Love Under Fire

Ellen G. White

2011

Copyright © 2018
Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.
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About the Author

Ellen G. White (1827-1915) is considered the most widely translated
American author, her works having been published in more than 160
languages. She wrote more than 100,000 pages on a wide variety of
spiritual and practical topics. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she exalted
Jesus and pointed to the Scriptures as the basis of one’s faith.

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 Contents
Information about this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Lifting the Veil on the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Chapter 1—A Forecast of the World’s Destiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Magnificent Temple Doomed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
God’s Long-suffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Omens of Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Danger of Resisting God’s Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 2—The First Christians Loyal and True . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Two Classes in the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 3—Spiritual Darkness in the Early Church . . . . . . . . . 34
How the Sabbath Was “Changed” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Dangerous Days for the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
How False Doctrines Came In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chapter 4—The Waldenses Defend the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Rome Meets Bible Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Valued Principles of Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Young People Trained as Missionaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Sinners Pointed to Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Invading the Kingdom of Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Rome Determines to Destroy the Waldenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Chapter 5—The Light Breaks in England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
A Sharp Detector of Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Attacked by Dangerous Illness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Wycliffe Refuses to Retract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
First Spokesman of a New Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chapter 6—Two Heroes Face Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Two Pictures Impress Huss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Prague Placed Under Censure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Safe Conduct From the King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Triumph Foreseen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Huss Dies at the Stake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Jerome Submits to the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Jerome Finds Repentance and New Courage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
iii
iv Love Under Fire

Assigned to Prison and Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Betrayed by Diplomacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 7—Luther, a Man for His Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Peace With God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Truth on Pilate’s Staircase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Indulgences for Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Luther’s Work Begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Luther Appealed Only to the Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Escape From Augsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
A Terrible Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Chapter 8—A Champion of Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Luther Accused of Heresy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Luther Summoned to Appear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
The Courage of a Martyr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Luther Stands Before the Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Luther Before the Assembly Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Luther’s Safe-conduct in Jeopardy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Efforts for Compromise With Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
God Uses Frederick of Saxony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Security at Wartburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 9—Light Kindled in Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Zwingli Called to Zurich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Sale of Indulgences in Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Debate With Rome’s Representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Chapter 10—Progress in Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
The Fruit of the New Teaching Becomes Visible . . . . . . . . . 111
The Power of the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Luther Experiences Agony of Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Bible Study Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter 11—The Protest of the Princes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Mighty Issues at Stake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Noble Stand of the Princes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
The Diet at Augsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Chapter 12—Daybreak in France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
French New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Bold Berquin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Berquin at the Stake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
The Call of Calvin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
 Contents v

Witness to a Burning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

A Reign of Terror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Printing Declared Abolished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Froment, the Schoolmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
The Thunder of Condemnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Victories for the Reformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Chapter 13—The Netherlands and Scandinavia . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Reformation in Denmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Progress in Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Chapter 14—Truth Advances in Britain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Tyndale Translates the New Testament Into English . . . . . . 144
Infallible Authority of Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
John Knox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Thousands of Pastors Expelled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Justification by Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Wesley’s Heart “Strangely Warmed” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Wesley Escapes Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
In Defense of the Law of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Harmony of Law and Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Chapter 15—France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause . . . . . . 154
A Striking Fulfillment of Prophecy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Enmity Against Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
The Most Horrible of Crimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Blasphemous Boldness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
The Goddess of Reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
What Might Have Been . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Results Reaped in Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
The Fatal Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Chapter 16—Seeking Freedom in a New World . . . . . . . . . . . 167
God Overruled Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Roger Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Document of Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Surest Safeguard of National Greatness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Chapter 17—Promises of Christ’s Return . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
The Earthquake That Shook the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Darkening of the Sun and Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Moon as Blood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
The Call to Prepare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
vi Love Under Fire

A Message Given by Humble Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Chapter 18—New Light in the New World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Miller Finds a Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Personal Coming of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Scripture and Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Discovering the Prophetic Timetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Two Time Periods Begin Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
The Gospel Given to the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Startling Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
“Go and Tell It to the World” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
“The Stars Shall Fall” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Prediction Fulfilled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Interest and Unbelief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Skeptics and Unbelievers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Chapter 19—Why the Great Disappointment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
“The Time Is Fulfilled” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Despair to Assurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
The Disciples’ Message Compared to the 1844 Message . . 200
Chapter 20—Love for Christ’s Coming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
In Different Countries Simultaneously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Against Popular Interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Power in the Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
The Advent Message in England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Revelation Unfolds to Bengel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Child Preachers of Scandinavia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
The Message Spreads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Simple Scripture Brings Conviction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
The Message Opposed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Chapter 21—Reaping the Whirlwind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Rejection of Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
The First Angel’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
The Second Angel’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Spiritual Adultery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Union With the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
First Departures From the Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Chapter 22—Prophecies Fulfilled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Fanaticism Appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Mistake Corrected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
 Contents vii

“Midnight Cry” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Disappointed Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Messages Given at the Right Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Belief Maintained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Chapter 23—The Open Mystery of the Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . 231
Holy and Most Holy Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
The Two Apartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
The Sanctuary Mystery Solved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
The Cleansing of the Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
The Great Day of Atonement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Heavenly Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
A Work of Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Chapter 24—What Is Christ Doing Now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Who Can Stand? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
“Behold, the Bridegroom Is Coming” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Waiting for Their Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Closing Work in the Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Chapter 25—God’s Law Unchangeable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
A Call to Worship the Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
The Identity of the Dragon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
The Rise of a New Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
A Striking Contradiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
The Beast and His Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Complete Silence of New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
The Warning of the Third Angel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Chapter 26—Champions for Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
True Sabbath Always Kept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Faith and Courage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Chapter 27—How Successful Are Modern Revivals? . . . . . . . 258
True Followers of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
The Law of Liberty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Conviction of Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
What Is Sanctification? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Only Through Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Biblical Sanctification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Direct Access to God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Chapter 28—Facing Our Life Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Secret Motives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
viii Love Under Fire

The Standard of Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

The Lord Rebukes Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
The Blotting Out of Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
At the Appointed Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Hidden Selfishness Revealed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
The Intercession of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
The Destiny of All Decided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Chapter 29—Why Was Sin Permitted? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Discontent Among the Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Disaffection Ripens Into Active Revolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Banished From Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
An Argument in Our Behalf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Chapter 30—Satan and Humanity at War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Grace from Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
An Alert Enemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Chapter 31—Evil Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Guardian Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Evil Angels Oppose God’s Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Safety With Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Chapter 32—How to Defeat Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
The Truth Sanctifies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
The Whole Bible a Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Truth Rejected Because It Involves a Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Dangerous Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
The Landmarks of the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Enough Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Chapter 33—What Happens After Death? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
The Great Lie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
The Heresy of Eternal Torment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Universal Salvation Is Not Biblical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Conditions Are Specified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Not Prepared to Enter Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Two Destinies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
The End of Suffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Resurrection to Eternal Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Immortality When Jesus Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Chapter 34—Who Are the “Spirits” in Spiritualism? . . . . . . . 305
 Contents ix

Satan’s Appeal to Intellectuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Appeal to the Pleasure-loving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Forbidden Fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Bible Represented as Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Understanding the Scriptures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Chapter 35—Liberty of Conscience Threatened . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Compromises and Concessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
A Striking Similarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Union of Paganism and Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Doctrines From the Dark Ages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
A Change in Protestantism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Sunday Observance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Severe Penalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
The Beast With Lamblike Horns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Chapter 36—The Approaching Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Setting Aside the Law of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Intemperance Has Beclouded Many . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Chapter 37—Our Only Safeguard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Exalting Human Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
The First and Highest Duty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Results of Neglecting Prayer and Bible Study . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Chapter 38—God’s Final Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
The Great Test of Loyalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
The Storm Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Opposition Rises to New Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
The Latter Rain and the Loud Cry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Chapter 39—The Time of Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
The Time of Jacob’s Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Anguish That God Will Be Dishonored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Sins Blotted Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
A Faith That Endures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
The Crowning Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
God’s People Not Misled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
God Sends His Plagues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Companies of Angels Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Chapter 40—God’s People Delivered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Deliverance Comes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
The Day of the Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
x Love Under Fire

The King of Kings Appears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Resurrection of God’s People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Into the Holy City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
The Two Adams Meet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
The Redeemed in Glory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Chapter 41—The Earth in Ruins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
The Angel of Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
The Banishment of Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Chapter 42—Eternal Peace: The Controversy Ended . . . . . . . 358
The Final Assault Against God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Sentence Pronounced Against the Rebels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Satan Defeated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Violent End of the Wicked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Our Final Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Reminder of Sin’s Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
The Triumph of God’s Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
 Foreword

What is happening to our world? Storms, earthquakes, and

tsunamis devastate large areas, with a huge toll of death and injury,
loss of property, and ongoing suffering. War and conflict, not only
between nations but between ideologies and ethnic groups, seem
more and more common and unsolvable. Economic setbacks, even
in the richest nations, threaten the security of people everywhere.
A decline in morality and—worse yet—a lack of moral awareness
seems at the root of an increase of crime and of much social deterio-
ration. Are we on the verge of a global upheaval?
Love Under Fire outlines the grand sweep of events that have
brought us to this point and will usher in this world’s final events. In
doing so it emphasizes the authority of the Bible while presenting
the underlying cause of the evils we see around us—the ongoing
conflict that Satan has waged against Christ. Throughout the history
of this earth, Satan has misrepresented God’s character of love. He
has put “love under fire,” especially in the person of Christ, who is
love, but also in Christ’s true followers. This conflict has affected
the whole world. Love Under Fire picks up the story where the
New Testament leaves it, tracing the startling account of what has
happened to the Christian faith since Bible times and what will soon
develop in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. How
did we get where we are today? And where are events leading us?
Despite difficult days ahead, the book points us to a glorious future,
grander than we can imagine.
Love Under Fire is an adaptation of From Here to Forever, a
1982 condensed edition of Ellen G. White’s classic volume, The
Great Controversy. The condensed volume included all the chapters
of the original, using only the author’s own words but shortening the
account.
The current adaptation goes a step beyond this, using some
words, expressions, and sentence constructions more familiar to
twenty-first century readers. It does this not only in the portions
xi
 xii Love Under Fire

written by Ellen G. White, but also in the quotations she included

from others and in the Appendix material, to enhance readability.
Occasionally, it restores a sentence or clause left out of the original
condensation. Most of the Bible quotations come from the New King
James Version, which closely resembles the King James Version that
[6] Ellen White commonly used. It is hoped that readers who are new
to her writings will enjoy this adaptation and that it will encourage
them to read the original editions of her works.
This volume presents insights into Bible prophecy, highlighting
significant prophecies that have already met their fulfillment and
showing what the Bible says is soon to happen. It places these events
of the past, present, and future into their larger framework, so that
the reader can understand the meaning of history and the purpose
for what is yet to come.
Ellen G. White wrote five powerful volumes that together com-
prise the Conflict of the Ages series, tracing the conflict between
Christ and Satan from its origin in heaven, through the major events
of Bible times, and finally in post-Bible times down to the end of
the conflict. Love Under Fire was condensed and adapted from the
last of the five volumes. That many more readers may be drawn to
God through these books and their presentation of Bible themes is
the hope and prayer of

