For about an hour the fog did not lift and the sun did not penetrate it. Then the musicians [on the ship] who were to leave the boat at this place entertained the impatient passengers with music, well selected and well rendered. It did not jar upon the senses as the previous evening, but was soft and really grateful to the senses because it was musical. –Letter 6b, 1893, pp. 2, 3. (Written of the landing in New Zealand in February 1893.)
Beautiful Instrumental Music at the Swiss Beer Garden. –The same night there was beautiful music and fireworks close by across the road. There is an extensive beer garden owned by the city and carried on by the city. This garden is made attractive with flowers and shrubs and noble trees, giving a nice shade. There are seats that will accommodate hundreds, and little oval tables are adjusted before these seats, and this most beautiful instrumental music is played by the band. –Manuscript 33, 1886.
An Indescribable Concert. –We are having an indescribable concert. Nine are singing, Dutch or German or French, I cannot tell which. The voices are just splendid, quite entertaining. I think it is a Sunday-school excursion company. –Letter 8, 1876.
God’s Judgments
Deuteronomy 7:4 — “For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.”
Deuteronomy 7:10 — “And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.”
Deuteronomy 7:15 — “And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.”
Deuteronomy 7:20 — “Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.”
Jeremiah 24:10 — “And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.”
Deuteronomy 8:19 — “And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.”
Deuteronomy 8:20 — “As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.”
Deuteronomy 9:4 — “Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.”
Deuteronomy 9:8 — “Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.”
Deuteronomy 9:19 — “For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.”
Deuteronomy 9:20 — “And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.”
Bible Quotes 2
A portion of the joy which was set before Christ, was the joy of seeing His truth armed with the omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit, impressing His image upon the life and character of His followers. 1SM 141.1
We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world. 1SM 122.3
What is our condition in this fearful and solemn time? Alas, what pride is prevailing in the church, what hypocrisy, what deception, what love of dress, frivolity, and amusement, what desire for the supremacy! All these sins have clouded the mind, so that eternal things have not been discerned. Shall we not search the Scriptures, that we may know where we are in this world’s history?
Shall we not become intelligent in regard to the work that is being accomplished for us at this time, and the position that we as sinners should occupy while this work of atonement is going forward? If we have any regard for our souls’ salvation, we must make a decided change. We must seek the Lord with true penitence; we must with deep contrition of soul confess our sins, that they may be blotted out. 1SM 125.2
We are fast approaching the close of our probation. Let every soul inquire, How do I stand before God? We know not how soon our names may be taken into the lips of Christ, and our cases be finally decided. What, oh, what will these decisions be! Shall we be counted with the righteous, or shall we be numbered with the wicked? 1SM 125.3
Let the church arise, and repent of her backslidings before God. Let the watchmen awake, and give the trumpet a certain sound. It is a definite warning that we have to proclaim. God commands His servants, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). The attention of the people must be gained; unless this can be done, all effort is useless; though an angel from heaven should come down and speak to them, his words would do no more good than if he were speaking into the cold ear of death. 1SM 126.1
The church must arouse to action. The Spirit of God can never come in until she prepares the way. There should be earnest searching of heart. There should be united, persevering prayer, and through faith a claiming of the promises of God. There should be, not a clothing of the body with sackcloth, as in ancient times, but a deep humiliation of soul. We have not the first reason for self-congratulation and self-exaltation. We should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. He will appear to comfort and bless the true seekers. 1SM 126.2
God calls for a spiritual revival and a spiritual reformation. Unless this takes place, those who are lukewarm will continue to grow more abhorrent to the Lord, until He will refuse to acknowledge them as His children. 1SM 127.3
Whatever may arise, never be discouraged. The Lord loves us, and He will perform His word. Try to encourage in the patients a trust in God. Bid them be of good courage. Talk hope, even to the last. If they are to die, let them die praising the Lord. He ever lives; and though some of His faithful followers may fall in death, their works will follow them, and theirs will be a joyous awakening in the resurrection morning. 1SM 85.3
Let us not be discouraged. Let us not talk doubt, but faith; for faith brings infinite power. If we lay hold upon this power, and do not trust in our own human strength, we shall see the salvation of God. –The Review and Herald, December 30, 1909. 1SM 85.4
The powers of darkness are working with an intensity of effort, and year by year thousands of people, from all kindreds, nations, and tongues, pass into eternity, unwarned and unready. Our faith must mean something more definite, more decided, more important. 1SM 91.3
“Ask my institutions and churches, ‘Do you believe the Word of God? What then are you doing in missionary lines? Are you working with self-denial and self-sacrifice? Do you believe that the Word of God means what it says? Your actions show that you do not. How will you meet at the bar of God the countless millions who, unwarned, are passing into eternity? 1SM 91.4
“‘Will there be a second probation? No, no. This fallacy might just as well be given up at once. The present probation is all that we shall have. Do you realize that the salvation of fallen human beings must be secured in this present life, or they will be forever lost?’” 1SM 91.5
The Laodicean message is applicable to the church at this time. Do you believe this message? Have you hearts that feel? Or are you constantly saying, We are rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing? Is it in vain that the declaration of eternal truth has been given to this nation to be carried to all the nations of the world? God has chosen a people and made them the repositories of truth weighty with eternal results.
