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| Event 3 - Probation Closes |
| Final Warning |
Key Text
"And I heard another voice from
heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers
of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation
18:4 |
"I saw another angel come down from heaven, having
great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen,
is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." "And
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues." Revelation 18:1, 2, 4.
This scripture points forward to a time when the announcement of the fall of
Babylon, as made by the second angel of Revelation 14 (verse 8), is to be repeated,
with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the various
organizations that constitute Babylon, since that message was first given, in
the summer of 1844. A terrible condition of the religious world is here described.
With every rejection of truth the minds of the people will become darker, their
hearts more stubborn, until they are entrenched in an infidel hardihood. In defiance
of the warnings which God has given, they will continue to trample upon one of
the precepts of the Decalogue, until they are led to persecute those who hold
it sacred. Christ is set at nought in the contempt placed upon His word and His
people. As the teachings of spiritualism are accepted by the churches, the
restraint imposed upon the carnal heart is removed, and the profession of religion
will become a cloak to conceal the basest iniquity. A belief in spiritual manifestations
opens the door to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and thus the influence
of evil angels will be felt in the churches.
Of Babylon, at the time brought to view in this prophecy, it is declared: "Her
sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." Revelation
18:5. She has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is about to
fall upon her. But God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation
of His judgments these faithful ones must be called out, that they partake not
of her sins and "receive not of her plagues." Hence the movement symbolized
by the angel coming down from heaven, lightening the earth with his glory and
crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection
with his message the call is heard: "Come out of her, My people." These
announcements, uniting with the third angel's message, constitute the final warning
to be given to the inhabitants of the earth.
Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth,
uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that "all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and bond" (Revelation 13:16), shall
conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath.
All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally
be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God
enjoining the Creator's rest day demands obedience and threatens wrath against
all who transgress its precepts.
With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whoever shall trample upon God's
law to obey a human enactment receives the mark of the beast; he accepts the
sign of allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead of God. The
warning from heaven is: "If any man worship the beast
and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture
into the cup of His indignation." Revelation 14:9, 10.
But not one is made to suffer the wrath of God until the truth has been brought
home to his mind and conscience, and has been rejected. There are many who have
never had an opportunity to hear the special truths for this time. The obligation
of the fourth commandment has never been set before them in its true light. He
who reads every heart and tries every motive will leave none who desire a knowledge
of the truth, to be deceived as to the issues of the controversy. The decree
is not to be urged upon the people blindly. Everyone is to have sufficient light
to make his decision intelligently.
The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially
controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the
line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve
Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath in compliance with the law
of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance
to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in
obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class,
by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the
beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive
the seal of God.
Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel's message have often
been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance
would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to
persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless
and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become
other than what it has been--the
defender of religious freedom. But
as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event
so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message
will produce an effect which it could not have had before.
In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin, both in the world
and in the church. But the people desire smooth things spoken to them, and the
pure, unvarnished truth is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their
work, determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of the church
and the nation. They hoped, by the example of a pure Christian life, to lead
the people back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the Spirit of God came upon
them as it came upon Elijah, moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king and
an apostate people; they could not refrain from preaching the plain utterances
of the Bible-- doctrines which they had been reluctant to present. They were
impelled to zealously declare the truth and the danger which threatened souls.
The words which the Lord gave them they uttered, fearless of consequences, and
the people were compelled to hear the warning.
Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed. As the time comes for
it to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments,
leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers
will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of
literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth
with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon
will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church
by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress
of the papal power--all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people
will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words
like these. In amazement they
hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her errors and
sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from heaven. As the people
go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so? the
ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears and quiet
the awakened conscience. But since many refuse to be satisfied with the mere
authority of men and demand a plain "Thus saith the Lord," the popular
ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is
questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving
multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it.
As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called
to God's downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will
only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman
efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every
means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these
vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in
this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement
becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers.
They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered
positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce
their faith. But their steadfast answer is: "Show us from the word of God
our error"--the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances.
Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth,
and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments
of God. Thus light will be brought before thousands who otherwise would know
nothing of these truths.
Conscientious obedience to the word of God will be treated as rebellion. Blinded
by Satan, the parent will exercise harshness and severity toward the believing
child; the master or mistress will oppress the commandment-keeping servant. Affection
will be alienated; children will be disinherited and driven from home. The words
of Paul will be literally fulfilled: "All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12. As the defenders of truth
refuse to honor the Sunday-sabbath, some of them will be thrust into prison,
some will be exiled, some will be treated as slaves. To human wisdom all this
now seems impossible; but as the restraining Spirit of God shall be withdrawn
from men, and they shall be under the control of Satan, who hates the divine
precepts, there will be strange developments. The heart can be very cruel when
God's fear and love are removed.
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. By uniting with
the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly
the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the
easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in
the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the
most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought
before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient
agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations
to stir up the rulers against them.
