Israel. These ceremonies were to illustrate the necessity of carefulness in all their actions, that they might be preserved from all the impurity that it was possible for them to avoid. But these outward ceremonies have not the least bearing upon the people of God at this time. When Christ, our Sin-bearer, died upon the cross, these ceremonies lost their force; for in His death type met antitype.

Those who present such tests to the people of God today only confuse the mind. They put outward performances in the place of the precious truth, making works take the place of religion of heart and life.

God’s Great Test

God has given a test to all the world. “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 [Exodus 31:12–14].” …

This is the Lord’s test. Let us not descend from it to man-made tests.

Grand Truths vs. Nonessential Fables

These weak productions, presented to the church for their instructions and practice, are the product of minds who need that one teach them the first principles of the gospel of Christ.

I have received from the Lord warnings to give to Seventh-day Adventist churches. He has instructed me that Satan is the inventor of unimportant, nonsensical fables, which he presents to human minds to eclipse the grand, elevating, purifying truths for this time. The enemy strives by these miserable inventions to lower the sacred principles of truth, to lead the mind away from health-giving truth to sham ceremonies.

Satan is not pleased when the people of God demonstrate the ennobling, elevating influence that pure truth has upon human minds. He is the author of the silly fables which some have been presenting. The cheap, weak tests which he leads men to advocate should not be received or tolerated in our churches.

Let Us Pray With Closed Eyes

It would seem that the ideas of believers praying with their eyes open, as though looking into heaven, is one of Satan’s cheap fables, and the taking off the shoes when entering the house of worship is another production of his. The Lord is not pleased when His people, who have received such grand, noble truths from His word, allow their minds to dwell on the weak, silly fables which have been presented to me for my opinion. These deceived souls are told that Sister White prays with her eyes open. No; Sister White closes her eyes when she prays, that with spiritual vision she may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. …

As people, we shall have to meet all classes of professed Christians. There will be those who will bring to the foundation a large amount of wood, hay, stubble, which will be consumed by the fires of the last day, and if they themselves are saved, it will be as by fire. Only by straightforward repentance and conversion can they be purified and made white and tried.

Take Heed to Yourselves

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them [Acts 20:28–30].” Here is plainly shown the difficulties that will come into the church through men who are not satisfied to dwell upon the lessons given them by our Lord Jesus Christ, who are always seeking for something strange and odd, to present as new light which other men have overlooked. …

Not Swayed by Every Wind of Doctrine

The fourth chapter of Ephesians contains instruction which we should all heed. After speaking of the need of unity, the apostle says, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” [Verses 14, 15]. To speak the truth in love means to walk in the truth, to practice the truth in the transactions of life, to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, doing works which correspond to the elevating influence of the truth. It means to have a faith which works by love and purifies the soul, making us alive in Christ. It means to have in the soul the living water, which Christ gives and which springs up unto everlasting life.

Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 55–59.

Pen of Inspiration – The Ladder to Heaven

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Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:1

Here Peter addresses his brethren, those of like precious faith, and he appeals to them to move understandingly and intelligently. And he says that he desires grace and peace to be multiplied unto them through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Here is a necessity presented before them of adding knowledge to knowledge, for he continues in verse 4, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Now if we are partakers of the divine nature we shall have a warfare with the power of darkness. Satan will oppose every advance step, and we need not think that we can make advancement in divine life without special help from God. We must have strength from heaven if we expect to advance in divine life. We cannot overcome in our own strength, but grace will be given to every one of us. …

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brother kindness charity.” II Peter 1:5–7. We see but little true godliness in the world. And we see a great work to be done in character building. Those who have no love for God have no relish for holy things. The first step to take to gain a relish for heavenly things is to add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge. It is no credit to remain in ignorance. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and this is to have understanding and to fear to offend our Creator.

As we add the Christian graces we are being prepared to assist others in the divine life, and present to them the true principles of a religious life. I have made it my duty to instill into the minds of my children true principles that they may escape the corruption that are [sic] in the world in order to be successful in character building. We must begin at the very foundation and carry the mind upward in knowledge, for every capacity is to be used in glorifying God. In addition to the principles mentioned, temperance is enumerated. Have you seen the importance of principle, and combined with this we must be temperate or else we shall make a failure. Therefore we must add grace to grace. …

The reason why more do not lay hold of the religion of Christ is because they fear they could not hold on to their profession, but it is by faith we must stand and unless we have faith we cannot glorify God. Christians are expected to grow to the full stature of our Lord and Master. Those who expect to be followers of Christ must make daily advancement; if they fail in this they will fall and lose eternal life. There is no safety for us unless we are going forward step by step. …

This ladder reaches from earth to heaven, and every soul that enters the city of God will have to climb this ladder of self-denial, and this can be accomplished by laying hold of the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. Without this strength, temptation will sweep us down the current to final destruction.

