- Apostasy -

     We must do something to stop this terrible tide of moral impurity. Self-abuse stands as the most degrading sin, polluting the whole character of the man. Unless those who are practicing this vice break off their sin and repent before God, they will find no place in the city of God. There entereth into that city nothing that defileth or maketh a lie. Such characters are living a lie continually....

     If the people of God will walk in the ways of the Lord and keep His charge, which is the ten commandments, then the promise is that they shall judge His house and have places to walk among the angels. Now the question is, will those who profess the truth comply with the conditions? Will the characters of those who profess to believe the truth correspond with its sacredness? Satan's special efforts are now directed toward the people who have great light. He would lead them to become earthly and sensual. There are men who minister in sacred things whose hearts are defiled with impure thoughts and unholy desires....

     I tell you the truth, Elder Butler, that unless there is a cleansing of the soul-temple on the part of many who claim to believe and to preach the truth, God's judgments, long deferred, will come. These debasing sins have not been handled with firmness and decision. There is corruption in the soul, and unless it is cleansed by the blood of Christ, there will be apostasies that will startle you.

     The thoughts will be pure, if the heart is pure. If the fountain is corrupt, the streams will be corrupt. Shall men who are conversant with the Scriptures, and who are standing in vindication of the fourth commandment, be charged in the books of heaven with transgressing the seventh? Shall Satan be given occasion to taunt the angels of God with the filthy characters of those who claim to be Christians?...

     I address you who shall have this epistle brought before you, who are leaders, who may be termed princes among the people: "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" [Isaiah 52:11]. Humble your souls before God. Jesus is in the sanctuary. We are in the great day of atonement, and if the investigative judgment has not already commenced for the living, it will soon begin, and to how many are the words of the True Witness applicable?--"I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" [Revelation 3:1-3].

     The cases of all will be brought up in the judgment, and, if their sins are not confessed, their names will then be blotted out of the Book of Life, and their lot will be with the adulterers and fornicators, and deceivers, and those who love and make a lie. "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" [Revelation 3:4-5].

     We are living in these last days, when lukewarmness and apostasy abound....This is the state of a large share of those who have the form of godliness in these last days. The doom of the withered fig tree has a personal application. Who cannot see the living counterpart in the men and women who claim to have great light, in advance of every other people on the face of the earth, whose daily life and unholy characters belie their profession of godliness?...The mold of Christ is not upon them, leaves of profession to conceal their deformity, but no fruit. There is more hope of the open sinner than of such.

     There is an alarming condition of things in our churches. Says the word of God, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they set a trap, they catch men....The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" [Jeremiah 5:25-26]. "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace" [Jeremiah 6:14]. "And now, because ye have done all these works, saith Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim" [Jeremiah 7:13-15]. God will surely fulfill his word to those who will not hear, will not see, and refuse the light that He sends.

     The work is not to be centered in any one place, not even in Battle Creek...mistakes have been made in this line. Individual and personal responsibility are thus repressed and weakened. The work is the Lord's, and its strength and efficiency are not all to be concentrated in any one place.

     Already it has been proved that there was a lack of faithfulness in the men placed in important positions of trust. The simplicity of the work was forgotten. The principles God had laid down were ignored....Selfishness was indulged, because the men in positions of trust were not with heart and soul relying upon divine wisdom and power but walking after the imagination of their own hearts. This scripture was presented to me as applicable: "The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in our eyes: Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh....But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward" [Jeremiah 7:1-14, 23, 24].

     The great apostasy is working to a point, and will develop into darkness deep as midnight, impenetrable as sackcloth of hair....Darkness will become more dense in human minds after the truth has penetrated and been rejected. But there are some minds where the darkness will be removed. They will recognize the light.

     The apostasy will exist in this night of spiritual darkness. It will be destroyed by the brightness and exceeding glory of Christ's coming....Then the system of satanic delusions which souls have preferred to the truth that involves a cross will be broken up.

     The powers of deception are working upon minds in every country to gain a foothold.... The night of trial, the night of weeping, the night of persecution for the truth's sake is not far distant. It is through much tribulation that we shall stand as faithful sentinels for God, not swerving one hair from truth and righteousness. Famines will increase. Pestilences will sweep away thousands. Dangers are all around us from the powers without and satanic workings within, but the restraining power of God is now being exercised....

