One of the Most Serious Warnings
in
The Spirit of Prophecy
Though this counsel is
directed to ministers and the people who have listened to the truths from the
pulpit and it is a serious reminder of what we shall soon face and how to be
ready for the worst time of trouble ever to visit planet earth.
“Be Ye Clean”
[From the tract The sin of licentiousness.]
I call upon ministers who
have been handling the word of God, “Be ye clean, that
bear the vessels of the Lord.” I ask the people who have listened to the truths
from the pulpit, What are your feelings in anticipation of that great day? In that day you have each an individual, personal
interest. Be assured, God will not be mocked with pretensions. Have you the wedding garment on? {TM 444.1}
We hear now of
earthquakes in divers places, of fires, of tempests, of disasters by sea and
land, of pestilence, of famine. What weight
do these signs have upon you? This is only the beginning of what shall be. The description of the day of God is given through John
by the Revelator. The cry of the terror-stricken
myriads has fallen upon the ear of John. “The great day of His wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand?” The apostle himself was awed and overwhelmed. {TM 444.2}
What is Your Refuge in that Day?
If such scenes as this
are to come, such tremendous judgments on a guilty world, where will be the refuge for God’s people? How will they be
sheltered until the indignation be overpast? John sees the elements of nature—earthquake, tempest, and
political strife—represented as being held by four angels. These winds are
under control until God gives the word to let them go. There is the safety of God’s [true] church. The angels of God do His bidding, holding back the winds
of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth, nor
on the sea, nor on any tree, until the servants of God should be sealed in their
foreheads. The mighty angel is seen
ascending from the east (or sunrising). This mightiest of
angels has in his hand the seal of the
living God, or of Him who alone can give life, who can inscribe upon the
foreheads the mark or inscription, to whom shall be granted immortality,
eternal life. It is the voice of this highest angel that had authority to command the four angels to keep in
check the four winds until this work was performed, and until he should give
the summons to let them loose. {TM 444.3}
Those that overcome the
world, the flesh, and the devil, will be the favored ones who shall receive the
seal of the living God. Those whose hands
are not clean, whose hearts are not pure, will not have the seal of the living
God. Those who are planning sin and acting it will be passed by. Only those who, in their attitude before God, are filling
the position of those who are repenting and confessing their sins in the great
anti-typical day of atonement, will be recognized and
marked as worthy of God’s protection. The
names of those who are steadfastly looking and waiting and watching for the
appearing of their Saviour—more earnestly and wishfully than they who wait for
the morning—will be numbered with those who are sealed. Those who, while having all the light of truth flashing
upon their souls, should have works corresponding to their avowed faith, but
are allured by sin, setting up idols in their hearts, corrupting their souls
before God, and polluting those who unite with them in sin, will have their names
blotted out of the book of life, and be left in midnight darkness, having no
oil in their vessels with their lamps. “Unto
you that fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness
arise with healing in His wings.”
{TM 445.1}
This sealing of the servants of God is the same that was
shown to Ezekiel in vision. John also
had been a witness of this most startling revelation. He saw the sea and the
waves roaring, and men’s hearts failing them for fear. He beheld the earth
moved, and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea (which is literally taking place), the water thereof roaring and
troubled, and the mountains shaking with the swelling thereof. He was shown
plagues, pestilence, famine, and death performing their terrible mission. {TM
445.2}
“Escape for Thy Life”
The same angel who
visited Sodom is sounding the note of warning, “Escape for thy life.” The bottles of God’s wrath cannot be poured out to
destroy the wicked and their works until all the people of God have been
judged, and the cases of the living as well as the dead are decided. And even after the saints are sealed with the seal of the
living God, His elect will have trials individually. Personal afflictions will come; but the furnace is
closely watched by an eye that will not suffer the gold to be consumed. The
indelible mark of God is upon them. God can plead that His own name is written
there. The Lord has shut them in. Their
destination is inscribed—“God, New Jerusalem.” They are God’s property, His
possession.