The Trustees of The Ellen G. White Estate

 Lifting the Veil on the Future* [7]

Before sin entered this world, Adam and Eve enjoyed open
fellowship with their Maker. But since our first parents separated
themselves from God by disobedience, the human race has been
cut off from this great privilege. The plan of redemption, however,
opened a way for those living on the earth still to have a connection
with heaven. God has communicated with human beings by His
Spirit by giving divine light to the world through revelations to His
chosen servants. “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by
the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
During the first twenty-five hundred years of human history, there
was no written message from God. Those whom God had instructed
communicated their knowledge to others, and it was handed down
from father to son over many generations. The recording of such
things in writing began in the time of Moses. Inspired revelations
were then put together in an Inspired Book. This work continued
during the long period of sixteen hundred years—from Moses, the
historian of creation and the law, to John, the recorder of the grandest
truths of the gospel.
The Bible points to God as its author, yet it was written by human
hands, and in the varied style of its different books it reflects the
characteristics of the individual writers. The truths revealed are
all “given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16), yet they are
expressed in human words. By His Holy Spirit the Infinite One has
brought light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given
dreams and visions, symbols and illustrations; and those to whom
He revealed these truths have themselves put the thought into human
language.
Written in different ages, by men who differed widely in social
status and occupation and in their mental and spiritual abilities, the
books of the Bible present a wide contrast in style as well as a
diversity in the kinds of subjects they treat. The various writers
* Author’s Introduction.

xiii
 xiv Love Under Fire

use different forms of expression. Often one will present the same
truth more strikingly than another. And as several writers present
a subject in different ways and from different perspectives, readers
who are superficial, careless, or prejudiced may think they see a
discrepancy or contradiction, where the thoughtful, reverent student,
[8] with clearer insight, recognizes the underlying harmony.
The different authors bring out the truth in its varied aspects.
One writer is more strongly impressed with one phase of the subject,
and he grasps the points that relate to his experience or to his ability
to understand and appreciate them. Another relates to a different
phase. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, each presents what
most strongly impresses his own mind—a different aspect of the
truth in each, but a perfect harmony through them all. And the truths
revealed in this way unite to form a perfect whole, adapted to meet
human needs in all the circumstances and experiences of life.
God has chosen to communicate His truth to the world by human
agencies. He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified these men and
women and enabled them to do this work. He guided their minds
in selecting what to speak and write. God entrusted the treasure
to earthen vessels, yet it is still from Heaven. The message comes
through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the
testimony of God. The obedient, believing child of God sees in this
message the glory of a divine power, full of grace and truth.
In His Word, God has committed to us the knowledge we need for
salvation. We are to accept the Holy Scriptures as an authoritative,
infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character,
the revealer of doctrines, and the test of Christian experience. “All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
Yet the fact that God has revealed His will to humanity through
His Word does not make the continued presence and guiding of the
Holy Spirit unnecessary. On the contrary, our Savior promised to
give the Spirit to open the Word to His servants, to illuminate and
apply its teachings. And since it was the Spirit of God who inspired
the Bible, it is impossible for the teaching of the Spirit ever to be
contrary to that of God’s Word.
 Lifting the Veil on the Future xv

The Spirit was not given—and never will be given—to replace

the Bible, because the Scriptures explicitly say that the Word of God
is the standard by which we must test all teaching and experience.
The apostle John says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have
gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). And Isaiah declares, “To the
law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this
word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
The work of the Holy Spirit has been blamed for the errors of
people who claim to be enlightened by the Spirit and then say that
they no longer need the Word of God to guide them. They are
governed by impressions that they think are the voice of God in the
heart. But the spirit that controls them is not the Spirit of God. This
following of impressions while neglecting the Scriptures can only
lead to confusion, to deception and ruin. It serves only to aid the [9]
plans of the evil one. Since the ministry of the Holy Spirit is vitally
important to the church of Christ, it is one of Satan’s schemes to
use the errors of extremists and fanatics to discredit the work of the
Spirit and cause the people of God to neglect this source of strength
that our Lord Himself has provided.
In harmony with the Word of God, His Spirit was to continue
working throughout the gospel era. During the ages while the Scrip-
tures of both the Old and the New Testament were being given, the
Holy Spirit did not stop communicating light to individual minds,
even apart from the revelations that were to be included in the books
of the Bible. The Bible itself tells how people received warning,
reproof, counsel, and instruction through the Holy Spirit in matters
unrelated to the giving of the Scriptures. And it mentions prophets
in different ages whose messages are not recorded. In the same way,
after the Bible was complete, the Holy Spirit was still to continue
working, to enlighten, warn, and comfort the children of God.
Jesus promised His disciples, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” “When
He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; ...
and He will tell you things to come.” (John 14:26; 16:13.) Scripture
plainly teaches that these promises, instead of just being limited to
the days of the apostles, extend to Christ’s church in all ages. The
 xvi Love Under Fire

Savior assures His followers, “I am with you always, even to the end
of the age” (Matthew 28:20). And Paul declares that the gifts and
workings of the Spirit were given to the church “for the equipping
of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12, 13).
For the believers at Ephesus the apostle prayed “that the God of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the
hope of His calling ... and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19). The ministry
of the divine Spirit to enlighten the understanding and open to the
mind the deep things of God’s Holy Word was the blessing that Paul
was seeking for the Ephesian church.
After the wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost, Peter urged the people to repent and be baptized in the
name of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and he said: “You
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you
and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord
our God will call” (Acts 2:38, 39).
Directly connected with the scenes of the great day of God,
through the prophet Joel the Lord has promised a special manifes-
tation of His Spirit (Joel 2:28). This prophecy received a partial
fulfillment in the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
[10] But it will be completely fulfilled in the display of divine grace that
will accompany the closing work of the gospel.
The great controversy between good and evil will become more
and more intense to the very end of time. In all ages Satan has
shown his anger against the church of Christ, and God has given His
grace and Spirit to His people to strengthen them to stand against
the power of the evil one. When the apostles of Christ were to carry
His gospel to the world and to record it for all future ages, they were
especially given the enlightenment of the Spirit. But as the church
approaches its final deliverance, Satan will work with greater power.
He comes down “having great wrath, because he knows that he has a
short time” (Revelation 12:12). He will work “with all power, signs,
 Lifting the Veil on the Future xvii

and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). For six thousand years

that mastermind that once was highest among the angels of God
has given all of his energy to the work of deception and ruin. And
all the subtle depths of satanic skill he has acquired, all the cruelty
he has developed during these struggles of the ages, he will bring
against God’s people in the final conflict. And in this time of danger
the followers of Christ are to carry to the world the warning of the
Lord’s second advent. Their testimony is to help prepare a people to
stand before Him at His coming, “without spot and blameless” (2
Peter 3:14). At this time the church needs the special gift of divine
grace and power at least as much as in the days of the apostles.
Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the scenes of the
long-running conflict between good and evil have been opened to
the writer of these pages. From time to time I have been permitted to
see the working, in different ages, of the great controversy between
Christ, the Prince of life, the Author of our salvation, and Satan,
the prince of evil, the author of sin, the first transgressor of God’s
holy law. Satan’s malice against Christ has been directed against His
followers. In all the history of the past we may trace the same hatred
of the principles of God’s law, the same policy of deception, by
which Satan has tried to make error appear as truth, substitute human
laws for the law of God, and lead people to worship the creature
rather than the Creator. In all ages Satan has tried continually to
misrepresent the character of God, to lead people to cling to a false
concept of the Creator, and then to regard Him with fear and hate
rather than with love. He has tried to set aside the divine law,
leading people to think they are free from its requirements. And he
has persecuted those who dare to resist his deceptions. We can see
these things in the history of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, of
martyrs and Reformers.
In the great final conflict, Satan will use the same approaches,
reveal the same spirit, and work for the same goal as in all the
preceding ages. What has been will be, except that the coming
struggle will be marked with a terrible intensity such as the world
has never seen before. Satan’s deceptions will be more subtle, his
attacks more determined. If it were possible, he would lead astray [11]
those whom God is saving (Mark 13:22).
xviii Love Under Fire

As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great truths

of His Word and the scenes of the past and the future, I have been
told to make known to others what has been revealed in this way—
to trace the history of the controversy in past ages, and especially
to present it in a way that will shed light on the fast-approaching
struggle of the future. In doing this, I have tried to select and group
together events in the history of the church in such a way as to show
the unfolding of the great testing truths that have been given to the
world at different times, that have stirred up the anger of Satan and
the hatred of a world-loving church, and that have been preserved
by the witness of those who “did not love their lives to the death”
(Revelation 12:11).
In these records we may see a preview of the conflict ahead
of us. Looking at them in the light of God’s Word and with the
illumination of His Spirit, we may see Satan’s deceptions revealed
and the dangers we must shun if we want to be found “without fault”
before the Lord at His coming (Revelation 14:5).
The great events that have marked the progress of reform in past
ages are matters of history, well known and universally acknowl-
edged by the Protestant world. They are facts that no one can refute.
This history I have presented briefly, in keeping with the scope of
the book and the need to condense the facts into as little space as
possible while still giving a proper understanding of their meaning
for us. In some cases where a historian has grouped events together
in a way to give a brief yet comprehensive view of the subject, or
has summarized details in a convenient manner, his words have been
quoted. But for some of these no specific credit has been given, since
the quotations are not given for the purpose of citing that writer as
authority, but because his statement offers a convenient and forcible
presentation of the subject. In telling about the experience and views
of those carrying forward the work of reform in our own time, I have
made similar use of their published works.
This book is intended not so much to present new truths about
the struggles of times past as to bring out facts and principles that
relate to coming events. Yet when we view them as a part of the
controversy between the forces of light and darkness, we see all
these records of the past with a new significance. Through them a
light shines on the future, illuminating the pathway of those who,
 Lifting the Veil on the Future xix

like the reformers of past ages, will be called, even at the risk of
losing everything that this world offers, to witness “for the word of
God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9).
The purpose of this book is to unfold the scenes of the great
controversy between truth and error, to reveal Satan’s deceptions
and the means by which we may successfully resist him, to present
a satisfactory solution to the great problem of evil, shedding light on
the origin and the final end of sin in a way that reveals fully the justice
and goodness of God in all His dealings with His creatures, and to
show the holy, unchanging nature of His law. It is my earnest prayer [12]
that through the influence of this book, people may be delivered from
the power of darkness and become “partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:12), to the praise of Him who
loved us and gave Himself for us.