To them has been given the light that must illuminate the world. Has God made a mistake? Are we indeed His chosen instrumentalities? Are we the men and women who are to bear to the world the messages of Revelation fourteen, to proclaim the message of salvation to those who are standing on the brink of ruin? Do we act as if we were? 1SM 92.1
In a clear, determined voice the messenger said, “I ask you what you are doing? O that you could comprehend! O that you could understand the importance of the warning and what it means to you and to the world! If you did understand, if you were filled with the spirit of the One who gave His life for the life of the world, you would cooperate with Him, making earnest, self-sacrificing efforts to save sinners.” 1SM 92.2
“O,” said the heavenly messenger, “the Lord’s institutions are terribly behind the greatness of the truths which are being fulfilled at the present time. There is a fearful misconception of the claims of duty. The frosty atmosphere in which believers are content to live retards the self-sacrificing movements which should be made to warn the world and save souls.” 1SM 91.2
In the night season I was in a company of people whose hearts were filled with vanity and conceit. Christ was hid from their eyes. Suddenly in loud, clear accents, the words were heard,
“Jesus is coming to take to Himself those who on this earth have loved and served Him, to be with Him in His kingdom forever.”
Many of those in the company went forth in their costly apparel to meet Him. They kept looking at their dress. But when they saw His glory, and realized that their estimation of one another had been so largely measured by outward appearance, they knew that they were without the robe of Christ’s righteousness, and that the blood of souls was on their garments. 1SM 81.1
When Christ took His chosen ones, they were left; for they were not ready. In their lives self had been given the first place, and when the Saviour came, they were not prepared to meet Him. 1SM 81.2
I awoke with the picture of their agonized countenances stamped on my mind. I cannot efface the impression. I wish I could describe the scene as it was presented to me. Oh, how sad was the disappointment of those who had not learned by experience the meaning of the words, “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
There are many professing Christians who know not Christ by an experimental knowledge. Oh, how my heart aches for these poor, deceived, unprepared souls! As I stand before congregations, and see the self-sufficient, self-righteous ones, and know that they are not preparing themselves to do acceptable work for Christ, and to meet Him in peace, I am so burdened that I cannot sleep. I ask myself, What can I say to these souls that will arouse them to a sense of their true condition?
Self is the all-absorbing theme of their life. I long to reveal Christ so plainly that they will behold Him, and cease to center their attention on self…. 1SM 81.4
Among those to whom bitter disappointment will come at the day of final reckoning will be some who have been outwardly religious, and who apparently have lived Christian lives. But self is woven into all they do. They pride themselves on their morality, their influence, their ability to stand in a higher position than others, [and] their knowledge of the truth, for they think that these will win for them the commendation of Christ. “Lord,” they plead, “we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26). “Have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22). 1SM 81.5
There is no discussion; the time for that is past. The irrevocable sentence has been pronounced. They are shut out from heaven by their own unfitness for its companionship. (Read Matthew 7:24-27.) –Letter 91, 1904.
Had the purpose of God been carried out by His people in giving the message of mercy to the world, Christ would have come to the earth, and the saints would ere this have received their welcome into the city of God. –Union Conference Record (Australasian), October 15, 1898. 1SM 82.4
Who are those that so zealously array themselves against me? Are they the pure and holy children of faith? Have they been born again? Are they partakers of the divine nature? Do they love Jesus, and manifest His spirit of meekness and humility? “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).
1SM Ch. 6
Those who bear a plain testimony against sin will as surely be hated as was the Master who gave them this work to do in His name. Like Christ, they will be called the enemies of the church and of religion, and the more earnest and true their efforts to honor God, the more bitter will be the enmity of the ungodly and hypocritical. But we should not be discouraged when thus treated. 1SM 73.1
Let us keep close to the Saviour. Let us walk humbly with Him, filled with His meekness. Let self be hid with Him in God…. 1SM 79.2
Many who profess to be Christians are such only in name. They are not converted. They keep self prominent. They do not sit at the feet of Jesus, as Mary did, to learn of Him. They are not ready for Christ’s coming. 1SM 80.4
I do not write one article in the paper, expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision—the precious rays of light shining from the throne…. 1SM 27.2
The insolent Pharisees had an exalted idea of their own piety and holiness, while they were ready to pass censure on the lives of others. –Letter 206, 1906. 1SM 31.2
“Be not afraid of man, for My shield shall protect you. It is not you that speaketh: it is the Lord that giveth the messages of warning and reproof. Never deviate from the truth under any circumstances. Give the light I shall give you. The messages for these last days shall be written in books, and shall stand immortalized, to testify against those who have once rejoiced in the light, but who have been led to give it up because of the seductive influences of evil.” 1SM 32.3
Leviticus 17
Leviticus 26:11-12 — “And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”
God declares that even a mother may forget her child, “yet will I not forget thee.” … God thinks of His children with the tenderest solicitude and keeps a book of remembrance before Him, that He may never forget the children of His care. Mar 32.6
January 29
“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 2:3. Mar 37.1
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. The 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…. LDE 277.2
“The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days.” 2 Selected Messages, book 1, p. 105.
“In the first angel’s message men are called upon 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.” 2 Selected Messages 106.1
“The scenes connected with the working of the man of sin are the last features plainly revealed in this earth’s history.” 2 Selected Messages 102.