{TM 446.1}
Will this seal be put
upon the impure in mind, the fornicator, the adulterer, the man who covets his
neighbor’s wife? Let your souls answer the question, Does my character
correspond to the qualifications essential that I may receive a passport to the
mansions Christ has prepared for those who are fitted for them? Holiness must
be inwrought in our character. {TM
446.2}
God has shown me that at
the very time that the signs of the times are being fulfilled around us, when
we hear, as it were, the tread of the hosts of heaven fulfilling their mission,
men of intelligence, men in responsible positions, will be putting rotten timbers in
their character building—material which is consumable in the day of God, and
which will decide them to be unfit to enter the mansions above. They have refused to let go the filthy garments; they
have clung to them as if they were of precious value. They will lose heaven and
an eternity of bliss on account of them. {TM 446.3}
Be Converted Men
I call upon you who minister
in sacred things to be converted men before you go forth to act any part in the
cause of my Master. Now is your time to seek a preparation and readiness for
the fearful test which is before us—that holiness without which no man shall
see God. Let none say, My way is hid from the Lord;
God taketh no knowledge of my ways. Now it may be it is not too late. Now it
may be you can repent. But even if pardon is written against your names, you
will sustain terrible loss; for the scars you have made upon your souls will
remain. {TM 447.1}
Oh, how can any who have
the light of truth, the great light given them of God, defy the wrath and
judgments of God by sinning against Him and doing the very things God has told
them in His word not to do? How can they be so blinded by Satan as to dishonor
God to His face, and defile their souls by
sinning knowingly? Says
the apostle, “We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to
men.” Will these sinners—shall I call them hypocrites?—in Zion inquire, In what manner am I a spectacle to the world, to angels, and
to men? Answer for yourselves, By my abuse of the
light and privileges and mercies God has given me, by unseemly actions which
corrupt and defile the soul. Professing to know God, do I put Him out of my
thoughts, and substitute an idol? Do I lead other minds to regard sin lightly
by my example? Am I a spectacle to the world of moral looseness? Am I a
spectacle to angels in indecent actions and moral defilement of the body? The
apostle exhorts us: “I beseech you, ... brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” “Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” {TM 447.2}
God’s Standard
God has a law, and it is
the great standard of righteousness. Everyone
who has presumed upon the mercy of God, and practiced iniquity, will be judged
according to his works. God has warned you
to depart from all iniquity. He has commanded you individually to resist the
devil, not to entertain him as an honored guest. The time has come when
Jerusalem is being searched as with lighted candles. God is at work
investigating character, weighing moral worth, and pronouncing decisions on
individual cases. It may not be too late for those who have sinned to be
zealous and repent; “for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be
repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” This sorrow
is a deceptive kind. It has no real virtue in it. There is no sense of the aggravated character of sin; but
there is a sorrow and regret that the sin has come to the knowledge of others;
and so no confessions are made, except in acknowledgment of the things thus
revealed which cannot be denied. {TM 448.1}
This is the sorrow of the
world, which worketh death, and pacifies the conscience, while the sin is still
cherished, and would be carried on just the same if there were an opportunity,
and they could not be discovered. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye
sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what
clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what
vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have
approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” Here we can see the duty that rests upon
the church to deal with those whose course of action is entirely contrary to
the light which they have received. Will
the people of God take their stand upon the Bible, or will they be worse than
infidels, and give arguments to this class to reproach Christ and the truth,
because they do not obey the claims of the gospel in faith and obedience by a
circumspect life and a holy character? {TM 448.2}
Those who claim to have
the light of truth have not met the conditions on which the fulfillment of the
promises is suspended, neither have they been worthy of the grace of Christ. The character and service of the church are required to
be according to the talents received. Her
faith and obedience should be equal to the amount which a faithful improvement
of her light and opportunities would have gained for her in moral and spiritual
elevation. {TM 449.1}
But many—not a few, but
many—have been losing their spiritual zeal and consecration, and turning away
from the light that has been constantly growing brighter and brighter, and have
refused to walk in the truth because its sanctifying power upon the soul was not what
they desired. They might have been
renewed in holiness and have reached the elevated standard that God’s word
demands; but condemnation is upon them. Many
ministers and many people are in darkness. They have lost sight of the Leader,
the Light of the world; and their guilt is proportionate to the grace and truth
opened to their understanding, which has been abundant and powerful. {TM 449.2}
Lift Up the Standard
God
calls His people to elevate the standard. The
church must show their zeal for God in dealing with those who have, while
professing great faith, been putting Christ to open shame. They have imperiled the truth. They have been unfaithful
sentinels. They have brought reproach and dishonor upon the cause of God. The time has come for earnest and powerful efforts to rid
the church of the slime and filth which is tarnishing her purity. The church of Christ
is called to be a holy, powerful people, a name and praise in all the earth. There has been opened a fountain for Judah and
Jerusalem, to wash from all uncleanness and sin. There is an astonishing backsliding with
God’s people, to whom has been entrusted sacred, holy truth. Her faith, her service, her works, must be compared to
what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward,
according to grace and holy truth given her. {TM 450.1}
In this balance of the
sanctuary, the individual members of the Christian church will be weighed; and
if her moral character and spiritual state do not correspond to the benefits
and blessings conferred upon her, she will be found wanting. If the fruit does
not appear, then God is not glorified. {TM
450.2}
“Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except
thou repent.” {TM 450.3}
A
knowledge of the state of the
backslider from God seems to be hidden from him.