     The night of trial is nearly spent. Satan is bringing in his masterly power because he knows that his time is short. The chastisement of God is upon the world to call all who know the truth to hide in the cleft of the Rock and view the glory of God. The truth must not be muffled now. Plain statements must be made. Unvarnished truth must be spoken in leaflets and pamphlets, and these must be scattered like the leaves of autumn....

     Those who have not been sanctified through the truth will be subject to Satan's temptations. They will be his most successful allies to criticize, to speak evil, and work unrighteousness. There are not those who will show just what they will do under temptation and in an emergency, they cannot be depended upon....

     The clouds with which human agencies have covered the truth will soon be dissipated. The truth that has not been clearly discerned, will be opened before those who search for it as for hidden treasure. The Holy Spirit will descend in power upon His people, explaining many mysteries.

     Apostasy has come in to our ranks as it came into heaven, and all who unite with Satan in this kind of work will act on the same principles Satan worked. Not open, not frank, but in secrecy. Satan must deceive in order to succeed. In vain the net is set in the sight of any bird.... Is not Satan the life and soul of every species of rebellion which he himself has instigated? By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned....Thou hast defiled thy sanctuary by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick. In this place 'traffick' is the emblem of corrupt administration....

     Christ came to our world not to aid Satan in working in rebellion, but to put down rebellion.

     At times I have had to face nearly the whole church in defense and vindication of the heaven-sent light....With every departure of our institutions from straight lines, with every new departure from right principles, strange methods and principles are brought in....

     God is calling for volunteers, for men who will not turn away from the truth they have strenuously advocated for years to advocate erroneous doctrines....At the eleventh hour, when the work grows harder and the people are more hardened, there will be a variety of talent brought in. These workers will prove faithful and receive their penny. Sacrificing men will step into the places made vacant by those who would not be fitted for a place in the heavenly temple....He [God] will call upon the youth to fill up the places made vacant by deaths and apostasies. He will give young men and women, as well as those who are older, the cooperation of the heavenly intelligences. They will have converted characters, converted minds, converted hands, converted feet, and converted tongues. Their lips will be touched with a living coal from the divine altar....

     Satan is moving with intensity from beneath and is bringing all his forces to bear to unsettle those who have once been established in the truth which they have once advocated, can do the greatest harm to the cause of God. Quite a large number will enter this path because the truth they once believed has not been brought into their life-practice. But those who depart from the faith and refuse to give the last message of warning to the world will walk in paths in which the Lord does not lead. Satan goes before them as an angel of light. They will follow on in false paths until they shall discern what is comprehended in the wrath of the Lamb.

     Those who have known the truth, who have been blessed by the influence of the Holy Spirit, who have appreciated the truth, but have turned from it, will not be treated merely as impenitent sinners. Their guilt is aggravated, because they have had a knowledge of the truth....

     Nothing is scarcely semblance of truth in their reports. These false witnesses would just as readily swear to their fabricated lies as to the truth itself.

     In our experience we have seen some who although they apparently believe the truth, were not in the truth, and the truth was not in them. Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, and when once they open the heart to unbelief, Satan comes in to possess the soul. The rapid change that takes place in the character and in the countenance, show whom they have chosen as leader.

     The men who have lately apostatized say that the Sabbath does not amount to much. It makes no difference whether we keep it, or do not keep it.

     When the test and trial comes to every soul, there will be apostasies. Traitors, heady, highminded and self-sufficient men will turn away from the truth, making shipwreck of the faith. Why?--Because they did not dig deep and make their foundation sure. They were not riveted to the Eternal Rock. When the words of the Lord, through His chosen messengers, are brought to them, they murmur and think the way is made too strait. Like those who were thought to be disciples of Christ, but who were displeased with His words, and walked no more with Him, they will turn away from Christ.

     Many false Messiahs will appear, claiming to work miracles, and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead many....The same deceptions practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem will be practiced again. The same events that took place at the overthrow of Jerusalem will take place again....

     Seventh-day Adventists will fight the battle over the seventh-day Sabbath. The authorities in the United States and in other countries will rise up in their pride and power, and make laws to restrict religious liberty....They will assume the right that is God's alone, and like Nebuchadnezzar, they will think they can force the conscience, which God only can control. Even now they are making a beginning which they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary over which they cannot step. God will interpose on behalf of His loyal, commandment-keeping people....