E.G.W.
[13] Chapter 1—A Forecast of the World’s Destiny

From the crest of the Mount of Olives, Jesus looked at Jerusalem.

The magnificent buildings of the temple were in full view. The
setting sun lighted up its snowy white marble walls and gleamed
from the golden tower and pinnacle. What child of Israel could
gaze on that scene without a thrill of joy and admiration! But other
thoughts occupied Jesus’ mind. “As He drew near, He saw the city
and wept over it” (Luke 19:41).
Jesus’ tears were not for Himself, even though ahead of Him lay
Gethsemane, the scene of His approaching agony, and Calvary, the
place of crucifixion, was not far away. Yet it was not these scenes
that cast the shadow over Him in this time of gladness. He wept for
the thousands of doomed people in Jerusalem.
Jesus saw the history of more than a thousand years of God’s
special favor and guardian care for the chosen people. God had
honored Jerusalem above all the earth. The Lord had “chosen Zion
... for His dwelling place” (Psalm 132:13). For ages, holy prophets
had given their messages of warning. Daily the priests had offered
the blood of lambs, pointing to the Lamb of God.
If Israel as a nation had preserved her loyalty to Heaven,
Jerusalem would have stood forever as God’s chosen city. But the
history of the people God had favored was a record of backsliding
and rebellion. With more than a father’s tender love, God had “com-
passion on His people and on His dwelling place” (2 Chronicles
36:15). When appeals and rebuke had failed, He sent the best gift of
heaven, the Son of God Himself, to plead with the unrepentant city.
For three years the Lord of light and glory had been among
His people, “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by
the devil,” setting free those who were bound, restoring sight to
the blind, causing the lame to walk and the deaf to hear, cleansing
lepers, raising the dead, and preaching the gospel to the poor (see
Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18; Matthew 11:5).

20
 Forecast of the World’s Destiny 21

Jesus lived as a homeless wanderer to minister to people’s needs

and their troubles, to plead with them to accept the gift of life. The
waves of mercy, beaten back by those stubborn hearts, returned in
a stronger tide of sympathetic, inexpressible love. But Israel had
turned from her best Friend and only Helper, despising the pleadings
of His love.
The time of hope and pardon was quickly passing. The cloud [14]
that had been building through ages of apostasy and rebellion was
about to burst upon a guilty people. They had scorned, abused, and
rejected the only One who could save them from their approaching
fate, and they would soon crucify Him.
As Christ looked at Jerusalem, He saw before Him the doom of
a whole city and a whole nation. He saw the destroying angel with
sword uplifted against the city that had been God’s dwelling place for
so long. From the very spot that Titus and his army later occupied,
He looked across the valley at the sacred courtyards and covered
walkways of the temple. With tear-filled eyes He saw foreign forces
surrounding the walls. He heard the tread of armies marshaling for
war, the voice of mothers and children crying for food in the besieged
city. He saw Jerusalem’s holy house, her palaces and towers, given
to the flames, a heap of smoldering ruins.
Looking down the ages, He saw the covenant people scattered in
every land, “like wrecks on a desert shore.” Divine pity and yearning
love found a voice in the mournful words: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!
How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew
23:37).
Christ saw Jerusalem as a symbol of the world hardened in
unbelief and rebellion, hurrying on to meet the judgments of God.
His heart was moved with pity for the afflicted and suffering ones of
earth. He longed to relieve them all. He was willing to give His last
measure of life to bring salvation within their reach.
The Majesty of heaven in tears! That scene shows how hard it is
to save the guilty from the results of violating the law of God. Jesus
saw the world involved in deception similar to that which caused
Jerusalem’s destruction. The great sin of the Jews was their rejection
of Christ; the great sin of the world would be their rejection of God’s
 22 Love Under Fire

law, the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. Millions

in slavery to sin, doomed to suffer the second death, would refuse to
listen to words of truth in their day of opportunity.

Magnificent Temple Doomed

Two days before the Passover, Christ went again with His dis-
ciples to the Mount of Olives overlooking the city. Once more
He gazed on the temple in its dazzling splendor, a crown of beauty.
Solomon, the wisest of Israel’s rulers, had completed the first temple,
the most magnificent building the world ever saw. After Nebuchad-
nezzar destroyed it, it was rebuilt about five hundred years before
the birth of Christ.
But the second temple was not as magnificent as the first. No
cloud of glory, no fire from heaven, descended on its altar. The ark,
the mercy seat, and the tablets of the law were not to be found there.
No voice from heaven made known to the priest the will of God.
The second temple was not honored with the cloud of God’s glory,
[15] but with the living presence of One who was God Himself revealed
in the flesh. The “Desire of all nations” had come to His temple
when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in its sacred courts.
But Israel had refused that Gift from heaven. When the humble
Teacher went out from its golden gate that day, the glory had forever
departed from the temple. Already the Savior’s words were fulfilled:
“Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:38).
The disciples had been amazed at Christ’s prediction of the
overthrow of the temple, and they wanted to understand what His
words meant. Herod the Great had lavished both Roman and Jewish
treasure on the temple. Massive blocks of white marble, shipped
from Rome, formed part of its structure. The disciples had called
the attention of their Master to these, saying, “See what manner of
stones and what buildings are here!” (Mark 13:1).
Jesus made the solemn and startling reply, “Assuredly, I say to
you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be
thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). The Lord had told the disciples that
He would come the second time. So when He mentioned judgments
on Jerusalem, their minds went to that coming, and they asked:
 Forecast of the World’s Destiny 23

“When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your
coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).
Christ presented to them an outline of important events before
the close of time. The prophecy He spoke had two meanings. While
foreshadowing the destruction of Jerusalem, it also predicted the
terrors of the last great day.
Judgments were to fall on Israel for rejecting and crucifying the
Messiah. “‘Therefore when you see the “abomination of desolation,”
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (who-
ever reads, let him understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee
to the mountains’” (Matthew 24:15, 16; see also Luke 21:20, 21).
When the pagan banners of the Romans would be set up in the holy
ground outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to
run for safety. To escape, they must not allow any delay. Because of
her sins, God had decreed judgment against Jerusalem. Her stubborn
unbelief made her doom certain.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem accused Christ of being the cause
of all the troubles that had come upon them because of their sins.
Though they knew that He was sinless, they declared that His death
was necessary for their safety as a nation. They agreed with the
decision of their high priest that it would be better for one man to
die than for the whole nation to perish (see John 11:47-53).
While they killed their Savior because He condemned their sins,
they thought of themselves as God’s favored people and expected
the Lord to deliver them from their enemies!

God’s Long-suffering
For nearly forty years the Lord delayed His judgments. There
were still many Jews who were ignorant of Christ’s character and
work. And the children had not had the light that their parents
had rejected. God would cause light to shine on them through the [16]
apostles’ preaching. They would see how prophecy had been fulfilled
not only in Christ’s birth and life, but in His death and resurrection.
God did not condemn the children for the sins of the parents, but
when the children rejected the additional light He gave them, they
became partakers of the parents’ sins and filled up the cup of their
iniquity.
24 Love Under Fire

In their stubborn refusal to repent, the Jews rejected the last offer
of mercy. Then God withdrew His protection from them. The nation
was left to the control of the leader it had chosen. Satan stirred up
the fiercest and lowest passions of the heart. People were beyond
reason—controlled by impulse and blind rage, and satanic in their
cruelty. Friends and relatives betrayed one another. Parents killed
their children, and children their parents. Rulers had no power to
rule themselves. Uncontrolled passions made them tyrants. The
Jews had accepted false testimony to condemn the innocent Son of
God. Now false accusations made their lives uncertain. The fear of
God no longer disturbed them. Satan was at the head of the nation.
Leaders of opposing groups attacked each other’s forces and
slaughtered without mercy. Even the sacredness of the temple could
not restrain their fierce fighting. The sanctuary was polluted with the
bodies of the dead. Yet the leaders behind this hellish work declared
that they had no fear that Jerusalem would be destroyed, for it was
God’s own city! Even while Roman legions surrounded the temple,
many Jews still strongly believed that the Most High would step in
to defeat their enemies. But Israel had turned her back on God’s
protection, and now they had no defense.

Omens of Disaster
All the predictions Christ had given about Jerusalem’s destruc-
tion were fulfilled to the letter. Signs and wonders appeared. For
seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of
Jerusalem, announcing disasters to come. This strange man was
imprisoned and whipped, but in the face of insult and abuse he an-
swered only, “Woe, woe to Jerusalem!” He was killed in the siege
he foretold.1
Not one Christian died in the destruction of Jerusalem. After
the Romans under their leader Cestius had surrounded the city, they
abandoned the siege unexpectedly when everything seemed ready for
the attack. The Roman general withdrew his forces for no apparent
reason. The waiting Christians recognized the promised sign (Luke
21:20, 21).
1 Henry Hart Milman, History of the Jews, book 13.
 Forecast of the World’s Destiny 25