But we are expected to shine; and how is it with us, do we possess the Christian graces? Are we in possession of kindness? If we are in possession of this grace then the fruit will appear.

We must put on the whole armor in order that we may secure an entrance into the city of God. We have heaven to win or lose, and to accomplish this we must take our eyes away from the things of earth, and center our minds upon heavenly things. Temptation will assail us all the way through. Our aim should not be to reach the world’s standard, for it will be seen in the day of God that that standard will count for nothing. Those who reach it will not hear from the lips of Christ, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” [Matthew 25:21]. …

It is our privilege to gather rays of light and not to be content with present attainments, for the Lord has an abundance of light for us. Are we pressing on to know what the Lord would have us do? When Christ comes in power with His holy angels we shall want to be children of God and we shall want to hear Him say to us, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” Matthew 25:34. …

The Lord of heaven has an eternity of happiness for His children in the earth made new. … Revelation 21:1–4.

Here are inducements for those who will live holy lives; and those who will not earnestly comply with the requirements after such inducements are offered are like those whom Paul admonishes in the following words: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth…?” Galatians 3:1. If the fear of God is before us then we shall be enabled to endure and to have a recompense of reward. I see that many of the youth will have a terrible disappointment when they find that they have lost heaven. Oh, how important it is for us to understand our relation to God, and to know that we are in harmony with His divine will!

Darkness covers the earth, and it is time for God’s servants to “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. … When at Bethel, while fleeing from the wrong he had committed, as he was lying in his lonely condition, God had pity and compassion upon him and revealed Himself to him. There was presented before him the plan of salvation. Angels were seen ascending and descending from heaven, and Jacob was permitted to see the court of heaven, and there he saw that the light was permitted to shine from heaven to the inhabitants of the earth. …

But as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be at the coming of Christ. As men resist the Spirit of God, His Spirit will be less and less manifested in the earth. It will be a fearful time when the angels fold their wings and cease their watchcare over those who have resisted the Spirit of God. It will then be too late for wrongs to be righted. There will be no more prayers to prevail in behalf of the rejecters of light. … It is high time we put on the whole armor, lest we drift down the current and be swallowed up with the besom of destruction. A record is kept of how we treat the Spirit of God. Our characters are recorded in the books of heaven, as are our faces on photo-plates here. So our character photos are in heaven, and by these records we shall be judged. May God help each one of us to do his whole duty and get ready for what is before us, is my prayer.

Excerpts from The Ladder to Heaven, Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 81–88.

Pen of Inspiration – The Discipline of Suffering

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All who in this world render true service to God or man receive a preparatory training in the school of sorrow. The weightier the trust and the higher the service, the closer is the test and the more severe the discipline.

Study the experiences of Joseph and of Moses, of Daniel and of David. Compare the early history of David with the history of Solomon, and consider the results.

David in his youth was intimately associated with Saul, and his stay at court and his connection with the king’s household gave him an insight into the cares and sorrows and perplexities concealed by the glitter and pomp of royalty. He saw of how little worth is human glory to bring peace to the soul. And it was with relief and gladness that he returned from the king’s court to the sheepfolds and the flocks.

When by the jealousy of Saul driven a fugitive into the wilderness, David, cut off from human support, leaned more heavily upon God. The uncertainty and unrest of the wilderness life, its unceasing peril, its necessity for frequent flight, the character of the men who gathered to him there—“everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented” (1 Samuel 22:2)—all rendered the more essential a stern self-discipline. These experiences aroused and developed power to deal with men, sympathy for the oppressed, and hatred of injustice. Through years of waiting and peril, David learned to find in God his comfort, his support, his life. He learned that only by God’s power could he come to the throne; only in His wisdom could he rule wisely. It was through the training in the school of hardship and sorrow that David was able to make the record—though afterward marred with his great sin—that he “executed judgment and justice unto all his people” (2 Samuel 8:15).

The discipline of David’s early experience was lacking in that of Solomon. In circumstances, in character, and in life, he seemed favored above all others. Noble in youth, noble in manhood, the beloved of his God, Solomon entered on a reign that gave high promise of prosperity and honor. Nations marveled at the knowledge and insight of the man to whom God had given wisdom. But the pride of prosperity brought separation from God. From the joy of divine communion Solomon turned to find satisfaction in the pleasures of sense. Of this experience he says:

“I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards: … I got me servants and maidens: … I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. … And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. … Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.”

“I hated life. … Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:4–12, 17, 18).

By his own bitter experience, Solomon learned the emptiness of a life that seeks in earthly things its highest good. He erected altars to heathen gods, only to learn how vain is their promise of rest to the soul.

In his later years, turning wearied and thirsting from earth’s broken cisterns, Solomon returned to drink at the fountain of life. The history of his wasted years, with their lessons of warning, he by the Spirit of inspiration recorded for after generations. And thus, although the seed of his sowing was reaped by his people in harvests of evil, the lifework of Solomon was not wholly lost. For him at last the discipline of suffering accomplished its work.