God desired to bring all peoples under His merciful rule. He desired that the earth should be filled with joy and peace. He created man for happiness, and He longs to fill human hearts with the peace of heaven. He desires that the families below shall be a symbol of the great family above. COL 290.2
“There are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers…. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” Titus 1:10-13. COL 248.3
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 Paulson Collection, 344-345. Letter 16-16f, May 9, 1892.
The Bible is God’s Voice speaking to us, just as surely as if we could hear it with our ears. If we realize this, with what awe we would open God’s Word and with what earnestness we would search its precepts. My Life Today, 283.
While we are contaminated with Laodiceanism, we cannot be used of God (see General Conference Daily Bulletin, February 28, 1893). And if we continue in this Laodicean condition, then we are destined for the wrath of God and the seven last plagues — to be destroyed right along with the rest of Babylon (see Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, p. 176).
“If it [the Laodicean message] be ignored, the Lord will certainly cast away from Him those whose spiritual condition is so objectionable.” Special Testimonies, Series B #2, p. 20.
“I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this will cause a shaking among God’s people.
I saw that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it will obey it and be purified.
Said the angel, ‘List ye!’ Soon I heard a voice like many musical instruments all sounding in perfect strains, sweet and harmonious. It surpassed any music I had ever heard, seeming to be full of mercy, compassion, and elevating, holy joy. It thrilled through my whole being. Said the angel, ‘Look ye!’ My attention was then turned to the company I had seen, who were mightily shaken. I was shown those whom I had before seen weeping and praying in agony of spirit.
The company of guardian angels around them had been doubled, and they were clothed with an armour from their head to their feet. They moved in exact order, like a company of soldiers. Their countenances expressed the severe conflict which they had endured, the agonising struggle they had passed through. Yet their features, marked with severe internal anguish, now shone with the light and glory of heaven. They had obtained the victory, and it called forth from them the deepest gratitude and holy, sacred joy.
The numbers of this company had lessened. Some had been shaken out and left by the way. The careless and indifferent, who did not join with those who prized victory and salvation enough to perseveringly plead and agonise for it, did not obtain it, and they were left behind in darkness, and their places were immediately filled by others taking hold of the truth and coming into the ranks. Evil angels still pressed around them, but could have no power over them.” (continues…) EW 269-273
“When the law of God is made void, and the church is sifted by the fiery trials that are to try all that live upon the earth, a great proportion of those who are supposed to be genuine will give heed to seducing spirits, and will turn traitors and betray sacred trusts. They will prove our very worst persecutors. ‘Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them;’ and many will give heed to seducing spirits.” MAR 197
“The testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance, and all that truly receive it will obey it and be purified.” Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 179
Those who apostatise in time of trial will bear false witness and betray their brethren, to secure their own safety. They will tell where their brethren are concealed, putting the wolves on their track. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the cruel, unnatural course pursued by friends and relatives. MAR 197
One thing certain is soon to be realized, the great apostasy, which is developing and increasing and waxing stronger will continue to do so until the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout. Series B, No. 7, 1905, 57.
The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. 5 Testimonies, 217.
“The church is in the Laodicean state. The presence of God is not in her midst.” Notebook Leaflets, book 1, p. 99.
Christ has departed. His Spirit has been quenched in the church. 2 Testimonies, 442.
With what relief he hears in the distance its first faint cry. Following the sound, he climbs the steepest heights, he goes to the very edge of the precipice, at the risk of his own life. Thus he searches, while the cry, growing fainter, tells him that his sheep is ready to die. At last his effort is rewarded; the lost is found. Then he does not scold it because it has caused him so much trouble. He does not drive it with a whip. He does not even try to lead it home. In his joy he takes the trembling creature upon his shoulders; if it is bruised and wounded, he gathers it in his arms, pressing it close to his bosom, that the warmth of his own heart may give it life. With gratitude that his search has not been in vain, he bears it back to the fold. COL 188.1
“The state of the Church represented by the foolish virgins, is also spoken of as the Laodicean state.” Review and Herald, August 19, 1890 (vol. 2, p. 420).
I speak not my own words when I say that God’s Spirit will pass by those who have had their day of test and opportunity, but who have not distinguished the Voice of God. 2 Selected Messages, 16.
Bible Quotes 3
Had my husband felt that he could leave this matter all with the Lord, and that their murmurings and their neglect were against the Master instead of the servant in the Master’s service, he would not have felt so aggrieved, and it would not have hurt him. He should have left it with the Lord, whose servant he is, to fight his battles for him and vindicate his cause. Then he would have finally received a precious reward for all his sufferings for Christ’s sake. 3T 98.1
If he had looked upon these things in the light that they were not done to him, but to the Lord, whose instrument he is, then he would have received a great reward. But he has taken the murmurings of his brethren as though done to himself, and has felt called upon to make all understand the wrong and wickedness of thus complaining of him when he did not deserve their censure and abuse. 3T 97.3
The Lord will heal the wounds of the past if he will turn his attention away from them. 3T 98
Isaiah 66:16 — “For behold, the Lord will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.”