God so overruled events that neither Jews nor Romans would

prevent the Christians’ escape. When Cestius retreated, the Jews
pursued, and while both forces were fully engaged, the Christians
throughout the land were able to make their escape without interfer-
ence to a place of safety, the city of Pella.
The Jewish forces pursued Cestius and his army and attacked
the fleeing forces from behind. Only with great difficulty did the
Romans succeed in making their retreat. The Jews returned to
Jerusalem in triumph with their spoils. Yet this apparent success
brought them only evil. It inspired their spirit of stubborn resistance [17]
to the Romans, which soon brought indescribable suffering on the
doomed city.
Terrible were the disasters that fell on Jerusalem when Titus
resumed the siege. The city was surrounded at the time of the
Passover, when millions of Jews were assembled within its walls.
Supplies of food had previously been destroyed through the revenge
of the warring factions. Now the inhabitants experienced all the
horrors of starvation. People gnawed the leather of their belts and
sandals and the covering of their shields. Great numbers slipped out
at night to gather wild plants growing outside the city walls, though
the Romans put many to death with cruel torture. Often those who
returned in safety were robbed of what they had found. Husbands
robbed their wives, and wives their husbands. Children snatched the
food from the mouths of their aged parents.
The Roman leaders made efforts to strike terror to the Jews
and so cause them to surrender. Prisoners who resisted capture
were scourged, tortured, and crucified before the wall of the city.
Along the Valley of Jehoshaphat and at Calvary, the Romans erected
crosses in great numbers. There was scarcely room to move among
them. These things fulfilled that awful curse spoken before Pilate’s
judgment seat: “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew
27:25).
Titus was filled with horror as he saw bodies lying in heaps in the
valleys. Like someone under a spell, he looked at the magnificent
temple and gave a command that not one stone of it was to be
touched. He made an earnest appeal to the Jewish leaders not to
force him to defile the sacred place with blood. If they would
fight in any other place, no Roman would violate the sacredness
 26 Love Under Fire

of the temple! Josephus himself begged them to surrender, to save

themselves, their city, and their place of worship. But with bitter
curses, they hurled darts at him, their last human mediator. Titus’s
efforts to save the temple were in vain. Someone greater than he had
declared that not one stone was to be left on another.
Titus finally decided to take the temple by storm, determined if
possible to save it from destruction. But the troops disregarded his
commands. A soldier threw a flaming torch through an opening in
the porch, and immediately the cedar-lined rooms around the holy
house were in a blaze. Titus rushed to the place and commanded the
soldiers to put out the flames. His words went unheeded. In their
fury the soldiers hurled blazing torches into the rooms attached to
the temple and then slaughtered those who had found shelter there.
Blood flowed down the temple steps like water.
After the temple was destroyed, the whole city fell to the Ro-
mans. The leaders of the Jews abandoned their unconquerable tow-
ers. Titus declared that God had given them into his hands, for
no war machines, however powerful, could have won against those
stupendous defenses. Both the city and the temple were destroyed to
their foundations, and the ground on which the holy house had stood
[18] was “plowed like a field” (see Jeremiah 26:18). More than a million
people died. The survivors were carried away as captives, sold as
slaves, dragged to Rome, thrown to wild beasts in the amphitheaters,
or scattered as homeless wanderers throughout the earth.
The Jews had filled for themselves the cup of vengeance. In all
the troubles that followed in their scattering, they were reaping the
harvest that their own hands had sown. “O Israel, thou has destroyed
thyself”; “for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.” (Hosea 13:9; 14:1,
KJV.) People often say that the Jews’ sufferings were a punishment
by the direct decree of God. This is the way the great deceiver tries
to conceal his own work. By stubbornly rejecting divine love and
mercy, the Jews had caused God’s protection to be withdrawn from
them.
We cannot know how much we owe to Christ for the peace and
protection we enjoy. The restraining power of God prevents mankind
from coming fully under the control of Satan. The disobedient and
unthankful have every reason to be grateful for God’s mercy. But
when people pass the limits of God’s patient appeals, restraint is
 Forecast of the World’s Destiny 27

removed. God does not act as an executioner of the sentence against

transgression. He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to reap what
they have sown. Every ray of light rejected is a seed sown, and it
yields its unfailing harvest. The Spirit of God, persistently resisted,
is finally withdrawn. Then there is no power left to control the evil
desires of the heart, no protection from the malice and hatred of
Satan.

Danger of Resisting God’s Call

The destruction of Jerusalem is a solemn warning to everyone
who is resisting the pleadings of God’s mercy. The Savior’s prophecy
of judgments on Jerusalem is to have another fulfillment. In the fate
of that chosen city we can see the doom of a world that has rejected
God’s mercy and trampled on His law. Dark are the records of
human misery that the earth has witnessed. Terrible have been the
results of rejecting Heaven’s authority. But a scene still darker is
presented in the revelations of the future. When the restraining Spirit
of God will be completely withdrawn, no longer holding back the
outburst of human passion and satanic anger, the world will see the
results of Satan’s rule like it has never seen them before.
In that day, as when Jerusalem was destroyed, God’s people will
be delivered. Christ will come the second time to gather His faithful
ones to Himself. “Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30,
31).
People should be careful not to neglect the words of Christ.
As He warned His disciples about Jerusalem’s destruction so that
they could escape, so He has warned the world of the day of final
destruction. All who choose may flee from the wrath to come.
“There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on
the earth distress of nations” (Luke 21:25; see also Matthew 24:29; [19]
Mark 13:24-26; Revelation 6:12-17). “Watch therefore,” are Christ’s
words of counsel (Mark 13:35). Those who obey the warning will
not be left in darkness.
28 Love Under Fire

The world is no more ready to believe the message for this time
than the Jews were to receive the Savior’s warning about Jerusalem.
No matter when it comes, the day of God will come as a surprise
to the ungodly. When life is going on in its usual way, when peo-
ple are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in moneymaking, when
religious leaders are praising the world’s progress, and people are
lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief slips into the
unguarded home, so shall sudden destruction come upon the care-
less and ungodly, “and they shall not escape” (see 1 Thessalonians
5:2-5).
 Chapter 2—The First Christians Loyal and True [20]

Jesus revealed to His disciples the experience of His people

from the time when He would be taken from them to His return in
power and glory. Seeing deep into the future, His eye detected the
fierce storms that were to beat upon His followers in coming ages
of persecution (see Matthew 24:9, 21, 22). The followers of Christ
must walk the same path of condemnation and suffering that their
Master walked. The hatred that the world’s Redeemer had borne
would be displayed against all who would believe on His name.
Paganism foresaw that if the gospel triumphed, her own temples
and altars would be swept away. For this reason she summoned
her forces to light the fires of persecution. Christians had their
possessions taken away and were driven from their homes. Great
numbers of people—noble and slave, rich and poor, educated and
ignorant—were killed without mercy.
Persecutions began under Nero and continued for centuries.
Christians were falsely declared to be the cause of famines, epi-
demics, and earthquakes. For money, informers stood ready to
betray the innocent as rebels and pests to society. Large numbers of
Christians were thrown to wild beasts or burned alive in amphithe-
aters. Some were crucified; others were covered with skins of wild
animals and shoved into the arena to be torn apart by dogs. At
public festivals vast crowds assembled to enjoy the sight and greet
the Christians’ dying agonies with laughter and applause.
The followers of Christ were forced into hiding in lonely places.
Beneath the hills outside the city of Rome, long corridors had been
tunneled through earth and rock for miles beyond the city walls. In
these underground refuges the followers of Christ buried their dead.
Here also, when they were outlawed, they found a home. Many
remembered the words of their Master, that when persecuted for
Christ’s sake, they were to be very glad. Great would be their reward
in heaven, for they were persecuted in the same way as the prophets
were before them (see Matthew 5:11, 12).
29
 30 Love Under Fire

Songs of triumph went up from the midst of crackling flames.

By faith the martyrs saw Christ and angels gazing on them with the
deepest interest and approving of their firmness. A voice came from
the throne of God, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the
crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
[21] Satan’s efforts to destroy the church of Christ by violence were
in vain. He could kill God’s workmen, but the gospel continued
to spread and its followers increased. A Christian said, “The more
often you mow us down, the more we grow in number; the blood of
Christians is seed.”1
For this reason Satan made plans to war more successfully
against God by planting his banner in the Christian church, to gain
by deception what he failed to get by force. Persecution ended. In
its place came the attractions of worldly prosperity and honor. Idol
worshipers began to receive a part of the Christian faith, while they
rejected essential truths. They professed to accept Jesus, but they
had no conviction of sin and felt no need of repentance or change
of heart. With some concessions on their part they proposed that
Christians should also make concessions, so that they all could unite
on the platform of “belief in Christ.”
Now the church was in terrible danger. Prison, torture, fire, and
sword were blessings in comparison with this! Some Christians
stood firm. Others were in favor of modifying their faith. Under a
cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan found his way into the church
to corrupt their faith.
In the end, most Christians consented to lower the standard. They
formed a union between Christianity and paganism. Although the
idol worshipers professed to unite with the church, they still clung
to their idolatry. They simply changed the objects of their worship
to images of Jesus and even of Mary and the saints. False doctrines,
superstitious rites, and idolatrous ceremonies became a part of the
church’s faith and worship. The Christian religion was corrupted,
and the church lost her purity and power. Some, however, were not
misled. They still remained faithful to the Author of truth.

1 Tertullian, Apology, paragraph 50.

 First Christians Loyal and True 31

Two Classes in the Church

There have always been two classes among those who claim
to follow Christ. While some people study the Savior’s life and
earnestly try to correct their defects and conform to the Pattern,
the others shun the plain, practical truths that expose their errors.
Even in her best state the church did not consist of only the true
and sincere. Judas was connected with the disciples, that through
Christ’s instruction and example he could be led to see his errors.
But by indulging in sin he invited Satan’s temptations. He became
angry when Jesus reproved his faults, and so he came to betray his
Master (see Mark 14:10, 11).
Ananias and Sapphira pretended to make an entire sacrifice for
God while they covetously withheld a portion for themselves. The
Spirit of truth revealed to the apostles the real character of these
pretenders, and the judgments of God rid the church of the foul stain
on its purity. (See Acts 5:1-11.) As persecution came to Christ’s
followers, only those who were willing to forsake everything for the
truth wanted to become His disciples. But when persecution ended,
the church added converts who were less sincere, and the way was
open for Satan to find a foothold.
When Christians agreed to unite with those who were half con- [22]
verted from paganism, Satan celebrated. He then inspired them to
persecute those who remained true to God. These apostate Chris-
tians, uniting with half-pagan companions, turned their warfare
against the most essential features of Christ’s teachings. It required
a desperate struggle to stand firm against the deceptions and evils
introduced into the church. The church no longer accepted the Bible
as the standard of faith. It called the doctrine of religious freedom a
heresy, and it condemned those who upheld this teaching.
After long conflict, the faithful saw that separation was abso-
lutely necessary. They did not dare to tolerate errors that would be
fatal to their own souls and would endanger the faith of their children
and grandchildren. They felt that peace would be too costly if they
had to buy it with the sacrifice of principle. If they could obtain
unity only by compromising truth, then let there be difference, and
even war.
 32 Love Under Fire