Has the candlestick been removed out of its place? I call upon all who are
resting unconcerned in their present state of spiritual deadness, to arouse and
arise from the dead, and Christ will give them light. Many rest as content as
though the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night were sheltering and
guiding them. Many profess to know God, and yet deny Him in their works. They
reckon themselves among God’s peculiar, chosen people, who have a special,
solemn message entrusted to their keeping to sanctify their lives and to give
to the world, and yet the power of the truth
is scarcely felt or manifested in our midst in zealous work for God. How great is our darkness, and
we know it not! The light has not diminished, but we walk not in its rays. {TM
450.4}
A Fearful Delusion
What greater delusion can
deceive the human mind than that in which individuals flatter themselves that
they have the truth, that they are on the only sure foundation, and that God
accepts their works because they are actively engaged in some work in the cause
of God, when they are sinning against Him by
walking contrary to the expressed will of God?
They work mechanically, like machinery; but preparation of heart, the sanctification
of the character, is wanting. Sacred and
holy things are brought down to the level of common things, and a commonness, a cheapness, is working itself into our
churches. The service is degenerating into little else than form. {TM 451.1}
The standard must be
elevated. The work must have a higher mold. There
must be a coming out from the customs and practices of the world and being
separate. There must be a coming up upon a
higher platform by both ministers and people. There must be much more of Jesus
and His meekness, His lowliness, His humility, His self-denial, His purity, His
true goodness and nobility of character, brought into the experience and
characters of all who claim to be acting any part in the sacred work of God.
{TM 451.2}
Let God’s word be the
guide and the rule of life. Let that word, expressing His revealed commands, be
obeyed. God summons everyone to put forth
all his powers as a responsible being, to do His plainly specified will. If you
do this, you will show it. Grappling with
your own inherent defects of character, which are at war with spiritual
advancement, is proof that you are doing your part of the work. {TM 452.1}
Let none say a state of
feeling is upon them in undue attachments, unlawful love, that they cannot
break away from. It is a deception. You cherish the evil; you strengthen it.
You love it better than you love truth, purity, righteousness. You do not take
hold of divine help, wrenching yourselves from hurtful and dangerous
associations. You tamely give yourselves to the working of an evil way, as
though you had no free moral agency. Study God’s word
prayerfully, meet its demands firmly, resolutely, as did Joseph and
Daniel. Lay hold upon the help God has promised you. {TM 452.2}
You Must Choose
Will God compel your obedience, will He compel your will? Never.