     On every occasion that persecution takes place, the witnesses make decisions, either for Christ or against Him. Those who show sympathy for the men wrongly condemned, who are not bitter against them, show their attachment for Christ. Many will be offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practices. Many will stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Many who have professed to love the truth will then show that they had no vital union with the true vine. They will be cut away as branches that bear no fruit, and will be bound up with unbelievers, scoffers, and mockers....

     Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness and betray their brethren. They will tell where they are concealed, putting the wolves on their track. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural and cruel course of friends and relatives.

     "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" [Matthew 24:11]. False christs did arise [before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70] deceiving the people and leading great numbers into the desert. Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people after them into mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was also spoken for the last days. This sign is given as a sign of the second advent. Companies inspired by Satan will be formed to deceive and delude.

     Many have tried neutrality in a crisis, but they have failed in their purpose. No one can maintain a neutral ground. Those who endeavor to do this will fulfill Christ's words, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" [Matthew 6:24]. Those who begin their Christian life by being half and half, whatever may be their intentions, will at last be found enlisted on the enemy's side.

     Double-minded men and women are Satan's best allies. Whatever favorable opinion they may have of themselves, they are dissemblers. All who are loyal to God and the truth must stand firmly for the right because it is right. To yoke up with those who are unconsecrated and yet be loyal to the truth, is simply an impossibility. We cannot unite with those who are serving themselves, who are working on worldly plans, and not lose our connection with the heavenly counselor. We may recover ourselves from the snare of the enemy, but we are bruised and wounded, and our experience is dwarfed....

     When a man loses the shield of a good conscience, he knows that he has lost the cooperation of heavenly angels. God is not working in him. Another spirit inspires him. And to be an apostate, a traitor to the cause of God, is much more serious than death, it means the loss of eternal life.

     It is not the fault of the gospel that apostasies occur. Those who apostatize are not truly converted. They have received the truth by halves. The light of truth has not been strengthened by practice, and it is soon quenched, leaving them in greater darkness than before....

     Each man in this world is charged also with the souls that might have been saved had he used aright his God-given talents.

     Many who have had great light have not appreciated and improved it as it was their privilege to do. They have not practiced the truth. And because of this the Lord will bring in those who have lived up to all the light they have had. And those who have been privileged with opportunities to understand the truth and who have not obeyed its principles will be swayed by Satan's temptations for self-advancement. They will deny the principles of truth in practice and bring reproach upon the cause of God.

     Christ declares that He will spew these out of His mouth, and leave them to follow their own course of action to distinguish themselves. This course of action does indeed make them prominent as men that are unfaithful householders....

     We are now living in the last days, when the truth must be spoken...irrespective of consequences. If there are some who will become offended and turn from the truth, we must bear in mind that there were those who did the same in Christ's day....Those who will maintain the truth, irrespective of consequences, will offend some whose hearts are not in harmony with the truth as it is in Jesus. These persons cherish theories of their own, which are not the truth. The truth does not harmonize with their sentiments, and rather than give their own ideas, they walk away from those who obey the truth. But there are men who will receive the truth, and these will take the places made vacant by those who become offended and leave the truth.

     "They went out from us, but they were not of us" [1 John 2:19]. Men of true Christian principle will take their place, and will become faithful, trustworthy householders, to advance the Word of God in its true bearings and in its simplicity. The Lord will work so that the disaffected ones will be separated from the true and loyal ones....The ranks will not be diminished. Those who are firm and true will close up the vacancies that are made by those who become offended and apostatize.

     We shall in the future, as we have in the past, see all kinds of characters developed. We shall witness the apostasy of men in whom we have had confidence, whom we trusted, who, we supposed, were as true as steel to principle. Something comes to test them, and they are overthrown....Those who fall have evidently corrupted their way before the Lord, and they are beacons of warning, teaching those who profess to believe the truth that the word of God alone can keep men steadfast in the way of holiness, or reclaim them from guilt.

     The word of God is the pearl of great price. It is unchangeable, eternal. Truth as it is in Jesus sets men right and keeps them so. But when men show themselves to be unimpressible, unable to appreciate the pearl of great price, when they deal dishonestly with God and unrighteously with their fellow men, it is not best to link up with them. We shall meet those who have so perverted their conscience that they are unable to discern the precious truth of God's word. Then let all be careful with whom they connect. The truth is no truth to those who do not obey it.

     Those who are doers of the Word have found the pearl of great price. The truth is as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast. When men drift away from the principles of truth, they always betray sacred trusts. Let every soul, whatever may be his sphere of action, make sure that the truth is implanted in the heart by the power of the Spirit of God.