But with such a dawning, how glorious might have been his life’s day had Solomon in his youth learned the lesson that suffering had taught in other lives!

Education, 151–154.

Inspiration – The Present Crisis

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The faith and patience of those who have waited long, have been sorely tried. “Hope deferred has made the heart sick;” and the cry has come up before God, “Lord, how long?” But now the signs are fulfilling—nation rising against nation, startling calamities by land and by sea, famine, pestilence, fearful storms, sweeping floods, and great conflagrations. All these testify that we are approaching the grand consummation. The cry going up to God from the waiting ones, will not be in vain. The response will come, “It is done.”…

The crisis is now upon us. The battle is to be waged between the Christianity of the Bible and the Christianity of human tradition. Is there not a criminal neglect in our present sleepy condition? There must be a decided advance movement among us. We must show to the world that we recognize, in the events that are now taking place in connection with the National Reform movement, the fulfillment of prophecy. …

The National Reform movement, that the world and the church have linked hands to bring about, will manifest the same oppression, haughtiness, arrogance, and intolerance which have prevailed in past ages. …

This nation has been highly favored of God. It has been the great center of religious light and liberty. O, do not sleep now, and in your inactivity feel that you are doing the will of God! The experience of God’s commandment-keeping people now should correspond with the events that are crowding upon us.

It should be the business of all the righteous in the land, as they see signs of the approach of peril, to arouse to action, and not sit in calm expectation of ruin, comforting themselves with the belief that this work must go on, because prophecy has foretold it, and that the Lord will shelter his people in the day of trial. Effectual, fervent prayers should be ascending to Heaven, that this calamity may be deferred; for we are not ready to meet it.

Every passing hour now is one of activity in the heavenly courts, to make ready a people upon the earth to act a part in the great scenes that are soon to open upon us. These transient moments, that seem of so little value to us, are weighty with eternal interests. They are molding the destiny of souls for everlasting life or everlasting death. The words we utter today in the ears of the people, the works we are doing, the spirit of the message we are bearing, will be to human souls the savor of life unto life or of death unto death. We must be washing our robes of character in the blood of the Lamb. If we would be saints above, we must first be saints below.

We have lost much time in inaction, because we have not realized the time in which we are living. This we deplore, and would humble our souls before God, pleading with him for pardon for sleeping at our post of duty, and allowing the enemy to gain the advantage over us. Many have chosen to do nothing, when they should have been diligent to repulse the enemy. Let your services now be dedicated to God. Gird on the armor for vigorous work, saying, “Here am I, Lord, send me.”

It is essential that we be much in prayer to God, that his voice and his power may be manifested in behalf of his people, and that the angels may hold the four winds until the truth is more fully proclaimed, and the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. God is not pleased with the attitude of his people. Satan is taking the world captive, and the sentinels for God and the truth are letting him do it. “Watch then, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” [I Corinthinians 16:13]. Arouse, and come to the front. Be stanch to defend your religious liberty.

Many of our people are registered in the books of heaven as slothful servants. They have buried their talents of money and capability in the world, and the work they should have done has been left undone. Some to whom the Lord has intrusted means, have been ease-lovers, and have not done their duty in the fear and love of God. Many have left the smaller churches, to unite with larger ones, where they carry no burden of responsibility, and are only in the way. Such lose their spirituality and vital force, because they do comparatively nothing for the truth. What account will these have to give to the Master when he shall say, “Give account of thy stewardship”?

We are not ready for this great issue to which the enforcement of the Sunday law will bring us. Let the members of our churches become missionaries for the Master; let them not linger in ease and indifference; but let them go forth to work for God. Their spiritual muscles have been nearly palsied with inaction. Go without the camp, bearing the reproach for Christ and the truth. Work today in the Lord’s vineyard. Go out into the highways and hedges, and stir up the people to investigate the truth. Woe to all who profess to walk in the light, yet who are at ease in Zion. They absorb the God-given rays of righteousness, but do not diffuse the light to others. The parable of the faithless servant who hid his Lord’s money, condemns them, and they are classed among those who refuse to be co-laborers with Jesus Christ, selfishly caring for their own ease, and leaving those for whom Christ has died, to perish without the knowledge of the truth which God has graciously given to them. Those who have been the receivers of spiritual light, may become the receptacles of darkness, to whom the words of Christ are applicable, “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! [Matthew 6:23] …

Every true child of God should now be inquiring, “What wouldst thou have me to do? Brethren, for Christ’s sake, do something, and do it now. Satanic influences are all around us, to be met and resisted. The tares are mingled with the wheat, error with truth, coldness with zeal, darkness with light. There must be a returning to our first love. We must battle nobly with tribulation and danger, in the midst of trials, tests, and provings of God. We must be rich in faith and good works. The message to the Laodicean church is applicable to those who have been made the repository of rich truth. This church is distinguished in prophecy by its great profession of advanced light; yet it was filled with spiritual pride and lukewarmness in religion. They had a religious theory, but were greatly lacking in moral power and holiness. They are pronounced wretched, poor, blind, and naked. O that our people would realize the danger, and heed the counsel of the True Witness, “Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed; … and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see” [Revelation 3:18].