The Lord has furnished you with capacities,
with intelligence, with reason. He has sent from heaven His only-begotten Son
to open the way for you, and to place within your reach immortality. What
account can you render to God for your weakness, your disobedience, your impurity,
your evil thoughts and evil works? {TM 452.3}
God has appointed means,
if we will use them diligently and prayerfully, that no vessel shall be
shipwrecked, but outride the tempest and storm, and anchor in the haven of
bliss at last. But if we despise and neglect these appointments and privileges,
God will not work a miracle to save any of us, and we will be lost as were
Judas and Satan. {TM 453.1}
Do not think that God
will work a miracle to save those weak souls who cherish evil, who practice sin;
or that some supernatural element will be brought into their lives, lifting
them out of self into a higher sphere, where it will be comparatively easy
work, without any special effort, any special fighting, without any crucifixion
of self; because all who dally on Satan’s ground for this to be done will
perish with the evildoers. They will be suddenly destroyed, and that without
remedy. {TM 453.2}
Holiness Now
If God has made provision
for man to have eternal life, He has means to meet the requirement that man shall
practice holiness in this life. All who
would evidence that they have a hold on the future life will give practical
demonstrations in their life, their character, that
they are living in newness of life, in purity and holiness here, following that
which is revealed. {TM 453.3}
The way to heaven has
been laid open at infinite cost to the Father and the Son. Are we
individually walking in that way, complying with the conditions? Are you in the
way? Are you following the Leader, the Light of life? {TM 453.4}
Chosen for What?
There is an election of
individuals and a people, the only election found in the word of God, where man
is elected to be saved. Many have looked at the end, thinking they were surely
elected to have heavenly bliss; but this is not the election the Bible reveals. Man is elected to work out his own salvation with fear
and trembling. He is elected to put on the armor, to fight the good fight of
faith. He is elected to use the means God has placed within his reach to war
against every unholy lust, while Satan is playing the game of life for his
soul. He is elected to watch unto prayer, to search the Scriptures, and to
avoid entering into temptation. He is elected to have faith continually. He is
elected to be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,
and that he may be, not a hearer only, but a doer of the word. This is Bible
election. {TM 453.5}
Because great light has
been given, because men have, as did the princes of Israel, ascended to the
mount and been privileged to have communion with God, and been allowed to dwell
in the light of His glory—for these thus
favored to think that they can afterward sin, and corrupt their ways before
God, and still keep on as though doing God’s will, as though God would not mark
sin against them because they have been thus honored of God, is a fatal
deception. The great light and privileges
bestowed require returns of virtue and holiness corresponding with the light
given them. Anything short of this, God will not accept. {TM 454.1}
But these great
manifestations by God should never lull to security or carelessness. They
should never give license to licentiousness, or cause the recipients to feel
that God will not be critical with them, because they think He is dependent on
their ability and knowledge to act a part in the great work. All these
advantages given by God are His means to throw ardor into the spirit, zeal into
effort, and rigor into the carrying out of His holy will. {TM 454.2}
You, my brethren, fold
your hands, and drift into evil practices, and then wait for God to work a
miracle to change your characters and compel you to be pure and holy men. Will
you expose yourselves wantonly to temptation, expecting God to force your mind
and inclinations that you may not be corrupted? Will you take the viper to your
bosom, expecting God to put a spell upon it so it will not poison you with its
venomous sting? Will you drink poison, expecting God to provide an antidote?
{TM 454.3}
Be God’s Men
While, under God, we are
to use means in the saving of our own souls, we are not to depend on what we
can do alone, thinking that will be able to save us. While we must
work with heart and soul and might, we must do it all in and through Jesus. But truth as it is in Jesus must be brought into the
heart and into the life, into the home and into the church. God will use the
channels He has provided for the flowing through of His grace. {TM 455.1}
Oh, that my brethren
would be men according to God’s estimate of men, and take their places in the
great web of humanity, realizing that they are a part of God’s great whole in
creation, in redemption! Only be men, and then you make a decided advance in
being Christians. {TM 455.2}
The means is provided, and no one will have any excuse
for sin. If you fail of overcoming,
there are reasons for this. Ye will not obey God’s revealed will; ye will not
pray; ye will not strive; ye will not fight evil habits and unholy thoughts.
Are ye stronger than God? Can ye, dare ye, contend with the Eternal? If you are
not proof against God’s judgments, proof against His vengeance, then go on no
longer in your own evil ways. Arise and make a stand against Satan. Be doing
something, and do it now. Repent now,
confess, forsake. A day of fire and storm is about to burst on our world. Conform your life to the simple prescriptions of the word of
God. Seek the aid of God’s Spirit by prayer, by watching thereunto, and ye will
come off more than conquerors through Him who hath loved us. Read 1 John 4:10. {TM 455.3}
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