     We are living in the last days. God will be our strength, our support, our ever present helper, if we will only trust in Him. We are to make the best of our present opportunities. There will be no other probation given to us in which to prepare for heaven. This is our only and last opportunity to form characters which will fit us for the future home which the Lord has prepared for all who are obedient to His commandments.

     The church has taken the world into her fellowship, and has given her affections to the enemies of holiness. The church and the world are standing on the same ground in transgression of the law of God. The church prefers to assimilate to the world rather than separate from its customs and vanities.

     When we see those who for nearly a lifetime have been standing on the platform of truth, deciding that they can just as well as not unite with the men who do not recognize the law of Jehovah, seeking their influence and support, our hearts are made sad. They think they can occupy a non-committal position. Thus believers slip away from the truth to the side of unbelievers, and the enemy exults. There are before us issues that will bring those who sincerely desire to do right to the true position. But there are those who will never again stand safe. In trying to break down the barriers between him that serves God and him that serves him not, they have placed themselves where their feet will never again find solid ground.

     Although a man may be entrusted with great responsibilities, his high position may not be the measure of his character. The responsibilities accepted do not make him perfect or trustworthy. His acceptance with God depends upon his fear to offend, and his obedience to God's requirements. If he departs from the counsel of God, he is no longer under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

     When men who profess to keep God's commandments, often dwelling on the importance of obeying the law of God, fail to work righteousness and walk against the law of God, He sends messengers to warn them and turn them to the paths of righteousness. But many who have not that faith that works by love and purifies the soul will refuse to heed God's warnings.

     To all who seek Him God will grant special manifestations of His presence and favor. But to those who forsake Him He gives the warning, "I also will forsake them."...Obedience to the Lord always brings favor, and a faithful discharge of righteous principles will bear the divine credentials; but the Lord is dishonored when those who are placed as stewards, guardians of God's flock, sustain and sanction an evil work....

     God gives men the light, but many are filled with self-sufficient, masterly spirit; and they strive by carrying out their own ideas to reach a height where they will be as God. They place their mind first, as if God must serve with them. Herein lies the danger in this: Unless God shall in some way make these men understand that He is God, and that they are to serve Him, human inventions will be brought in that will lead away from Bible truth, notwithstanding all the cautions that have been given.

     The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of Life, He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it to the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the Word of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer work with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities. But if these in turn do not purify their lives from every wrong action; if they do not establish pure and holy principles in all their borders, then the Lord will grievously afflict and humble them, and, unless they repent, will remove them from their place and make them a reproach.

     We know that unconsecrated Seventh-day Adventists who have a knowledge of the truth, but who have linked themselves with worldlings will depart entirely from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits. The enemy will gladly hold out inducements to them, to lead them to carry on a warfare against the people of God.

     At this crisis all are called upon to take their position. We must stand apart from those who are determined to make shipwreck of faith. We must not sell our Lord at any price....

     The time has come when even in the church and in our institutions, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. But God will keep that which is committed to Him. Let us draw near to Him, that He may draw near to us. Let us bear a plain, clear testimony right to the point, that hypnotism is being used by those who have departed from the faith, and that we are not to link up with them. Through those who depart from the faith, the power of the enemy will be exercised to lead others astray.

     Christ is our sufficiency. Those who indeed receive Him as a personal Saviour will reveal honesty and integrity in all their dealings. There will be no robbery, no underhand dealing. We are to be rooted and built up in Christ, that we may not be carried away by the science of the great deceiver. Already some are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. There are those who boast that they have been studying science for years. But what has this science done for them? Just what it did for Satan in the heavenly courts.

     Satan has his allies in men, and evil angels in human form will appear to men, and present before them such glowing representations of what they will be able to do, if they will only heed their suggestions, that often they change their penitence for defiance.

     Our greatest danger will come from men who have lifted up their souls unto vanity and who have not heeded the words of reproof and warning coming from God. When men choose their own way and their own mind, there is always danger, for the tempter, clothed in angel robes, is close beside them, uniting his power and influence with theirs. The enemy of Christ and God will open before them many things, presenting his bribes in an attractive character, which are deceptive and alluring. These they will present to the people of God, and many will be deceived, and will work in wrong lines.