Proverbs 27:2 — “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”
2 Corinthians 10:18 — “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”
2 Samuel 22:36 — “Thy gentleness hath made me great.”
The Word is to be respected and obeyed. That Book which contains the record of Christ’s life, His work, His doctrines, His sufferings, and final triumphs, is to be the source of our strength. We are granted the privileges of school life in this world that we may obtain a fitness for the higher life—the highest grade in the highest school, where, under God, our studies will continue through the ceaseless ages of eternity. 1SM 245.2
Let no one seek to evade the cross. It is through the cross that we are enabled to overcome. It is through affliction and trial that divine agencies can carry on a work in our lives that will result in the love and peace and kindness of Christ. 1SM 224.4
But when Jesus is seen upon the cross, as the gift of God because He loved man, the eyes are opened to see things in a new light. God as revealed in Christ is not a severe judge, an avenging tyrant, but a merciful and loving Father. 1SM 183.2
Genesis 15:14
Claude responded: “The Holy Spirit is Himself, divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof.
“The Holy Spirit is Himself, divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.” — (E.G. White, Lt119, February 18, 1895)
“Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfilment of the covenant that God has made with those who bind themselves up with Him, to stand with Him, with His Son, and with His Spirit in holy fellowship. Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven who are working in your behalf.” — (E.G. White, Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901)
“Before the disciples could fulfill their official duties in connection with the church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them. He was committing to them a most sacred trust, and He desired to impress them with the fact that without the Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished.” — (Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 805)
“[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Colossians 1:15
“He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” — (E.G. White, Signs of the Times, Nov. 15, 1899)
Ellen White wrote: “In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour.” — (E.G. White, Signs of the Times, April 8, 1897; Evangelism, p. 615.2)
“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God…. In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.” — (Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900; Evangelism, p. 615.2)
“The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting…. When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:22-30. — (E.G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34.1)
“It was in seeking to exalt himself above the Son of God that Satan had sinned in heaven.” — (Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 129)
“Those who seek to remove the old landmarks are not holding fast; they are not remembering how they have received and heard. Those who try to bring in theories that would remove the pillars of our faith concerning the sanctuary or concerning the personality of God or of Christ, are working as blind men. They are seeking to bring in uncertainties and to set the people of God adrift without an anchor.” — (Ellen G. White, MR760 9.5, 1905)
They clearly set forth that Christ was the Son of God, existing with Him before the angels were created; and that He had ever stood at the right hand of God, and His mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned; and that He had given no commands but what it was joy for the heavenly host to execute.
They urged that Christ’s receiving special honor from the Father, in the presence of the angels, did not detract from the honor that Lucifer had heretofore received. The angels wept. They anxiously sought to move him to renounce his wicked design and yield submission to their Creator; for all had heretofore been peace and harmony, and what could occasion this dissenting, rebellious voice? — (SR 15.2)
En aquel mismo momento se encontraban en el templo dos verdaderos siervos de Dios, Simeón y Ana. Ambos habían envejecido en el servicio de su Señor, el cual les había revelado cosas que había tenido que ocultar a los sacerdotes orgullosos y egoístas. CNS 13.2
Así es como Dios escoge a personas humildes como testigos suyos y con frecuencia pasa por alto a aquellos a quienes el mundo llama grandes. Muchos de ellos son como los sacerdotes y gobernantes judíos, y se afanan por servirse y honrarse a sí mismos, pero piensan poco en servir y honrar a Dios. Por tanto, Dios no puede escogerlos para que hablen a otros de su amor y misericordia. CNS 13.7
La gloria que descansó sobre Cristo fue una garantía del amor de Dios para con nosotros. El Salvador vino para ser nuestro ejemplo; y tan seguramente como Dios oyó su oración, oirá la nuestra también. CNS 35.5
El más menesteroso, el más pecaminoso, el más despreciado, puede hallar acceso al Padre. Cuando nos acercamos a él en nombre de Jesús la misma voz que habló a Jesús en aquella ocasión nos habla también a nosotros, y nos dice: Este es mi hijo amado, en quien tengo mi complacencia. CNS 35.6
Asimismo Cristo, nuestro Pastor celestial, cuida de su rebaño esparcido por todo el mundo. Nos conoce a todos por nuestro nombre. Sabe en qué casa vivimos, y el nombre de cada habitante de ella. Cuida de cada uno como si no existiera otro más en el mundo. CNS 65.6
What this book says is that there are three powers that are going to begin a struggle with each other to take control of the earth and to bring in a one-world government. Those three powers are the Soviet Union, the United States, and the Papacy. In Daniel 11:40, the Soviet Union is the King of the South, the Papacy is the King of the North, and the United States is the “chariots, ships and horsemen.”
Verse 40 says that, at the time of the end, in 1798, the King of the South, Atheism, was going to begin a war against the Papacy, the King of the North. As Seventh-day Adventists, we know that in 1798 atheistic France delivered the deadly wound to the Papacy. That’s Daniel 11:40.
The verse continues to say that in time, in a period of time, the King of the North would return and retaliate against Atheism, the King of the South. The verse says that when the King of the North, the Papacy, retaliates against Atheism, the King of the South, the Papacy would have the ally of the United States — the chariots, ships, and horsemen.
That’s the premise of Carl Bernstein’s work. He demonstrates how, in the Ronald Reagan years, Reagan formed a secret alliance with the Antichrist of Bible prophecy for the purpose of sweeping away the King of the South, the Soviet Union, and that it was fulfilled in 1989. That’s the history of verse 40 of Daniel 11. And the next verse identifies the Sunday Law in the United States.