Will we now, who have such great light, make some sacrifice for Jesus, who for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich? We must arouse, and through piety and earnest work for the Master, partake of his spirit of love for souls, of faith in God, that he may work with us, by us, and through us.

Excerpts from The Review and Herald, January 1, 1889.

Pen of Inspiration – The Work of the Holy Spirit

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The grace of God cannot cooperate with iniquity. God’s Spirit can only enlighten the understanding of those who are willing to be enlightened. We read that God opened the ears of Lydia, so that she attended to the message spoken by Paul. To declare the whole counsel of God and all that was essential for Lydia to receive—this was the part Paul was to act in her conversion; and then the God of all grace exercised His power, leading the soul in the right way. God and the human agent cooperated, and the work was wholly successful. …

You do not need the excitement of theaters and plays to while away your time. You have a character to form after the divine similitude. If you will believe with all your heart, you will be worked by the Holy Spirit. Then you will never hunger for cheap, earthly amusement. The grace of God will be your helper, your strength. …

In strict loyalty, for the glory of God, we are to bring to the people all the light and evidence possible. In order to do this, we must be constant learners in the school of Christ. We are to learn His meekness and lowliness. Only thus can we, by our words and in our character, impart the Holy Spirit’s unction.

If there is a difference of expression in presenting the truth, let everyone seek to view all things in the light of the glory which shineth in the face of Jesus Christ. The more we as believers drink in of the Spirit, the more we shall be animated and united by His surpassing love, and the more we shall reveal of that tender, compassionate Spirit which made our blessed Master so long and patiently bear with the misunderstandings of those whom He had selected as His workmen. …

Oh, shall we not clear away the rubbish that is filling our hearts, and invite Christ to enter as an abiding Guest? Then He will richly bless us, and we shall receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. …

We greatly desire that at this time the Holy Spirit may show every professing Christian the fullness and perfection of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. It was a whole and entire sacrifice that Christ made for the sins of the world. We are living and working and breathing in a low atmosphere. Now and then we get glimpses of Christ, but much selfishness is manifested. Our failure to appropriate the grace of Christ leaves us defective and faithless, unable correctly to represent Christ. By clinging to self, ministering to our selfish interests, we dishonor God, and the sacred word we minister is made to taste of the uncleansed vessel through which it is communicated. Self is so largely revealed that the sacredness of the truth is lost sight of. …

Those who place themselves under the control of the Holy Spirit can be doers of Christ’s words. All such will be refreshed as with the dew of heaven. …

The Lord desires to make man the repository of divine influence, and the only thing that hinders the accomplishment of God’s designs is that men close their hearts to the light of life. Apostasy caused the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from man, but through the plan of redemption this blessing of heaven is to be restored to those who sincerely desire it. The Lord has promised to give all good things to those who ask Him, and all good things are defined as given with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The more we discover our real need, our real poverty, the more will we desire the gift of the Holy Spirit; our souls will be turned, not into the channel of ambition and presumption, but into the channel of earnest supplication for the enlightenment of heaven. It is because we do not see our need, do not realize our poverty, that we do not pour forth earnest entreaties, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, for the bestowal of the blessing. …

God desires to refresh His people by the gift of the Holy Spirit, baptizing them anew in His love. There is no need for a dearth of the Holy Spirit in the church. After Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the waiting, praying, believing disciples with a fullness and power that reached every heart. In the future, the earth is to be lightened with the glory of God. A divine influence is to go forth to the world from those who are sanctified through the truth. The earth is to be encircled with an atmosphere of grace. The Holy Spirit is to work on human hearts, taking the things of God and showing them unto men. …

The Holy Spirit alone is able to work with us, in us, and through us, giving us a character which God can approve. The Lord loves His people. With the growth of the Christian life there will come the want of a deeper and more perfect experience. Nothing can meet the necessities of sinful, erring men but the perfect sacrifice of Christ. …

Every church has need of the Holy Spirit’s searching power. This alone can enable them to seek peace, to pursue that course which will bring peace to their own souls, to be faithful witnesses to Christ, testifying by their circumspect course of action that they have the mind of Christ. …

We can be saved only by forming characters like the character of Christ. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be shown by the outflowing of heavenly love. The Lord Jesus is our Sinbearer. God covers the repenting sinner with His forgiveness, and hides the sin from the sight of God by clothing him with the perfection of righteousness. The more perfectly we are transformed to the image of God, the greater will be our hatred for sin; and we will work to save the sinner. …

If you seek the blessing of God every day, you will be blessed every day. The Lord gives the Holy Spirit, and supplies all providential opportunities and facilities. …

The grand truths of the Bible are for us individually, to rule, to guide, to control our life; for this is the only way in which Christ can be properly represented to our world in grace and loveliness in the characters of all who profess to be His disciples. Nothing less than heart service will be acceptable with God. God requires the sanctification of the entire man, body, soul, and spirit. The Holy Spirit implants a new nature, and molds through the grace of Christ the human character, until the image of Christ is perfected; this is true holiness. …

Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 9–13.

