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Chapter Thirty
Eight
The Final Warning
“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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