The early Christians were truly a distinct people. Few in num-

bers, without wealth, position, or titles of honor, they were hated by
the wicked, even as Abel was hated by Cain (see Genesis 4:1-10).
From the days of Christ until now His faithful disciples have roused
the hatred and opposition of those who love sin.
How, then, can the gospel be called a message of peace? Angels
sang above the plains of Bethlehem, “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14). There
appears to be a contradiction between these prophetic declarations
and the words of Christ, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword”
(Matthew 10:34). Rightly understood, though, the two are in perfect
harmony. The gospel is a message of peace. The religion of Christ, if
received and obeyed, would spread peace and happiness throughout
the earth. It was the mission of Jesus to reconcile us to God and
so to one another. But the world at large is under the control of
Satan, Christ’s bitterest enemy. The gospel presents principles of
life completely opposite to people’s habits and desires, and they
rise up against it. They hate the purity that condemns sin, and they
persecute those who urge its holy claims on them. It is in this sense
that the gospel is called a sword.
Many who are weak in faith are ready to throw away their confi-
dence in God because He allows evil people to prosper, while the
best and purest are tormented by their cruel power. How can One
who is just and merciful and infinite in power tolerate such injustice?
God has given us enough evidence of His love. We are not to doubt
His goodness because we cannot understand His workings. The
Savior said: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is
not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also
persecute you” (John 15:20). Those who are called to endure torture
and martyrdom are only following in the steps of God’s dear Son.
The righteous are placed in the furnace of affliction so that they
themselves may be purified, their example may convince others
[23] of the reality of faith and godliness, and their consistent lives may
condemn the ungodly and unbelieving. God permits the wicked to
prosper and to reveal their hatred against Him so that all may see
His justice and mercy in their complete destruction. God will punish
every act of cruelty toward His faithful ones as though it had been
done to Christ Himself.
 First Christians Loyal and True 33

Paul states that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus
will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Why is it, then, that
persecution seems to sleep? The only reason is that the church has
conformed to the world’s standard, and so it awakens no opposition.
Religion in our day is not the pure and holy faith of Christ and
His apostles. Because people are indifferent to the truths of the
Word of God, because there is so little vital godliness in the church,
Christianity is popular with the world. Let there be a revival of the
early church’s faith, and the fires of persecution will be lit again.
[24] Chapter 3—Spiritual Darkness in the Early Church

The apostle Paul wrote that the day of Christ would not come
“unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is
called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is God.” And furthermore, “the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3,
4, 7.) Even at that early date the apostle saw errors creeping in that
would prepare the way for the papacy.
Little by little, “the mystery of lawlessness” carried on its de-
ceptive work. The customs of heathenism found their way into the
Christian church, held back for a time by fierce persecutions under
paganism. But as persecution ended, Christianity turned away from
the humble simplicity of Christ and adopted the pomp of pagan
priests and rulers. The emperor Constantine’s professed conversion
caused great rejoicing. But now the work of corruption progressed
rapidly. Paganism, which seemed to have been conquered, became
the conqueror. Its doctrines and superstitions were merged into the
faith of those who claimed to be followers of Christ.
This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in
“the man of sin” that prophecy had foretold. That false religion is a
masterpiece of Satan, a monument to his effort to seat himself on
the throne to rule the earth according to his will.
It is one of Rome’s leading doctrines that God has given the
pope supreme authority over bishops and pastors in all the world.
More than this, the pope has been called “Lord God the Pope” and
declared infallible (see Appendix). The same claim that Satan urged
in the wilderness of temptation he still urges through the Church of
Rome, and vast numbers give him worship.
But those who reverence God meet the papacy’s false claim as
Christ met Satan: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him
only you shall serve” (Luke 4:8). God has never appointed any man
head of the church. Papal supremacy is opposed to the Scriptures.
34
 Spiritual Darkness in the Early Church 35

The pope can have no power over Christ’s church except by claiming
it falsely. The Roman Catholic Church charges Protestants with
willfully separating from the true church, but she is the one that
departed from “the faith which was once for all delivered to the
saints” (Jude 3).
Satan knew very well that it was the Holy Scriptures that enabled [25]
the Savior to resist his attacks. At every assault, Christ presented the
shield of eternal truth, saying, “It is written.” In order for Satan to
maintain his control over people and establish the authority of the
papal usurper, he must keep them ignorant of the Bible. He must
conceal and suppress its sacred truths. For hundreds of years the
Roman Church prohibited the circulation of the Bible. The people
were forbidden to read it. Priests and leaders interpreted its teachings
to support their boastful claims. In this way the pope came to be
acknowledged by almost everyone as God’s appointed ruler on earth.

How the Sabbath Was “Changed”

Prophecy declared that the papacy would “intend to change times
and law” (Daniel 7:25). As a substitute for idol worship, the ado-
ration of images and relics was gradually introduced into Christian
worship. The decree of a general council (see Appendix) finally
established this idolatry. Rome dared to remove from the law of
God the second commandment, which forbids image worship, and
to divide the tenth commandment into two in order to preserve the
number at ten.
Unconsecrated leaders of the church also tampered with the
fourth commandment, to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day that
God had blessed and sanctified (Genesis 2:2, 3). In its place they
exalted the festival the heathen observed as “the venerable day of the
sun.” In the first centuries all Christians had kept the true Sabbath,
but Satan worked to bring about his will. The church made Sunday
a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Religious services
were held on it, yet it was thought of as a day of recreation. In
addition, the true Sabbath was still being sacredly observed.
Before Christ came to earth, Satan had led the Jews to load
the Sabbath with rigorous rules, making it a burden. Now, taking
advantage of the false light in which he had placed it, Satan caused
 36 Love Under Fire

people to despise it as a “Jewish” institution. While Christians

generally continued to observe Sunday as a joyous festival, he led
them to make the Sabbath a day of sadness and gloom in order to
show their hatred for Judaism.
The emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a pub-
lic festival throughout the Roman Empire (see Appendix). The day
of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and honored by
Christians. The bishops of the church urged him to do this. Thirst-
ing for power, they recognized that if both Christians and heathen
observed the same day, it would advance the power and glory of
the church. But while many God-fearing Christians gradually came
to think of Sunday as having some degree of sacredness, they still
held the true Sabbath and observed it in obedience to the fourth
commandment.
The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was deter-
mined to exercise his power through his appointed ruler, the proud
pontiff who claimed to represent Christ. Vast councils were held
to which dignitaries came from all the world. Nearly every council
[26] pressed the Sabbath down a little lower while exalting Sunday. This
is how the pagan festival finally came to be honored as a divine in-
stitution, while people declared the Bible Sabbath a relic of Judaism
and pronounced a curse on its observance.
The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself “above all
that is called God or that is worshiped” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He
had dared to change the only commandment in the divine law that
points to the true and living God. The fourth commandment reveals
God as the Creator. To commemorate the work of creation, God
sanctified the seventh day as a rest day for mankind. It was designed
to keep the living God always before people’s minds as the object of
worship. Satan works to turn people from obedience to God’s law.
To accomplish this, he directs his efforts especially against the one
commandment that points to God as the Creator.
Protestants now claim that Christ’s resurrection on Sunday made
it the Christian Sabbath. But neither Christ nor His apostles gave
any such honor to the day. Sunday observance had its origin in that
“mystery of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7) that had begun its
work even in Paul’s day. What reason can anyone give for a change
that the Scriptures do not authorize?
 Spiritual Darkness in the Early Church 37

In the sixth century, the bishop of Rome was declared to be the

head over the entire church. Paganism was replaced by the papacy.
The dragon had given the beast “his power, his throne, and great
authority” (Revelation 13:2).
Now began the 1,260 years of papal oppression that the prophe-
cies of Daniel and the Revelation had foretold (Daniel 7:25; Revela-
tion 13:5-7; see Appendix). Christians were forced to choose: either
yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship,
or wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death. Now the words
of Jesus were fulfilled: “You will be betrayed even by parents and
brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to
death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Luke
21:16, 17).
The world became a huge battlefield. For hundreds of years the
church of Christ found shelter in hiding and obscurity. “The woman
fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God,
that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty
days” (Revelation 12:6).
The Roman Catholic Church’s rise to power marked the begin-
ning of the Dark Ages. People transferred their faith from Christ
to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for
forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, they looked to the pope
and to the priests to whom he gave authority. The pope was their
earthly mediator. He stood in the place of God to them. To turn
aside even a little from his requirements was reason enough for
severe punishment. In this way the minds of the people were turned
away from God to fallible and cruel men—more than that, to the
prince of darkness himself who exercised his power through them.
When human beings suppress the Scriptures and come to regard
themselves as supreme, we can expect only fraud, deception, and
degrading evil.

Dangerous Days for the Church [27]

God’s faithful believers were few. At times it seemed that error
would triumph completely, and true religion would be banished from
the earth. People lost sight of the gospel, and they were burdened
with difficult requirements. The church taught them to trust to their
38 Love Under Fire

own works to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of penance, the
worship of relics, the building of churches, shrines, and altars, the
payment of large sums to the church treasury—the church required
them to do these things in order to appease God’s wrath or to gain
His favor.
About the close of the eighth century, those who supported the
pope claimed that in the first ages of the church the bishops of Rome
had possessed the same spiritual power which they now said they
had. Monks forged ancient writings. Decrees of councils that no
one had heard of before were discovered, establishing the universal
supremacy of the pope from the earliest times. (See Appendix.)
These developments perplexed the few faithful ones who were
building on the sure foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11).
Growing tired from the constant struggle against persecution, fraud,
and every other obstacle that Satan could invent, some who had been
faithful became discouraged. To gain peace and security for their
property and their lives, they turned away from the sure foundation.
Others were not swayed by the opposition of their enemies.
Image worship became widespread. People burned candles in
front of images and offered prayers to them. The most senseless
customs prevailed. Reason itself seemed to have lost its power.
When even the priests and bishops were pleasure-loving and corrupt,
it is no wonder that the people who looked to them for guidance
were sunken in ignorance and vice.
In the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII proclaimed that the
church had never erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scrip-
tures. But he offered no Scripture proofs to accompany his assertion.
The proud pontiff also claimed power to remove emperors. This
promoter of infallibility showed his character as a tyrant by his treat-
ment of the German emperor, Henry IV. For daring to disregard the
pope’s authority, this monarch was expelled from the church and
dethroned. The pope’s decree encouraged Henry’s own princes to
rebel against him.
Henry felt the importance of making peace with Rome. With
his wife and faithful servant he crossed the Alps in the middle of
winter, so that he could humble himself before the pope. When he
reached Gregory’s castle, he was taken into an outer court. There,
in the severe cold of winter, with uncovered head and bare feet, he
 Spiritual Darkness in the Early Church 39

waited for the pope’s permission to come into his presence. Not
until he had spent three days fasting and making confession, did
the pope grant him pardon. Even then it was only on condition that
the emperor would wait for the permission of the pope before again
taking the symbols of royalty or exercising its power. Gregory was
elated by his triumph. He boasted that it was his duty to pull down [28]
the pride of kings.
What a sharp contrast between this haughty pope and Christ,
who portrays Himself as pleading at the door of the heart to be let in.
He taught His disciples, “Whoever desires to become great among
you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
Even before the papacy was established, the teachings of heathen
philosophers had exerted an influence in the church. Many still clung
to the beliefs of pagan philosophy and urged others to study it as
a means of extending their influence among the heathen. Serious
errors came into the Christian faith this way.