Pen of Inspiration – The Fight of Faith

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Every one who shall be found with the wedding garment on, will have come out of great tribulation. The mighty surges of temptation will beat upon all the followers of Christ; and unless they are riveted to the eternal Rock, they will be borne away. Do not think you can safely drift with the current; you must stem the tide, or you will surely become a helpless prey to Satan’s power. You are not safe in placing your feet on the ground of the enemy, but should direct your path in the way cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. Even in the path of holiness you will be tried; your faith, your love, your patience, your constancy, will be tested. By diligent searching of the Scriptures, by earnest prayer for divine help, prepare the soul to resist temptation. The Lord will hear the sincere prayer of the contrite soul, and will lift up a standard for you against the enemy.

Jesus left his home in heaven, and came to this dark world to reach to the very depths of human woe, that He might save those who are ready to perish. He laid aside his glory in the heavenly courts above, clothed his divinity with humanity, and for our sakes He became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich. He came to the earth that was all seared and marred with sin; “and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” [Philippians 2:8]. He submitted to insult and mockery, that He might leave us a perfect example. When we are inclined to magnify our trials, to think we are having a hard time, we should look away from self to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” [Hebrews 12:2]. All this He endured that He might bring many sons and daughters to God, to present them before the universe as trophies of his victory.

Will man take hold of this divine power which has been placed within his reach, and with determination and perseverance resist Satan, as Christ has given example in his conflict with the foe in the wilderness of temptation? God cannot save man against his will from the power of Satan’s artifices. Man must work with his human power, aided by the divine power of Christ, to resist and to conquer at any cost to himself. In short, man must overcome as Christ overcame. Christ was a perfect overcomer; and we must be perfect, wanting nothing, without spot or blemish.

In order to be overcomers, we must heed the injunction of the apostle: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 2:5]. He is the Pattern that we, as his disciples, must follow. We cannot cherish selfishness in our hearts, and follow the example of Christ, who died to make an atonement for us. We cannot extol our own merits, and follow his example; for He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant. We cannot harbour pride, and follow Christ, since He humbled Himself until there was no lower place to which He could descend. Be astonished, O heavens, and be amazed, O earth, that sinful man should make such returns to his Lord in formality and pride, in efforts to lift up and glorify himself, when Christ came and humbled Himself in our behalf even to the death of the cross.

Christ came to teach us how to live. He has invited us to learn of Him to be meek and lowly of heart, that we may find rest unto our souls. We have no excuse for not imitating his life and working his works. Those who profess his name, and do not practice his precepts, are weighed in the balances of heaven, and found wanting. But those who reflect his image will have a place in the mansions which He has gone to prepare.

The redemption that Christ achieved for man was at infinite cost to Himself. The victory we gain over our own evil hearts and over the temptations of Satan will cost us strong effort, constant watchfulness, and persevering prayer; but, gaining the victory through the all-powerful name of Jesus, we become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. This could not be the case if Christ alone did all the overcoming. We must be victors on our own account. Then we shall not only reap the reward of eternal life, but shall increase our happiness on earth by the consciousness of duty performed, and by the greater respect and love that we shall win from those about us.

He who is a child of God should henceforth look upon himself as a part of the cross of Christ, a link in the chain let down to save the world, one with Christ in his plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and to save the lost. The Christian is ever to realize that he is bought with a price, to stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel, to fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life. He is to reveal Christ to the world. The self-denial, the self-sacrifice, the sympathy, the love that were manifested in the life of Christ are to reappear in the life of his followers. In order to do this, we must put on the whole armour of God; “for 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 6:11, 12]. If we do not overcome, we lose the crown; and if we lose the crown, we lose everything. Eternal loss or eternal gain will be ours. If we gain the crown, we gain all things; we become heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.

Christ is coming in a little while. He has been our brother in suffering; and if we overcome through his grace, we shall see Him as He is. We shall suffer here but a few days longer, and then enter into an eternity of happiness; for there is sweet rest in the kingdom of God. For those who fight the good fight of faith, there is reserved a crown of glory, a palm of victory, an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Let the determination of every soul be, “I must run the race; I must overcome.”

The Bible Echo, January 1, 1893.