In this time of persecution the faith of the Lord's servants will be tried. They
have faithfully given the warning, looking to God and to His word alone. God's
Spirit, moving upon their hearts, has constrained them to speak. Stimulated
with holy zeal, and with the divine impulse strong upon them, they entered upon
the performance of their duties without coldly calculating the consequences of
speaking to the people the word which the Lord had given them. They have not
consulted their temporal interests, nor sought to preserve their reputation or
their lives. Yet when the storm of opposition and reproach bursts upon them,
some, overwhelmed with consternation, will be ready to exclaim: "Had we
foreseen the consequences of our words, we would have held our peace." They
are hedged in with difficulties. Satan assails them with fierce temptations.
The work which they have undertaken seems far beyond their ability to accomplish.
They are threatened with destruction. The enthusiasm which animated them is gone;
yet they cannot turn back. Then, feeling their utter helplessness, they flee
to the Mighty One for strength. They remember that the words which they have
spoken were not theirs, but His who bade them give the warning. God put the truth
into their hearts, and they could not forbear to proclaim it.
The same trials have been experienced by men of God in ages past. Wycliffe, Huss,
Luther, Tyndale, Baxter, Wesley, urged that all doctrines be brought to the test
of the Bible and declared that they would renounce everything which it condemned.
Against these men persecution raged with relentless fury; yet they ceased not
to declare the truth. Different periods in the history of the church have each
been marked by the development of some special truth, adapted to the necessities
of God's people at that time. Every new truth has made its way against hatred
and opposition; those who were blessed with its light were tempted and tried.
The Lord gives a special truth for the people in an emergency. Who dare refuse
to publish it? He commands His servants to present the last invitation of mercy
to the world. They cannot remain silent, except at the peril of their souls.
Christ's ambassadors
have nothing to do with consequences. They must perform their duty and leave
results with God.
As the opposition rises to a fiercer height, the servants of God are again perplexed;
for it seems to them that they have brought the crisis. But conscience and the
word of God assure them that their course is right; and although the trials continue,
they are strengthened to bear them. The contest grows closer and sharper, but
their faith and courage rise with the emergency. Their testimony is: "We
dare not tamper with God's word, dividing His holy law; calling one portion essential
and another nonessential, to gain the favor of the world. The Lord whom we serve
is able to deliver us. Christ has conquered the powers of earth; and shall we
be afraid of a world already conquered?"
Persecution in its varied forms is the development of a principle which will
exist as long as Satan exists and Christianity has vital power. No man can serve
God without enlisting against himself the opposition of the hosts of darkness.
Evil angels will assail him, alarmed that his influence is taking the prey from
their hands. Evil men, rebuked by his example, will unite with them in seeking
to separate him from God by alluring temptations. When these do not succeed,
then a compelling power is employed to force the conscience.
But so long as Jesus remains man's intercessor in the sanctuary above, the restraining
influence of the Holy Spirit is felt by rulers and people. It still controls
to some extent the laws of the land. Were it not for these laws, the condition
of the world would be much worse than it now is. While many of our rulers are
active agents of Satan, God also has His agents among the leading men of the
nation. The enemy moves upon his servants to propose measures that would greatly
impede the work of God; but statesmen who fear the Lord are influenced by holy
angels to oppose such propositions with unanswerable arguments. Thus a few men
will
hold in check a powerful current of evil. The opposition of the enemies of truth
will be restrained that the third angel's message may do its work. When the final
warning shall be given, it will arrest the attention of these leading men through
whom the Lord is now working, and some of them will accept it, and will stand
with the people of God through the time of trouble.
The angel who unites in the proclamation of the third angel's message is to lighten
the whole earth with his glory. A work of world-wide extent and unwonted power
is here foretold. The advent movement of 1840-44 was a glorious manifestation
of the power of God; the first angel's message was carried to every missionary
station in the world, and in some countries there was the greatest religious
interest which has been witnessed in any land since the Reformation of the sixteenth
century; but these are to be exceeded by the mighty movement under the last warning
of the third angel.
The work will be similar to that of the Day of Pentecost. As the "former
rain" was given, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening of
the gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious seed, so the "latter
rain" will be given at its close for the ripening of the harvest. "Then
shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared
as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former
rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:3. "Be glad then, ye children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately,
and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter
rain." Joel 2:23. "In the last days, saith God, I will pour out of
My Spirit upon all flesh." "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2:17, 21.
The great work of the gospel is not to close with less manifestation of the power
of God than marked its opening. The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring
of the
former rain at the opening of the gospel are again to be fulfilled in the latter
rain at its close. Here are "the times of refreshing" to which the
apostle Peter looked forward when he said: "Repent ye therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus." Acts 3:19,
20.
Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration,
will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands
of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought,
the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan
also works, with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight
of men. Revelation 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to
take their stand.
The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction
of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been presented. The seed has been sown,
and now it will spring up and bear fruit. The publications distributed by missionary
workers have exerted their influence, yet many whose minds were impressed have
been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience.
Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness,
and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections,
church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than
all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large
number take their stand upon the Lord's side. |
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