There are many things in this verse, but we will take just one. It says, “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”
The 144,000 will restore the paths to dwell in. They’ll raise up the old waste places. Jeremiah chapter 6 tells us what the paths to dwell in are. Verse 16 of chapter 6 says, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”
Sister White has a notable statement. She says: “Each of the ancient prophets spoke more for our day, than the days in which they lived, so that their prophesying is in force for us, … who live at the end of the world” (3SM, 338).
So Jeremiah, Isaiah, and all the prophets are giving testimony to our day and age, and Isaiah and Jeremiah are telling us that the 144,000 will return to the “old paths.” So, when we talk about what are the foundations and the pillars — the foundations for Adventism — they are the truths that began the Millerite movement.
Review and Herald, April 14, 1903: “I saw a company who stood well guarded and firm, giving no countenance to those who would unsettle the established faith of the body.” EW, 259.
Definition of mar’eh: appearance. It means a singular appearance.
When it comes to mar’eh, I defined it as a “snapshot,” whereas the other word, translated “vision” — chazon — means the “complete” vision.
“The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.” — (Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 10, p. 37, 1897; Evangelism, p. 617.2)
“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ’s name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality.” — (E.G. White, 20MR 324.2)
(Evangelism, 616.6 and 617.1)
“The Holy Spirit always leads to the written word. The Holy Spirit is a person; for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. … The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God.” — (Ellen G. White, MS 20, 1906; Evangelism, 616.6 and 617.1)
“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.” — (Ellen G. White, Sermons and Talks, Volume 2, pp. 136, 137, 1899; Evangelism, p. 616.5)
“The Holy Spirit is a free, working, independent agency.” — (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, May 5, 1896; Evangelism, p. 615.1)
“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — those who receive Christ by living faith are baptised.” — (Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63, 1905; Evangelism, p. 615.1)
Trinity /ˈtrɪnɪti/ — noun: the three persons of the Christian Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Also, a group of three people or things. “the wine was the first of a trinity of three excellent vintages.” Also, the state of being three: “God is said to be trinity in unity.”
“We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.” — (Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 51; Evangelism, p. 617.3)
The unbelieving world will soon have something to think of besides their dress and appearance; and as their minds are torn from these things by distress and perplexity, they will have nothing to turn to. They are not prisoners of hope, and therefore do not turn to the Stronghold. Their hearts will fail them for repining and fear. They have not made God their refuge, and He will not be their consolation then, but will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh.
They have despised and trampled upon the truths of God’s word. They have indulged in extravagant dress, and have spent their lives in hilarity and glee. They have sown to the wind; they must reap the whirlwind. In the time of distress and perplexity of nations there will be many who have not given themselves wholly to the corrupting influences of the world and the service of Satan, who will humble themselves before God and turn to Him with their whole heart and find acceptance and pardon. 1T 268.3
Everything is preparing for the great day of God. Time will last a little longer until the inhabitants of the earth have filled up the cup of their iniquity, and then the wrath of God, which has so long slumbered, will awake, and this land of light will drink the cup of His unmingled wrath. The desolating power of God is upon the earth to rend and destroy. The inhabitants of the earth are appointed to the sword, to famine, and to pestilence. 1T 363.4
Qui peut concevoir toute la grandeur du sacrifice fait par le Dieu du ciel, lorsqu’il consentit à se séparer de son Fils bien-aimé! C’est avant la création de la terre, déjà, que le plan du salut avait été formé; car Christ est “l’Agneau égorgé dès la fondation du monde.” Et pourtant, il se livra une lutte dans le cœur du Roi de l’univers lui-même, avant qu’il se déterminât à abandonner son Fils à la mort pour une race coupable. Mais “Dieu a tellement aimé le monde, qu’il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse point, mais qu’il ait la vie éternelle.” Ô mystère de la rédemption! Ô amour de Dieu pour un monde qui ne l’avait pas aimé! Qui peut connaître la profondeur de cet amour qui “surpasse toute connaissance?” À travers les âges sans fin, les élus appliqueront leur intelligence immortalisée à sonder l’incompréhensible amour de Dieu, devant lequel ils demeureront toujours confondus et prosternés. VJC 17.3
La vie de Christ se distinguait par la simplicité et par la pureté. C’était son esprit tranquille, modeste, l’absence de vanité et d’orgueil, qui lui attiraient la faveur de Dieu et des hommes. Comme enfant, il montra une gentillesse particulière et des dispositions aimantes. Ses mains et ses pieds étaient toujours prêts à servir les autres, et on le voyait sans cesse prompt à soulager ses parents dans leur travail. Il avait une patience que rien ne pouvait troubler, une droiture de cœur. À l’écart des souillures du monde, il tirait de la nature des trésors de connaissances scientifiques. Dès son jeune âge il fut animé d’un désir unique: celui de vivre pour faire du bien. (Desire of Ages, p. 53)
The accidents by land and by sea; the loss of life, steadily increasing, by storm, by tempest, by railroad disaster, by conflagration; the terrible floods, the earthquakes, and the winds, will be the stirring up of the nations to one deadly combat, while the angels hold the four winds, forbidding the terrible power of Satan to be exercised in its fury until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads.