Inspiration – The Privilege of Prayer

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After Christ was baptized of John in Jordan, He came up out of the water, and bowing upon the bank of the river, He prayed fervently to his Heavenly Father. The heavens were opened to his prayer, and the light of the glory of God, brighter than the sun at noonday, shone from the eternal throne. The form of a dove encircled the Son of God, while the voice from the excellent glory was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” [Matthew 3:17].

Christ was the representative of humanity. He had laid aside his glory, stepped down from his throne, clothed his divinity with humanity, that with his human arm He might encircle the race, and with his divine arm reach the throne of the Infinite. He took upon Him the nature of man, and was tempted in all points like as we are. As a man He supplicated at the throne of God, beseeching his Father to accept his prayer in behalf of humanity; and to his earnest petition the heavens were opened. Never before had angels listened to such a prayer, and the glory of the Majesty of heaven shone upon Him, and words of love and approval assured Him of the acceptance of his petition as man’s representative. God accepted the fallen race through the merits of Christ.

Communication between heaven and earth, between God and man, had been broken by the fall of Adam; but through Christ man could again commune with God. He who knew no sin became sin for the race, that his righteousness might be imputed to man. Through the perfection of Christ’s character, humanity was elevated in the scale of moral value with God; finite man was linked with the infinite God. Thus the gulf which sin had made was bridged by the world’s Redeemer.

How grateful should we be for the privileges which Christ has gained for us in opening heaven before us. What hope does it give to man that the Father said to Christ, who represented humanity, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” [Matthew 3:17, 17:5]. In the Father’s acceptance of Christ in man’s behalf, we are assured that through the merits of his Son, we may find access to God. We may be accepted in the Beloved. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, has opened the way so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed and despised, may find access to God, may have a home in the mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare for those who love Him.

In a vision Jacob beheld a mystic ladder reaching from earth to heaven, on which were angels ascending and descending, and from the throne of God the glory of heaven streamed down. This ladder represented Jesus, the appointed medium of communication between man and God. Had He not by his humanity bridged the gulf of separation that sin had made between God and his people, the angels could never have been ministering spirits to communicate with fallen man; but through Christ man in his weakness and helplessness is connected with the source of infinite power.

Jesus lived a life of prayer; after toiling all day, preaching to the ignorant, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, feeding the multitudes, evening after evening He went away from the confusion of the city, and in some retired place, poured forth supplication to his Father with strong crying and tears. At times the bright beams of the moon shone upon his bowed form, and again clouds and darkness shut away all light. While bowed in the attitude of a suppliant, the dew and the frost of night rested upon Him. He frequently continued his petitions through the entire night. If the Saviour of men felt the need of prayer in our behalf, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of prayer—fervent, constant prayer—on their own account!

“It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord” [Matthew 10:25]. Jesus sought earnestly for strength from his Father. He regarded communication with God more essential than his daily food. He has given us evidence that in order to contend successfully with the powers of darkness, and to do the work allotted to us to perform, we must live in communion with God. Our own strength is weakness, but that which God gives will make every one who attains it more than conquerors. The continued, earnest prayer of faith will bring us light and strength to withstand the fierce assaults of the enemy. The light and strength of one day will not be sufficient for the trials and conflicts of the next. Satan is now constantly changing his temptations, as he did with Christ. Every day we may be placed in new positions, and may have to meet new and unexpected temptations. It is as consistent to expect to be sustained today by food we ate yesterday as to depend upon present light and present blessings for tomorrow’s success. Weak and sinful man cannot be safe unless God shall daily manifest his light and impart to him his strength.

It is of the highest importance that God manifests his will to us in the daily concerns of life; for the most important results frequently depend upon the smallest occurrences. The more we become acquainted with God through his divine light, the more we shall realize our weakness, knowing that without Him we can do nothing. We should ever feel that we need a sure guide to direct our faltering footsteps.

A living Christian is one who lives a life of continual prayer. “The path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” [Proverbs 4:18]. The Christian’s life is one of progression. He goes forward from strength to strength, from grace to grace, and from glory to glory, receiving from Heaven the light which Christ, at infinite cost to Himself, made it possible for man to obtain. The Christian cannot let his light shine before men, unless he is ever receiving divine illumination. He must ever receive strength and glory from the accessible heavens, that he may be able to meet new temptations and bear heavier responsibilities. Untried events await the Christian, new dangers even surround him, and unexpected temptations continually assail him. Our great Leader points to the open heaven, bidding us apply there for light and strength to enable us to overcome.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God. As we realize our dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual blessings, we may offer up fervent and effectual prayer. Our great need is in itself an argument that pleads most eloquently in our behalf. Your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, your fears, you may present before God. You cannot weary Him, you cannot burden his heart. Nothing is too great for Him to bear; for He upholds the worlds and rules the universe. Nothing is too small for his notice; for He marks the sparrow’s fall, and numbers the hairs of your head. He is not indifferent to the wants of his people. The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. He is touched by our sorrows, and even the utterance of them moves his great heart of infinite love. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read, no perplexity too complicated for Him to unravel. Our Heavenly Father is not unobserving; He sees our tears, He marks our sighs, He notes our joys and sorrows. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” [Psalm 147:3].