     Without an entire transformation of character, human beings cannot enter the holy city. Amidst the abounding iniquity, we are to receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. Only thus can we receive power to become the sons of God. The striving soul, cooperating with Christ, becomes a partaker of the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust. The power of a godly example will often be effective in the conversion of the most bitter persecutors of God's people. A righteous example, so contrary to the policy of the world, surprises worldlings, and leads them to bow at the cross of Christ. Not one soul with sins unconfessed and unrepented of will enter through the gates into the city of God.

     Those who are departing from the faith are at work to undermine the confidence of others, and have been thus at work for years....One jot of our faith yielded through the wily presentation of the foe opens the way for departure from another principle of Bible Truth. We have established truth, which is not to be changed by the presentations of medical men, even though these men may have been greatly honored of God, or by the presentations of ministers, even though these ministers may long have preached the truth. Not one pin or pillar is to be removed....

     The straying ones, giving heed to seducing spirits, will have the sympathy and sustaining influence of those who know not God, those who have forfeited their allegiance to God and stand in rebellion against the truth....

     Ministers and doctors may depart from the faith, as the Word declares they will, and as the messages that God has given His servants declare they will. Thus believers will be given evidence that the word of God, the warnings He has given, are being fulfilled right among us. Some may make light of these messages, misinterpret them, and say untruthful things, which lead others' minds astray. Our only hope is in the God of truth....The more plainly the testing truth is brought before the people, the more bitter will be the hatred manifested by those who have departed from the faith and given their attention to sentiments of Satan's presentations.

     As has been foretold in the Scriptures, there will be seducing spirits and doctrines of devils in the midst of the church, and these evil influence will increase, but hold fast the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end....

     The time is at hand when Satan will work miracles to confirm the belief that he is God. All the people of God are now to stand on the platform of truth as it has been given in the third angel's message. All the pleasant pictures, all the miracles wrought, will be presented in order that, if possible, the very elect shall be deceived. The only hope for anyone is to hold fast the evidences that have confirmed the truth in righteousness. Let these be proclaimed over and over again until the close of earth's history.

     The perils of the last days are upon us. Devote not precious time in trying to convince those who would change the truth of God into a lie....Whoever is determined to depart from the faith cannot be helped by you. All your reasoning will be as idle tales.

     Never before have I carried so sad a heart as since I have seen the apostasy of men and women who have had great light, and an abundance of evidence of the truth for this time. This brings to me a grief that should be spared me, in these closing days of earth's history. But I have no power to change the seductive working of the enemy. The Scripture has said that such things will come. I accept the word of the Lord, and submit to the conditions that arise.

     Many have received all the evidence of truth that God will ever give them. They have permitted and encouraged false sentiments; and they have practiced deception to cover up their apostasy.

     In the twenty-fourth chapter, Ezekiel records the representation that was given to him of the punishment that would come upon all who would refuse the word of the Lord....

     "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.

     "For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust...

     "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned....

     "She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused My fury to rest upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.

     "Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

     "And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God" [Ezekiel 24:6-7, 9-10, 12-24].

     I am instructed to present these words before those who have had light and evidence, but who have walked directly contrary to the light. The Lord will make the punishment of those who will not receive his admonitions and warnings as broad as the wrong has been. The purposes of those who have tried to cover their wrong, while they have secretly worked against the purposes of God, will be fully revealed. Truth will be vindicated. God will make manifest that He is God.

     There is a spirit of wickedness at work in the church that is striving at every opportunity to make void the law of God. While the Lord may not punish unto death those who have carried their rebellion to great lengths, the light will never again shine with such convincing power upon the stubborn opposers of truth. Sufficient evidence is given to every soul regarding what is truth and what is error. But the deceptive power of evil upon some is so great that they will not receive the evidence and respond to it by repentance.

     A long-continued resistance of truth will harden the most impressionable heart. Those who reject the Spirit of truth place themselves under the control of a spirit that is opposed to the word and work of God. For a time they may continue to teach some phases of the truth; but their refusal to accept all the light God sends will after a time place them where they will do the work of a false watchman.

     The interests of the cause of present truth demand that those who profess to stand on the Lord's side shall bring into exercise all their powers to vindicate the advent message, the most important message that will ever come to the world. For those who stand as representatives of present truth to use time and energy now in attempting to answer the questions of the doubting ones, will be an unwise use of their time. It will not remove the doubts. The burden of our work now, is not to labor for those who, although they have had abundant light and evidence, still continue on the unbelieving side. God bids us give our time and strength to the work of preaching to the people the messages that stirred men and women in 1843, and 1844....Instead of going over and over the same ground to establish the faith of those who should never have accepted a doubt regarding the third angel's message, let our efforts be given in making known the truth to those who have never heard it....