Angels are holding the four winds, which are 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… While their hands were loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to the Father and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood for them. Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels and bid them hold until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads. (My Life Today, p. 308)
“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.” (Mar 257.2)
“I am often referred to the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish. This parable has been and will be fulfilled to the very letter” (RH, August 19, 1890, par. 3).
“Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”
Ellen White clearly identifies this “breath” and “wind” that is being summoned from the four winds as the latter rain that falls upon the Seventh-day Adventist church. She says the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 represent the church: “These bones represent the house of Israel, the church of God, and the hope of the church is the vivifying influence of the Holy Spirit. The Lord must breathe upon the dry bones, that they may live. The Spirit of God, with its vivifying power, must be in every human agent…” (RH, January 17, 1893, par. 8-9)
“I asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He said to me that it was God that restrained the powers, and that He gave His angels charge over things on the earth; that the four angels had power from God to hold the four winds, and that they were about to let them go; but while their hands were loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to the Father, and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood for them. Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels, and bid them hold, until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads.” (CET 102)
Bible Quotes 5
The person who accompanied me said: “The conversation where Christ and the characteristics of His life are the themes dwelt upon will refresh the spirit and the fruit will be unto holiness and everlasting life.” He then quoted these words: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” These words so impressed me that I spoke upon them the next Sabbath. (17 574)
This earth is the fitting-up place. You have not one moment to lose. All is harmony, peace, and love in heaven. No discord, no strife, no censuring, no unloving words, no clouded brows, no jars there; and no one will be introduced there who possesses any of these elements so destructive to peace and happiness. 1T 705.3
The Lord will soon come and take the good and holy to Himself. We want you to live among the pure and holy angels in heaven, and wear a crown of gold, and eat of the tree of life. Trust in the Lord at all times. Listen to the voice of conscience. Love God and you will have His approving smile. What a thought, to have the great God, the Maker of the heavens and the earth, to smile upon and love you. Dear children, seek for this, pray for it, live for it. AY 41.1
I thought, what if this poor boy was mine; what if I should be compelled to see you suffer so. Oh, how my heart would ache that I had not been more careful of you. Eddie, I could but weep as I thought of these things. Your father and mother love you very much. We instruct and warn you for your good. AY 52.2
If the people who now profess to be God’s peculiar treasure would obey His requirements, as specified in His word, special testimonies would not be given to awaken them to their duty and impress upon them their sinfulness and their fearful danger in neglecting to obey the word of God. Consciences have been blunted because light has been set aside, neglected, and despised. And God will remove these testimonies from the people, and will deprive them of strength, and humble them. 2T 607.2
God loves Sister Pierce. She is one of the timid, fearing ones, conscientious in the performance of her duty; and she will receive a reward when Jesus comes if she is faithful to the end. She has not made a display of her virtues, she has been retiring, one of the more silent ones; yet her life has been useful; she has blessed many by her influence.
Sister Pierce has not much self-esteem and self-confidence. She has many fears, yet does not come under the head of the fearful and unbelieving, who will find no place in the kingdom of God. Those outside of the city are among the most confident, boastful, and apparently zealous ones who love in word, but not in deed and in truth.
Their hearts are not right with God. His fear is not before them. The fearful and unbelieving, who are punished with the second death, are of that class who are ashamed of Christ in this world. They are afraid to do right and follow Christ, lest they should meet with pecuniary loss. They neglect their duty, to avoid reproach and trials, and to escape dangers. Those who dare not do right because they will thus expose themselves to trials, persecution, loss, and suffering are cowards, and, with idolaters, liars, and all sinners, they are ripening for the second death. 2T 630.1
Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: “They are joined to their idols, let them alone,” and they pass on to their work, leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued, to the control of evil angels. Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation. 1T 187.1
God proves His people in this world. This is the fitting-up place to appear in His presence. Here, in this world, in these last days, persons will show what power affects their hearts and controls their actions. If it is the power of divine truth, it will lead to good works. It will elevate the receiver, and make him noble-hearted and generous, like his divine Lord. But if evil angels control the heart, it will be seen in various ways. The fruit will be selfishness, covetousness, pride, and evil passions. 1T 188.1
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Professors of religion are not willing to closely examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith; and it is a fearful fact that many are leaning on a false hope. Some lean upon an old experience which they had years ago; but when brought down to this heart-searching time, when all should have a daily experience, they have nothing to relate.
They seem to think that a profession of the truth will save them. When they subdue those sins which God hates, Jesus will come in and sup with them and they with Him. They will then draw divine strength from Jesus, and will grow up in Him, and be able with holy triumph to say: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It would be more pleasing to the Lord if lukewarm professors of religion had never named His name. They are a continual weight to those who would be faithful followers of Jesus. They are a stumbling block to unbelievers, and evil angels exult over them, and taunt the angels of God with their crooked course. Such are a curse to the cause at home or abroad. They draw nigh to God with their lips, while their heart is far from Him. 1T 188.2
Many, I saw, were flattering themselves that they were good Christians, who have not a single ray of light from Jesus. They know not what it is to be renewed by the grace of God. They have no living experience for themselves in the things of God. And I saw that the Lord was whetting His sword in heaven to cut them down.