The relation between God and each soul is distinct. His care to you is as minute as though there were no other soul to claim his attention. The psalmist says, “Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. There is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me” [Psalm 139:2–5]. “Thou tellest my wanderings; put Thou my tears in thy bottle; are they not in thy book” [Psalm 56:8]? In the words of the psalmist is expressed the intimacy and tenderness with which God cares for his creatures. “For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” [Hebrews 4:15, 16].

The Bible Echo, February 1, 1893.

Inspiration – Our Mighty Helper

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The Christian is enlisted to fight in the cause of God, to be a soldier of Jesus Christ. Jesus fought all our battles during his life upon earth, and in that He was tempted, He knows how to succor those who shall be tempted. We have no power to war with principalities, and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Revelation 6:12), except as we draw strength from Christ. Jesus calls upon you to behold the confederacy of evil, to behold the conflict through which you must pass. He bids us count the cost of standing under the blood-stained banner; He does not flatter us that we shall have no difficulties in this life; but although we shall be tried and tempted in meeting the confederacy of evil, yet we are assured that all the heavenly intelligences will be enlisted on our side in every battle. But the ministry of angels will not ensure us against sorrow and trial. Angels ministered to Jesus; yet their presence did not make his life one of ease, nor free Him from conflict and temptation. While we are engaged in the work which the Master has appointed us to do, though trials and perplexities and temptations press upon us, we should not be discouraged; for we know that One has endured all these temptations before us.

We each have a battle to fight with the fallen foe. We should begin the conflict in the light of the Bible, gaining victories over self, giving no place to the evil one. We should not sin against God by indulging sinful thoughts or speaking murmuring words. We should not let the enemy control our powers in the least, but throw all the weight of our influence on the side of Christ. God has pledged his word that his grace will be sufficient for us in our greatest necessity, in our sorest distress (II Corinthians 12:9). Appropriating this grace, Christ will be found to be a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

The Lord expects his servants to excel the lovers of the world in life and character. That they may do this, He has placed at their command unlimited resources. The Christian is a spectacle unto the world, to angels, and to men. He is looked upon as one who is striving for the mastery, running the race set before him that he may obtain the prize, even an immortal crown. His motives are to be above the motives of those who love the world. He is to feel that in the great contest in which he is engaged, there is everything to win, and everything to lose. He is to realize that he must make use of every entrusted power to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Grace has been abundantly provided that he may not fail nor be discouraged, but be complete in Christ, accepted in the Beloved.

Those who would be victors should contemplate the cost of salvation, that they may be subdued by the love of Christ, that their strong human passions may be conquered, and their will brought into captivity to their Redeemer. The Christian is to realize that he is not his own, but that he has been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20). His strongest temptations will come from within; for he must battle against the inclinations of the natural heart. The Lord knows our weaknesses; yet He has valued man, even though finite and incapable of any good in and of himself, at an infinite price. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” [John 3:16]. Every struggle against sin, every effort to conform to the law of God, is Christ working through his appointed agencies upon the human heart. Oh, if we could comprehend what Jesus is to us and what we are to Him, murmuring would be forever silenced, unbelief would be swept away, the value of the soul would appear, and we would believe that God has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

You who are tempted and tried and discouraged, look up. Let no weary, halting, sin-oppressed soul become faint-hearted, and lose hope. The promises of God come sounding down along the lines to us, assuring us that we may reach heaven if we will abide in Christ. Look up; it is fatal to look down. Looking down, the earth reels and sways beneath you, and nothing is sure. A divine hand is reached toward you. The hand of the Infinite is stretched over the battlements of heaven to grasp your hand in its embrace. The mighty Helper is nigh to help the most erring, the most sinful and despairing. Look up by faith, and the light of the glory of God will shine upon you. Do not be discouraged because you see that your character is defective. The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in distinct contrast with his perfect character. Be not discouraged; this is an evidence that Satan’s delusions are losing their power, that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you, and that your indifference and ignorance are passing away.

Whatever may have been your past experience, however discouraging may be your present circumstances, if you will come to Jesus just as you are, weak, helpless, and despairing, our compassionate Saviour will meet you a great way off, and will throw about you his arms of love and his robe of righteousness. Do not continue to talk of your weakness; Jesus came to bring moral power to combine with human effort, that we might advance step by step in the heavenward way. Let your faith lay hold of the precious promises of God, and if clouds have encompassed you, the mists will roll back; for the angels of God are ever ready to help in every trial and emergency. We are not left to battle unaided against the prince of darkness. As we realize the attacks of the enemy, we shall feel the need of fleeing to the stronghold, we shall learn to lean upon the Mighty One. He will be to us as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, as a covert from the tempest (Isaiah 32:2). Deep and fervent will be the gratitude of him who experiences the help of God in times of temptation and trial.