How False Doctrines Came In

One such major teaching was the belief that we are immortal by
nature and are conscious in death. This doctrine laid the foundation
for Rome to establish prayer to the saints and the adoration of the
Virgin Mary. From this sprang also the heresy of eternal torment
for those who refuse to repent. This belief became part of the papal
faith in the church’s early years.
This opened the way for still another invention of paganism—
purgatory, which the church used to terrify the superstitious people.
This heresy claimed that a place of torment existed in which souls
of those who do not deserve eternal damnation suffer punishment
for their sins, and from which, when they are freed from impurity,
they are admitted to heaven. (See Appendix.)
Rome needed still another lie to be able to profit from the fears
and vices of her followers: the doctrine of indulgences. The church
promised full remission of sins past, present, and future to all who
would enlist in the pope’s wars to punish his enemies or to extermi-
nate those who dared to deny his spiritual supremacy. By paying
money to the church, people could free themselves from sin and also
release the souls of friends who had died and were being kept in
 40 Love Under Fire

the tormenting flames. In ways like these Rome filled her treasuries
and sustained the magnificence, luxury, and vice of the pretended
representatives of Jesus, who had nowhere to lay His head. (See
Appendix.)
The Lord’s Supper had been replaced by the idolatrous sacrifice
of the mass. Papal priests pretended to convert the simple bread and
wine into the actual “body and blood of Christ.”1 With blasphemous
presumption, they openly claimed the power of creating God, the
Creator of all things. Christians were required to confess their faith
in this Heaven-insulting heresy or face death.
In the thirteenth century, the church established the most terrible
weapon of the papacy—the Inquisition. In its secret councils Satan
and his angels controlled the minds of evil men. Unseen in the
midst of them stood an angel of God, taking the dreadful record of
their evil decrees and writing the history of deeds too horrible for
human eyes to see. “BABYLON THE GREAT” was “drunk with the
blood of the saints” (see Revelation 17:5, 6). The mangled bodies
of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance on that apostate
power.
[29] The papacy had become the world’s despot. Kings and emperors
bowed to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. For hundreds of years
people accepted the doctrines of Rome without question. They
honored her clergy and sustained them liberally. Never since has the
Catholic Church attained to greater dignity, magnificence, or power.
But “the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.”2
The Scriptures were almost unknown. The papal leaders hated the
light that would reveal their sins. Because God’s law, the standard
of righteousness, had been removed, they practiced vice without
restraint. The palaces of popes and other church leaders were scenes
of vile immorality. Some of the popes were guilty of crimes so
revolting that secular rulers tried to depose them as monsters too evil
to be tolerated. For centuries Europe made no progress in learning,
arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen on
Christendom.
Such conditions were the results of banishing the Word of God!
1 Cardinal Wiseman’s Lectures on “The Real Presence,” lecture 8, section 3, paragraph

26.
2 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 1, chapter 4.
 Chapter 4—The Waldenses Defend the Faith [30]

During the long period of the popes’ supremacy, there were

witnesses for God who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator
between God and man. They took the Bible as the only rule of life,
and they kept the true Sabbath. The church branded them as heretics
and suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated their writings. But
they still stood firm.
There is almost no mention of them in human records, except
in the accusations of their persecutors. Rome sought to destroy
everything “heretical,” whether persons or writings. The church
also tried to destroy every record of its cruelty toward those who
disagreed with it. Before the invention of printing, books were few
in number, and so there was little to prevent Rome’s forces from
carrying out their plans. No sooner had the papacy obtained power
than it stretched out its arms to crush all who refused to acknowledge
its authority.
In Great Britain, simple Christianity had taken root early, uncor-
rupted by the Roman apostasy. Persecution from pagan emperors
was the only gift the first churches of Britain received from Rome.
Many Christians fleeing persecution in England found safety in Scot-
land. From there, believers carried truth to Ireland, and people in
these countries received it gladly.
When the Saxons invaded Britain, heathenism gained control,
and the Christians were forced to retreat to the mountains. In Scot-
land, a century later, the light shone out to far-distant lands. From
Ireland came Columba and his co-workers, who made the lonely
island of Iona the center of their missionary work. Among these
evangelists was one who kept the Bible Sabbath, and he introduced
this truth among the people. A school was established at Iona,
and missionaries went out from it to Scotland, England, Germany,
Switzerland, and even Italy.

41
 42 Love Under Fire

Rome Meets Bible Religion

But Rome was determined to bring Britain under its rule. In
the sixth century, Catholic missionaries worked to convert the hea-
then Saxons. As the work progressed, the pope’s leaders came up
against the simple Christians—humble and scriptural in their char-
acter, doctrine, and manners. Rome’s representatives exhibited the
superstition, pomp, and arrogance of the papal system. Rome de-
manded that these Christian churches acknowledge the pope as their
[31] ruler. The Britons replied that the pope was not entitled to supremacy
in the church, and they could give him only the submission that is
due to every follower of Christ. They knew no other master than
Christ.
Now the true spirit of the papacy was revealed. The leader from
Rome said, “If you will not receive brethren who bring you peace,
you will receive enemies who will bring you war.”1 Rome used
war and deception against these witnesses for Bible faith, until the
churches of Britain were destroyed or forced to submit to the pope.
In lands beyond the rule of Rome, Christian groups remained
almost entirely free from papal corruption for centuries. They con-
tinued to take the Bible as their only rule of faith. These Christians
believed in the permanence of the law of God and observed the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Churches that held to this faith
and practice existed in Central Africa and among the Armenians of
Asia.
Of all who resisted the papal power during that time, the
Waldenses are the most significant. In the very land where the papal
system had established its headquarters, the churches of Piedmont
kept their independence. But the time came when Rome insisted
that they submit. Some, however, refused to yield to pope or bishop
and were determined to preserve the purity and simplicity of their
faith. A separation took place. Those who held to the ancient faith
now left their homes. Some, leaving behind their native Alps, raised
the banner of truth in foreign lands. Others retreated to the rocky
strongholds of the mountains and there preserved their freedom to
worship God.
1 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
17, chapter 2
 Waldenses Defend the Faith 43

Their religious belief was established on the written Word of

God. Those humble peasants, shut away from the world, had not
arrived at truth all by themselves in opposition to the teachings of
the apostate church. They had inherited their religious belief from
their ancestors. In conflict, they upheld the faith of the apostolic
church. “The church in the wilderness,” and not the proud hierarchy
on the throne in the world’s great capital, was the true church of
Christ, the guardian of the treasures of truth that God committed to
His people to give to the world.
Among the main reasons leading the true church to separate from
Rome was Rome’s hatred toward the Bible Sabbath. As prophecy
had foretold, the papal power trampled the law of God in the dust.
Churches under the papacy were forced to honor Sunday. Sur-
rounded by widespread error, many of the true people of God be-
came so bewildered that while they observed the Sabbath, they also
did no work on Sunday. But this did not satisfy the papal leaders.
They demanded that the people must trample on the Sabbath, and
they denounced those who dared to honor it.
Hundreds of years before the Reformation the Waldenses had
the Bible in their native language. This made them the special focus
of persecution. They declared that Rome was the apostate Babylon
of the book of Revelation. At the risk of their lives they stood
up to resist her corruptions. Through ages of apostasy there were
Waldenses who denied Rome’s supremacy, rejected image worship
as idolatry, and kept the true Sabbath (see Appendix). [32]
Behind the high walls of the mountains the Waldenses found
a hiding place. Those faithful exiles pointed their children to the
heights towering above them in majesty and spoke of Him whose
word endures like the everlasting hills. God had set the mountains
securely in place. No arm but God’s could move them. In the
same way He had established His law. Human power could just as
likely uproot the mountains and hurl them into the sea as change one
command of God’s law. Those pilgrims did not complain because
their lives were hard. They were never lonely in the mountains’
isolation. They rejoiced in their freedom to worship. From many
a high cliff they chanted praise, and the armies of Rome could not
silence their songs of thanksgiving.
 44 Love Under Fire

Valued Principles of Truth

They valued principles of truth more than houses and lands,
friends, family, and even life itself. They taught the youth from
earliest childhood to consider the claims of God’s law as sacred.
Copies of the Bible were rare, so they committed its precious words
to memory. Many were able to repeat large portions of both the Old
and the New Testament.
They were educated from childhood to endure hardship and to
think and act for themselves. They were taught to bear responsibili-
ties, to guard their words, and to understand the wisdom of silence.
One careless word in the hearing of their enemies might endanger
the lives of hundreds of believers, for like wolves hunting prey,
the enemies of truth pursued those who dared to claim freedom of
religious faith.
The Waldenses worked for their living with unwavering patience.
Every spot of tillable land among the mountains they carefully im-
proved. They taught their children to practice economy and self-de-
nial. The work was hard but wholesome, just what fallen human
beings need. The youth were taught that all their powers belonged
to God, to be developed for His service.
The Vaudois* churches resembled the church in the time of the
apostles. Rejecting the supremacy of popes and bishops, they taught
that the Bible is the only infallible authority. Their pastors, unlike
the lordly priests of Rome, fed the flock of God, leading them to the
green pastures and living fountains of His Holy Word. The people
gathered, not in magnificent churches or grand cathedrals, but in the
Alpine valleys, or, in time of danger, in some rocky stronghold, to
listen to the words of truth from the servants of Christ. The pastors
not only preached the gospel, they visited the sick and worked to
promote harmony and brotherly love. Like Paul the tentmaker, each
learned some trade so that he could provide for his own support if
necessary.
The youth received instruction from their pastors. The Bible was
[33] their chief study. They committed the Gospels of Matthew and John
to memory, as well as many of the Epistles.
* Vaudois [vo-DWAH] is the French word for the Waldenses and is often used for
them.
 Waldenses Defend the Faith 45

With persistent effort, sometimes in the dark caverns of the earth,

by the light of torches, they wrote out the Sacred Scriptures, verse
by verse. Angels from heaven surrounded these faithful workers.
Satan had urged the Roman priests and bishops to bury the Word
of truth beneath the rubbish of error and superstition. But in a
remarkable way it was preserved uncorrupted through all the ages of
darkness. Like the ark on the rolling seas, the Word of God outrides
the storms that threaten it with destruction. Like a mine that has
rich veins of gold and silver hidden beneath the surface, the Holy
Scriptures have treasures of truth that only the humble, prayerful
seeker will find. God designed the Bible to be a lessonbook to all
mankind as a revelation of Himself. Every truth that we see is a
fresh disclosure of its Author’s character.
Some youth were sent from their schools in the mountains to
institutions of learning in France or Italy, where there was a wider
field for study and observation than in their native Alps. These youth
were exposed to temptation. They encountered Satan’s agents who
urged subtle heresies and dangerous deceptions on them. But their
education from childhood prepared them for this.
In the schools where they went they were not to confide in
anyone. Their clothes were designed specifically to conceal their
greatest treasure—the Scriptures. Whenever they could they cau-
tiously placed some Scripture portion where those who seemed open
to receive truth would find it. In this way they won converts to the
true faith in these institutions of learning, and frequently its princi-
ples spread throughout the entire school. Yet the papal leaders could
not trace the so-called corrupting “heresy” to its source.