Oh, that every lukewarm professor could realize the clean work that God is about to make among His professed people! Dear friends, do not deceive yourselves concerning your condition. You cannot deceive God. Says the True Witness: “I know thy works.” The third angel is leading up a people, step by step, higher and higher. At every step they will be tested. 1T 189.2
Some receive a part of the message, and reject another portion. Some accept the Sabbath and reject the third angel’s message; yet because they have received the Sabbath they claim the fellowship of those who believe all the present truth. Then they labor to bring others into the same dark position with themselves. They are not responsible to anyone. They have an independent faith of their own. Such are allowed to have influence, when no place should be given to them, notwithstanding their pretensions to honesty. 1T 326.1
“To Me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the Lord shall judge His people, and repent Himself for His servants, when He seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. And He shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted?” 1T 368.1
God is displeased with the lack of self-denial in some of His servants. They have not the burden of the work upon them. They seem to be in a deathlike stupor. Angels of God stand amazed and ashamed of this lack of self-denial and perseverance. While the Author of our salvation was laboring and suffering for us, He denied Himself, and His whole life was one continued scene of toil and privation. He could have passed His days on earth in ease and plenty, and appropriated to Himself the pleasures of this life; but He considered not His own convenience. He lived to do others good.
He suffered to save others from suffering. He endured to the end and finished the work which was given Him to do. All this was to save us from ruin. And now, can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great love, will seek a better position in this life than was given to our Lord? Every moment of our lives we have been partakers of the blessings of His great love, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize the depths of ignorance and misery from which we have been saved. Can we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced and not be willing to drink with Him the bitter cup of humiliation and sorrow? Can we look upon Christ crucified and wish to enter His kingdom in any other way than through much tribulation? 1T 370.1
They should point them to their never-failing Friend and Counselor, who will be touched with the feeling of their infirmities, who was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. 1T 391.2
They should lay aside anxiety and burdens, and occupy their time as happily as they can, and be ripening up for heaven. 1T 423.2
The consciousness of right-doing is the best medicine for diseased bodies and minds. The special blessing of God resting upon the receiver is health and strength. A person whose mind is quiet and satisfied in God is in the pathway to health. To have a consciousness that the eyes of the Lord are upon us and His ears open to our prayers is a satisfaction indeed.
To know that we have a never-failing Friend in whom we can confide all the secrets of the soul is a privilege which words can never express. Those whose moral faculties are beclouded by disease are not the ones to rightly represent the Christian life or the beauties of holiness.
Many rich men have obtained their wealth by close deal, by advantaging themselves and disadvantaging their poorer fellow men or their brethren; and these very men glory in their shrewdness and keenness in a bargain. But the curse of God will rest upon every dollar thus obtained, and upon the increase of it in their hands.
“The Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided Him.” Mark the words of Christ to them: “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men [which is riches acquired by oppression, by deception, by overreaching, by fraud, or in any other dishonest manner] is abomination in the sight of God.” Then Christ presents the two characters.
Psalm 14:7 (King James Version) — “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.”
The person with me repeated these words: “If they would only engage as readily and with as much earnestness and zeal in conversation upon their Redeemer, dwelling upon His matchless charms, His disinterested benevolence, and His merciful forgiveness, His pitiful tenderness to the suffering, His forbearance and inexpressible love, how much more precious and valuable would be the fruits…” 1T 574
“And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”
When the laborers have an abiding Christ in their own souls, when all selfishness is dead, when there is no rivalry, no strife for the supremacy, when oneness exists, when they sanctify themselves, so that love for one another is seen and felt, then the showers of the grace of the Holy Spirit will just as surely come upon them as that God’s promise will never fail in one jot or tittle. But when the work of others is discounted, that the workers may show their own superiority, they prove that their own work does not bear the signature it should. God cannot bless them. (Manuscript 24, 1896; 1SM 175.2)
“And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.”
Il fit ainsi, marcha nu et déchaussé. Et l’Éternel dit: De même que mon serviteur Ésaïe marche nu et déchaussé, ce qui sera dans trois ans un signe et un présage pour l’Égypte et pour l’Éthiopie.
Bible Quotes 2 — Music
For about an hour the fog did not lift and the sun did not penetrate it. Then the musicians [on the ship] who were to leave the boat at this place entertained the impatient passengers with music, well selected and well rendered. It did not jar upon the senses as the previous evening, but was soft and really grateful to the senses because it was musical. –Letter 6b, 1893, pp. 2, 3. (Written of the landing in New Zealand in February 1893.)
Beautiful Instrumental Music at the Swiss Beer Garden. –The same night there was beautiful music and fireworks close by across the road. There is an extensive beer garden owned by the city and carried on by the city. This garden is made attractive with flowers and shrubs and noble trees, giving a nice shade. There are seats that will accommodate hundreds, and little oval tables are adjusted before these seats and this most beautiful instrumental music is played by the band. –Manuscript 33, 1886.
An Indescribable Concert. –We are having an indescribable concert. Nine are singing, Dutch or German or French, I cannot tell which. The voices are just splendid, quite entertaining. I think it is a Sunday-school excursion company. –Letter 8, 1876.