The whole army of heaven is enlisted to fight our battles for us, to work out for us a glorious victory, and Jesus is the Captain of our salvation. But let no one think that we shall not be called upon to endure tribulation. John says, “I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, 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 worshipped 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 that are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, 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. They shall hunger no more, neither 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 7:9–17].”

The Bible Echo, December 1, 1892.

Pen of Inspiration – The Crisis Imminent

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I am deeply exercised in mind in reference to the low standard of piety among our people. And when I think of the woes passed on Capernaum, I think of how much heavier will come the condemnation upon those who know the truth and have not walked according to the truth, but in the sparks of their own kindling. In the night seasons I am addressing the people in a very solemn manner, beseeching them to ask their own consciences, What am I? Am I a Christian, or am I not? Is my heart renewed? Has the transforming grace of God moulded my character? Are my sins repented of? Are they confessed? Are they forgiven? Am I one with Christ as He is one with the Father? Do I hate what I once loved? Do I now love what I once hated? Do I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus? Do I feel I am the purchased possession of Jesus Christ, and that every hour I must consecrate myself to His service?

We are standing upon the threshold of great and solemn events. The whole earth is to be lightened with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the channels of the great deep. Prophecies are being fulfilled and stormy times are before us. Old controversies which have apparently been hushed for a long time will be revived, and new controversies will spring up; new and old will commingle, and this will take place right early. The angels are holding the four winds, that they will not blow, until the specified work of warning is given to the world; but the storm is gathering, the clouds are loading, ready to burst upon the world, and to many it will be as a thief in the night.

Many smiled and would not believe when we told them, twenty and thirty years ago, that the Sunday Law would be urged upon all the world, and a law be made to compel its observance, and force conscience. We see it being fulfilled. All that God has said of the future will surely come to pass; not one thing will fail of all that He has spoken. Protestantism is now reaching hands across the gulf to clasp hands with the papacy, and a confederacy is being formed to trample out of sight the Sabbath of the fourth commandment and the man of sin, who, at the instigation of Satan, instituted the spurious Sabbath, this child of papacy, will be exalted to take the place of God.

All heaven is represented to me as watching the unfolding of events. A crisis is to be revealed in the great and prolonged controversy in the government of God on earth. Something great and decisive is to take place, and that right early. If any delay, the character of God and His throne will be compromised. The armory of heaven is open; all the universe of God and its equipments are ready. One word has justice to speak, and there will be terrific representations upon the earth, of the wrath of God. There will be voices and thunderings and lightnings and earthquakes and universal desolation. Every movement in the universe of heaven is to prepare the world for the great crisis.

Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element; and as a people who have had great light and wonderful knowledge, many of them are represented by the five sleeping virgins with their lamps, but no oil in their vessels; cold, senseless, with a feeble, waning piety. While a new life is being diffused and is springing up from beneath and taking fast hold of all Satan’s agencies, preparatory to the last great conflict and struggle, a new light and life and power is descending from on high, and taking possession of God’s people who are not dead, as many now are, in trespasses and sins. The people who will now see what is soon to come upon us by what is being transacted before us, will no longer trust in human inventions, and will feel that the Holy Spirit must be recognized, received, presented before the people, that they may contend for the glory of God, and work everywhere in the byways and highways of life, for the saving of the souls of their fellow-men. The only rock that is sure and steadfast is the Rock of Ages. Those only who build on this Rock are secure.

Those who are carnally minded now, notwithstanding the warnings given of God in His word and through the testimonies of His Spirit, will never unite with the holy family of the redeemed. They are sensual, debased in thought, and abominable in the sight of God. They have never been sanctified through the truth. They are not partakers of the divine nature, have never overcome self and the world with its affections and lusts. These characters are all through our churches, and as the result the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die. There must be no indifferent testimony borne now, but a decided, pointed testimony, rebuking every impurity and exalting Jesus. We must as a people be in the attitude of expectation, working and waiting and watching and praying.

This blessed hope of the second appearing of Christ needs to be presented often to the people, with its solemn realities; looking for the soon appearing of our Lord Jesus to come in His glory, will lead to the regarding of earthly things as emptiness and nothingness. All worldly honor or distinction is of no value, for the true believer lives above the world; his steps are advancing heavenward. He is a pilgrim and stranger. His citizenship is above. He is gathering the sunbeams of the righteousness of Christ into his soul, that he may be a burning and shining light in the moral darkness that has enshrouded the world. What vigorous faith, what lively hope, what fervent love, what holy, consecrated zeal for God is seen in him, and what a decided distinction between him and the world! “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). “Watch ye therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42). “Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (verse 44). “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments” (Revelation 16:15).

Special Testimonies, Ellen G. White, February 18, 1892.