     God is speaking to His people today as He spoke to Israel through Moses, saying, "Who is on the Lord's side?" My brethren, take your position where God bids you. Leave alone those who after light has been repeatedly given them have taken a stand on the opposite side. You are not to spend precious time in repeating to them what they already know, and thus lose your opportunities of entering new fields with the message of present truth.

     During the past night I have been unable to sleep. My mind has been deeply exercised, and I am now writing, though it is several hours before daylight....

     All who profess to be the children of God need now to realize that we are living in perilous times: The end of all things is near at hand. The signs are rapidly fulfilling, yet it would seem that but few realize that the day of the Lord is coming swiftly, silently as a thief in the night. Many are saying, Peace and safety. Unless they are watching and waiting for their Lord, they will be taken as in a snare....

     We see and feel keenly the unbelief of some who have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, refusing to acknowledge the light, because it has not coincided with their own ideas. My heart is pained as I see that many, and some even amongst our own people are fulfilling the words written by Paul: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..." [1 Timothy 4:1]. The time of this apostasy is here. Every conceivable effort will be made to throw doubt upon the positions that we have occupied for over half a century.

     The work that the Lord has laid upon me is held up to ridicule and scorn. But even in this I am in good company, for so did the Pharisees regard the Saviour and His works. Some declare their unbelief in the work that the Lord has given me to do because, as they say, "Mrs. E.G. White works no miracles." But those who look for miracles as a sign of divine guidance are in grave danger of deception. It is stated in the Word that the enemy will work through agents who have departed from the faith, and they will seemingly work miracles, even to the bringing down of fire out of heaven in the sight of men. By means of "lying wonders" Satan would deceive, if possible, the very elect.

     Multitudes have heard me speak, and have read my writings, but no one has ever heard me claim to work miracles. I have at times been called upon to pray for the sick, and the word of the Lord has been verified: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" [James 5:14, 15].

     Christ is the great miracle worker. To Him be all glory....

     If those who were exalted to heaven in point of privilege, and who should have been especially wise in spiritual discernment, failed to recognize in Christ the promised Messiah, shall we think it strange if His followers are not recognized by the world?

     "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

     We need the true discernment. He alone who receives the Son of God as his Saviour stands on vantage ground. Many are in confusion because of their failure to receive the truth. Every soul in these days of terrible wickedness needs especially to search the scriptures. The less they associate with the elements of unbelief, the safer will it be for those who desire a genuine experience in the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.

     As I realize the accountability of those who know the truth, I cannot sleep. I pray earnestly for the light of Jesus' countenance, that I may not become confused. I shall continue to use pen and voice in accordance with the word of God. As representations are given to me, I shall endeavor faithfully to write them out.

     It is a terrible thing to be self-deceived; for many will, because of self-confidence and self-sufficiency, be eternally lost. Now, just now, is the time to wash our robes of character, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. We cannot afford to lose heaven. Awful will be the revelation to those who find that the books of heaven testify that they have permitted themselves to become Satan's helpers in deceiving other souls, and causing them also to lose eternal life. Inexpressibly sad is the picture of those whom others will charge with the loss of their souls. Eternal life was within their reach, but their deluded, proud hearts were not broken, and they refused to confess their sins....

     "Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. But I say unto thee, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

     "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him."...

     There is hope for them if they will heed the gracious invitation: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

     We hope that no means will be drawn from you to help those who have gone out from us because they are not of us....The message of present truth must be carried to those who have never heard it. We pray that the Lord will give you wisdom to place your name where it will build up the cause of God in the earth.

     We shall be called to meet those who, notwithstanding definite reproof and warning through the Testimonies have gone on in an evil course. We are bidden of God to hold ourselves separate and distinct from these men who have not given heed to His warnings....For they will deceive, if possible, the very elect.

     I want to tell you. I hate sin. I hate sin. I hate sin. I am charged to tell our people, that do not realize, that the devil has device after device, and he carries them out in ways that they do not expect. Satan's agencies will invent ways to make sinners out of saints.

     I tell you now, that when I am laid to rest, great changes will take place....

     I want the people to know that I warned them fully before my death.