Young People Trained as Missionaries

The Vaudois Christians felt a solemn responsibility to let their
light shine. By the power of God’s Word they worked to break the
bondage that Rome had imposed. The Vaudois ministers had to serve
three years in some mission field before taking charge of a church
at home—a fitting introduction to the pastor’s life in difficult times.
The youth saw before them, not earthly wealth and glory, but hard
work and danger and possibly a martyr’s death. The missionaries
went out two by two, as Jesus had sent His disciples.
 46 Love Under Fire

To reveal their mission would have ensured its defeat. Every

minister possessed a knowledge of some trade or profession, and the
missionaries carried out their work under cover of a secular trade,
usually as merchants or peddlers. “They carried silks, jewelry, and
other articles, ... and were welcomed as merchants where they would
have been spurned as missionaries.”2 They secretly carried copies of
the Bible, either the entire book or parts of it. Often they were able
to interest someone in reading God’s Word, and they left some part
with those who wanted it.
[34] With bare feet and clothes that were coarse and travel-stained,
these missionaries passed through great cities and even reached
distant lands. Churches sprang up in their path, and the blood of
martyrs witnessed for the truth. Veiled and silent, the Word of God
was meeting a glad welcome in many homes and hearts.
The Waldenses believed that the end of all things was not far
away. As they studied the Bible they were deeply impressed with
their duty to make its saving truths known to others. They found
comfort, hope, and peace in believing in Jesus. As the light made
their own hearts glad, they longed to spread its beams to those in the
darkness of Rome’s errors.
Under the guidance of pope and priest, most people were taught
to trust in their good works to save them. They were always look-
ing to themselves, their minds dwelling on their sinful condition,
afflicting soul and body, yet finding no relief. Thousands spent their
lives in convent cells. By frequent fasts and whippings, by midnight
vigils, by lying on cold, damp stones, by long pilgrimages—haunted
with the fear of God’s avenging wrath—many suffered on, until
exhausted nature gave way. Without one ray of hope they sank into
the grave.

Sinners Pointed to Christ

The Waldenses longed to bring these starving souls messages of
peace in the promises of God and to point them to Christ as their
only hope of salvation. They knew that the doctrine that good works
can atone for sin was based on falsehood. The merits of a crucified
and risen Savior are the foundation of the Christian faith. We must
2 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 1, chapter 7.
 Waldenses Defend the Faith 47

depend on Christ as closely as an arm is attached to the body or a

branch to the vine.
The teachings of popes and priests had led people to consider
God and even Christ as stern and frightful, with so little sympathy
that sinners must have the mediation of priests and saints. Those
whose minds had received the light longed to clear away the obstruc-
tions that Satan had piled up, so that people could come directly to
God, confess their sins, and find pardon and peace.

Invading the Kingdom of Satan

The Vaudois missionaries cautiously produced the carefully writ-
ten portions of the Holy Scriptures. The light of truth penetrated
many a darkened mind, until the Sun of Righteousness shone healing
beams into the heart. Often the hearer asked for some portion of
Scripture to be repeated, as if to be sure that he had heard it correctly.
Many saw how useless it is for human beings to mediate in behalf
of the sinner. With joy they exclaimed, “Christ is my priest; His
blood is my sacrifice; His altar is my confessional.” The flood of
light shining on them was so great that they seemed to be in heaven.
All fear of death was gone. They could now even look forward to
prison if that would honor their Redeemer.
In secret places the Waldenses brought out the Word of God and
read it, sometimes to a single soul, sometimes to a little company
longing for light. Often they spent the entire night in reading God’s [35]
Word to others. People often asked questions like, “Will God accept
my offering? Will He smile upon me? Will He pardon me?” They
heard the answer read from Scripture, “Come to Me, all you who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Those happy people returned to their homes to spread the light,
to repeat to others, as well as they could, their new experience. They
had found the true and living way! Scripture spoke to the hearts of
those who were longing for truth.
The Waldensian messenger of truth went on his way. In many
instances his hearers had not asked where he came from or where he
was going. They had been so overwhelmed that they had not thought
to question him. Now they asked each other, Could he have been an
angel from heaven?
 48 Love Under Fire

In many cases the messenger of truth had made his way to other
lands or was slowly dying in some dungeon, or perhaps his bones
were whitening where he had witnessed for the truth. But the words
he had left behind were doing their work.
The papal leaders saw danger from the work of these humble
travelers. The light of truth would sweep away the heavy clouds of
error that enveloped the people; it would direct minds to God alone
and eventually destroy the supremacy of Rome.
These people, holding the faith of the ancient church, were a
constant testimony to Rome’s apostasy and therefore were hated and
persecuted. Their refusal to give up the Scriptures was an offense
that Rome could not tolerate.

Rome Determines to Destroy the Waldenses

Now began the most terrible crusades against God’s people in
their mountain homes. Harsh investigators were put upon their track.
Again and again Rome’s forces ruined their fertile lands and swept
away their homes and chapels. No charge could be brought against
the moral character of these outlawed people. Their biggest offense
was that they would not worship God according to the will of the
pope. Because they were seen as guilty of this “crime,” every insult
and torture that men or devils could invent was heaped on them.
When Rome determined to exterminate the hated group, the
pope issued a bull [edict] condemning them as heretics and ordering
their slaughter (see Appendix). They were not accused as lazy,
or dishonest, or disorderly, but it was declared that they had an
appearance of piety and sanctity that seduced “the sheep of the true
fold.” This edict called all members of the church to join the crusade
against the heretics. As an incentive it “released all who joined the
crusade from any oaths they might have taken; it legitimated their
title to any property they might have illegally acquired, and promised
forgiveness of all their sins to those who would kill any heretic. It
cancelled all contracts made in favor of Vaudois, forbade all persons
to give them any aid whatever, and empowered all persons to take
possession of their property.”3 This document clearly reveals the
[36] roar of the dragon and not the voice of Christ. The same spirit that
3 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 16, chapter 1.
 Waldenses Defend the Faith 49

crucified Christ and killed the apostles, that moved the bloodthirsty
Nero against the faithful Christians in his day, was at work to rid the
earth of those who were beloved by God.
In spite of the crusades against them and the inhuman butchery
they suffered, this God-fearing people continued to send out mis-
sionaries to scatter the precious truth. They were hunted to the death,
yet their blood watered the seed they sowed, and it yielded fruit.
In this way the Waldenses witnessed for God centuries before
Luther. They planted the seeds of the Reformation that began in the
time of Wycliffe, grew broad and deep in the days of Luther, and is
to be carried forward to the close of time.
[37] Chapter 5—The Light Breaks in England

God had not allowed His Word to be totally destroyed. In differ-

ent countries of Europe the Spirit of God moved people to search
for truth as for hidden treasure. He guided them to the Holy Scrip-
tures, and they were willing to accept light at any cost to themselves.
Though they did not see everything clearly, the Spirit helped them
to grasp many long-buried truths.
The time had come for the Scriptures to be given to the people
in their own language. The world had passed its midnight. In many
lands, signs of the coming dawn appeared.
In the fourteenth century, the “morning star of the Reformation”
arose in England. John Wycliffe was noted at college for his fervent
spirituality as well as his sound scholarship. Educated in scholastic
philosophy, the laws of the church, and civil law, he was prepared
to take up the great struggle for civil and religious liberty. He had
acquired the intellectual discipline of the schools, and he understood
the tactics of the scholars. The extent and thoroughness of his
knowledge commanded the respect of both friends and foes. His
enemies were not able to discredit the cause of reform by exposing
the ignorance or weakness of its spokesman.
While Wycliffe was still at college, he began to study the Scrip-
tures. Before this, he had felt a great lack, which neither his scholas-
tic studies nor the teaching of the church could satisfy. In the Word
of God he found what he had been looking for. Here he saw Christ
presented as our only advocate. He determined to proclaim the truths
he had discovered.
When he began his work, Wycliffe did not set himself in op-
position to Rome. But the more clearly he recognized the errors
of the papacy, the more earnestly he presented the teaching of the
Bible. He saw that Rome had abandoned the Word of God for human
tradition. He fearlessly accused the priesthood of having banished
the Scriptures, and he demanded that the Bible be restored to the
people and that its authority be established in the church again. He
50
 Light Breaks in England 51

was a skilled and eloquent preacher, and his daily life demonstrated
the truths he preached. His knowledge of the Scriptures, the purity
of his life, and his courage and integrity won widespread respect.
Many saw the evils in the Roman Church. They welcomed with
unconcealed joy the truths Wycliffe brought to view. But the papal
leaders were filled with rage; this Reformer was gaining an influence [38]
greater than their own.