The physical organism of man is under the supervision of God; but it is not like a clock, which is set in operation, and must go of itself. The heart beats, pulse succeeds pulse, breath succeeds breath, but the entire being is under the supervision of God. “Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). In God we live and move and have our being. Each heartbeat, each breath, is the inspiration of Him who breathed into the nostrils of Adam the breath of life — the inspiration of the ever-present God, the great I AM. 1SM 294.3
No cross, no crown. How can one be strong in the Lord without trials? To have strength we must have exercise. To have strong faith, we must be placed in circumstances where our faith will be exercised. The apostle Paul, just before his martyrdom, exhorted Timothy: “Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” It is through much tribulation that we are to enter the kingdom of God. Our Saviour was tried in every possible way, and yet He triumphed in God continually. It is our privilege to be strong in the strength of God under all circumstances and to glory in the cross of Christ. 3T 67.1
America… 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. (Selected Messages, book 3, p. 387)
When the law of God is made void, the church will be sifted by fiery trials, and a larger portion than we now anticipate will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. (Selected Messages, book 2, p. 368)
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…. (Ibid., book 3, p. 385)
As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position, and join the ranks of the opposition. (The Great Controversy, p. 608)
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. (Evangelism, p. 360)
Why is it so hard to lead a self-denying, humble life? Because professed Christians are not dead to the world. It is easy living after we are dead. But many are longing for the leeks and onions of Egypt. They have a disposition to act and dress as much like the world as possible and yet go to heaven. Such climb up some other way. They do not enter through the strait gate and narrow way. (Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 131)
I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation…. The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt…. Have we not been seeking the friendship and applause of the world rather than the presence of Christ and a deeper knowledge of His will? (Ibid., vol. 5, pp. 217-218)
It is positively displeasing to God for my husband to recount his difficulties and his peculiar grievances of the past. If he had looked upon these things in the light that they were not done to him, but to the Lord, whose instrument he is, then he would have received a great reward. (3T, ch. 9)
Had my husband felt that he could leave this matter all with the Lord, and that their murmurings and their neglect were against the Master instead of the servant in the Master’s service, he would not have felt so aggrieved, and it would not have hurt him. He should have left it with the Lord, whose servant he is, to fight his battles for him and vindicate his cause. Then he would have finally received a precious reward for all his sufferings for Christ’s sake. 3T 98.1
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. (This Day With God, p. 163)
Jesús no rehusó el beso del traidor. En esto nos dió un ejemplo de mansedumbre, de amor y de misericordia. Si somos sus discípulos, debemos tratar a nuestros enemigos…
It is impossible for one who has only a meager knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, to represent God correctly, or to wage the Christian warfare, gaining victories over temptation to indifference and indolence. He is purposeless, and that which he might have done with his original talent is left undone; and when he is weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, the verdict is passed, “Weighed and found wanting.” He is held accountable for all that a true Christian might have done with his entrusted talent.
But because he had no realization of his responsibility, he frittered away his time, used his holidays for the gratification of self, and instead of training his powers to serve the noblest uses in becoming a missionary for God, in speaking to his associates and winning them from sin to God, he failed to represent the interests of his Master, and his light did not shine forth in good works to the world.
The truth that is not permitted to work sanctification in the life works out a savor of death unto death. How did this soul become released from the claims of God, that he might venture to do his own will, as if God had given him life to fritter away as a long holiday? It was the neglect of God’s great love, his failure to meet the wise design of his Redeemer, that separated him from his heavenly Father; for when God cannot use a soul as His human agent to glorify His name by the salvation of others, He terms him an unprofitable servant, whose influence is not of a character to gather with Christ…. (Mrs. E. G. White, YI, June 8, 1893, par. 7)
The facts relative to Korah and his company, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron, and against Jehovah, are recorded for a warning to God’s people, especially those who live upon the earth near the close of time. Satan has led persons to imitate the example of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, in raising insurrection among the people of God. Those who permit themselves to rise in opposition to the plain testimony, become self-deceived, and have really thought that those upon whom God laid the burden of His work were exalted above the people of God, and that their counsels and reproofs were uncalled for. They have risen in opposition to the plain testimony which God would have them bear in rebuking the wrongs among God’s people. (CD 428.2)
“He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.” “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.” Deuteronomy 32:10; Isaiah 63:9. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 407.2)
A thorough conversion is necessary before they can be in working order. Selfishness, pride, envy, malice, evil surmising, backbiting, gossiping, and tattling have been cherished among them, until the Spirit of God has but little to do with them. While some who profess to know God remain in their present state, their prayers are an abomination in His sight.
They do not sustain their faith by their works, and it would have been better for some never to have professed the truth than to have dishonored their profession as they have. While they profess to be servants of Christ, they are servants of the enemy of righteousness; and their works testify of them that they are not acquainted with God and that their hearts are not in obedience to the will of Christ. They make child’s play of religion; they act like pettish children. (3T, p. 52)
The work of pruning and purifying to fit us for heaven is a great work and will cost us much suffering and trial, because our wills are not subjected to the will of Christ. We must go through the furnace till the fires have consumed the dross and we are purified and reflect the divine image. Those who follow their inclinations and are governed by appearances are not good judges of what God is doing. They are filled with discontent. They see failure where there is indeed triumph, a great loss where there is gain; and, like Jacob, they are ready to exclaim, “All these things are against me,” when the very things whereof they complain are all working together for their good. 3T 66.3