A Sharp Detector of Error

Wycliffe was a sharp detector of error and struck fearlessly
against abuses that Rome approved. While chaplain for the king, he
took a bold stand against payment of tribute that the pope claimed
from the English king. Papal claims of authority over secular rulers
were contrary to both reason and revelation. The demands of the
pope had stirred up resentment, and Wycliffe’s teachings influenced
the leading minds of the nation. The king and the nobles united in
refusing to pay the tribute.
Begging friars swarmed over England, eroding the greatness
and prosperity of the nation. The monks’ lives of idleness and
beggary were not only a drain on the resources of the people, they
brought contempt on useful labor. Youth were demoralized and
corrupted. Many were persuaded to devote themselves to a monastic
life not only without the consent of their parents, but even without
their knowledge and against their commands. By this “monstrous
inhumanity,” as Luther later called it, “savoring more of the wolf and
the tyrant than of the Christian and the man,” the hearts of children
were steeled against their parents.1
The monks deceived even students in the universities and got
them to join their orders. Once caught in the snare, it was impos-
sible to break free. Many parents refused to send their sons to the
universities. The schools declined, and ignorance prevailed.
The pope had empowered these monks to hear confessions and
grant pardon—a source of great evil. The friars, eager for money,
were so ready to grant forgiveness that criminals turned to them, and
the worst vices rapidly increased. Gifts that should have helped the
sick and the poor went to the monks. The wealth of the friars was
1 Barnas Sears, The Life of Luther, pages 70, 69.
 52 Love Under Fire

constantly increasing, and their magnificent buildings and luxurious

tables made the growing poverty of the nation more obvious. Yet the
friars continued to keep their hold on the superstitious people and led
them to believe that all religious duty consisted of acknowledging
the supremacy of the pope, adoring the saints, and making gifts to
the monks. This was enough to secure a place in heaven!
Wycliffe, with clear insight, struck at the root of the evil, declar-
ing that the system itself was false and should be abolished. His
efforts awakened discussion and inquiry. Many began to question
whether they should not seek pardon from God rather than from the
pope of Rome (see Appendix). “The monks and priests of Rome,”
they said, “are eating us away like a cancer. God must deliver us,
or the people will perish.”2 Begging monks claimed they were fol-
lowing the Savior’s example, saying that Jesus and His disciples had
been supported by the gifts of the people. This claim led many to
the Bible to learn the truth for themselves.
Wycliffe began to write and publish tracts against the friars, to
call the people to the teachings of the Bible and its Author. There
[39] was no more effective way that he could have used to overthrow that
mammoth system that the pope had erected, in which millions were
held captive.
To defend the rights of the English crown against the encroach-
ments of Rome, Wycliffe was appointed a royal ambassador to
the Netherlands. Here he came into contact with churchmen from
France, Italy, and Spain, and had opportunity to look behind the
scenes and learn many things that had been hidden from him in
England. In these representatives from the papal court he read the
true character of the church’s leadership. He returned to England
to repeat his earlier teachings with greater zeal, declaring that pride
and deception were the gods of Rome.
After Wycliffe returned to England, the king appointed him to
the rectory of Lutterworth. This assured him that his plain speaking
had not displeased the king. Wycliffe’s influence helped to mold the
belief of the nation.
2 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
17, chapter 7.
 Light Breaks in England 53

The pope was soon hurling thunders against him, dispatching

three edicts (“bulls”) that commanded immediate action to silence
the teacher of “heresy.”3
The arrival of the papal bulls put all England under a command
to imprison the heretic (see Appendix). It appeared certain that
Wycliffe must soon fall to Rome’s vengeance. But the same God
who declared to Abram, “Do not be afraid.... I am your shield”
(Genesis 15:1), stretched out His hand to protect His servant. Death
came, not to the Reformer, but to the pope who had ordered his
destruction.
The death of Gregory XI was followed by the election of two
rival popes (see Appendix). Each called for the faithful to make war
on the other, enforcing his demands by terrible curses against his
enemies and promises of rewards in heaven for his supporters. The
rival factions had all they could do to attack each other, and for a
while Wycliffe had rest.
This division, with all the strife and corruption it caused, pre-
pared the way for the Reformation by letting people see what the
papacy really was. Wycliffe called the people to consider whether
these two popes were not speaking the truth in condemning each
other as the antichrist.
Determined to have the light carried to every part of England,
Wycliffe organized a group of preachers—simple, devout men who
loved the truth and wanted to spread it. These men, teaching in
market places, in the streets of the great cities, and in country lanes,
went looking for the old, the sick, and the poor, and opened to them
the good news of God’s grace.
At Oxford, Wycliffe preached the Word of God at the university.
He received the title of “the Gospel Doctor.” But the greatest work
of his life was to be the translation of the Scriptures into English, so
that everyone in England could read the wonderful works of God.

Attacked by Dangerous Illness

But suddenly his labors came to a stop. Though he was not yet
sixty, constant work, study, and the attacks of enemies had sapped
3 Augustus Neander, General History of the Christian Religion and Church, period 6,
section 2, part 1, paragraph 8. See also Appendix.
 54 Love Under Fire

his strength and made him prematurely old. He was struck with a
[40] dangerous illness. The friars thought he would repent of the evil he
had done the church, and they hurried to his room to listen to his
confession. “You have death on your lips,” they said. “Be touched
by your faults, and retract in our presence all that you have said
against us.”
The Reformer listened in silence. Then he asked his attendant to
raise him in his bed. Gazing steadily on them, he said in the firm,
strong voice that had so often made them tremble, “I shall not die,
but live; and again declare the evil deeds of the friars.”4 Astonished
and humiliated, the monks hurried from the room.
Wycliffe lived to give his countrymen the most powerful of all
weapons against Rome—the Bible, the Heaven-appointed agent
to liberate, enlighten, and evangelize the people. Wycliffe knew
that he had only a few years left to work. He saw the opposition
he must meet, but encouraged by the promises of God’s Word, he
went forward. In the full strength of his intellectual powers, rich in
experience, he had been prepared by God’s hand for this, the greatest
of his labors. In his parsonage at Lutterworth, paying no attention to
the storm that raged around him, the Reformer applied himself to
his chosen task.
Finally the work was completed—the first English translation of
the Bible. Wycliffe had placed in the hands of the English people
a light that would never be put out. He had done more to break the
chains of ignorance and to liberate and elevate his country than any
victory on the battlefield ever achieved.
Copies of the Bible could only be made by tiresome labor. So
many people wanted to have the book that copyists could scarcely
keep up with the demand. Wealthy purchasers wanted the whole
Bible. Others bought only a portion. In many cases, families joined
together to buy a copy. Wycliffe’s Bible soon found its way to the
homes of the people.
Wycliffe now taught the distinctive doctrines of Protestantism—
salvation through faith in Christ and that the Bible alone is infallible.
Nearly one half of the people of England accepted the new faith.
4 D’Aubigné, book 17, chapter 7.
 Light Breaks in England 55

Church authorities were dismayed to find the Scriptures avail-

able. At this time there was no law in England prohibiting the
Bible, since it had never before been published in the language of
the people. Later, such laws were enacted and rigorously enforced.
Again Rome’s leaders plotted to silence the Reformer’s voice.
First, a synod of bishops declared his writings heretical. They won
the young king, Richard II, to their side and obtained a royal decree
condemning to prison all who held the condemned doctrines.
Wycliffe appealed the synod’s decision to Parliament. He fear-
lessly accused the hierarchy before the national council and de-
manded reform of the enormous abuses that the church approved.
His enemies were brought to confusion. Everyone had expected that
the Reformer, in his old age, alone and friendless, would yield to
the authority of the crown. But instead, Parliament was moved by
Wycliffe’s stirring appeals. It repealed the persecuting edict, and the
Reformer was free again.
He was brought to trial a third time, and now it was before the [41]
highest church court in the kingdom. Here at last the Reformer’s
work would be stopped, the pope’s followers thought. If they could
accomplish their aim, Wycliffe would leave the court only for the
flames.

Wycliffe Refuses to Retract

But Wycliffe did not retract. He fearlessly defended his teachings
and repelled the accusations of his persecutors. He summoned his
hearers before the divine court and weighed their false reasonings
and deceptions in the balances of eternal truth. The power of the
Holy Spirit came over the hearers. The Reformer’s words pierced
their hearts like arrows from the Lord’s quiver. He threw back on
them the charge of heresy that they had brought against him.
“With whom do you think you are dealing?” he said. “With an
old man on the brink of the grave? No! with Truth—Truth that is
stronger than you and will overcome you.”5 After saying this, he left
the hall, and not one of his opponents tried to prevent him.
Wycliffe’s work was almost done, but once more he was to bear
witness for the gospel. He was summoned for trial before the papal
5 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 2, chapter 13.
 56 Love Under Fire

court at Rome, which had so often shed the blood of God’s people.
A stroke made it impossible for him to go. But though he could not
personally be heard at Rome, he could speak by letter. The Reformer
wrote the pope a letter that was respectful and Christian in spirit but
was a sharp rebuke to the papacy’s pomp and pride.
Wycliffe demonstrated the meekness and humility of Christ to
the pope and his cardinals, showing not only them but all Christen-
dom the contrast between those leaders and the Master whom they
claimed to represent.
Wycliffe fully expected that he would pay for his fidelity with
his life. The king, the pope, and the bishops were united to destroy
him, and it seemed certain that in a few months at most he would be
burned at the stake. But his courage was unshaken.
Having stood boldly his whole life in defense of the truth,
Wycliffe would not fall a victim of the hatred of its enemies. The
Lord had been his protector, and now, when Wycliffe’s opponents
felt sure that he was in their grasp, God’s hand removed him beyond
their reach. In his church at Lutterworth, as he was about to serve
the communion, he had a stroke and in a short time died.

First Spokesman of a New Era

God had put the word of truth in Wycliffe’s mouth and had pro-
tected his life and prolonged his work until he had laid a foundation
for the Reformation. There was no one before Wycliffe whose
work could help him shape his system of reform. He was the first
spokesman of a new era. Yet in the truth he presented there was a
unity and completeness that later Reformers did not exceed and that
some did not reach. The framework was so firm and true that those
who followed him did not need to redo it.
The great movement that Wycliffe began—to set free the nations
[42] so long tied to Rome—had its origin in the Bible. Here was the
source of the stream of blessing that has flowed down the ages
since the fourteenth century. Though Wycliffe had been educated to
consider Rome the infallible authority and to accept her thousand-
year-old teachings and customs with unquestioning reverence, he
turned away from all these to listen to God’s Holy Word. He declared
that the only true authority was not the church speaking through
 Light Breaks in England 57

the pope, but the voice of God speaking through His Word. And he
taught that the Holy Spirit is its only interpreter.
Wycliffe was one of the greatest of the Reformers. Few who
came after him equaled him. Purity of life, constant diligence in
study and labor, incorruptible integrity, and Christlike love charac-
terized the first of the Reformers.
It was the Bible that made him what he was. The study of the
Bible will make noble every thought, feeling, and ambition as no
other study can. It gives firmness of purpose, courage, and strength.
An earnest, reverent study of the Scriptures would give the world
people of stronger intellect and of nobler principle than has ever
resulted from the best training available from human philosophy.
Wycliffe’s followers, known as Wycliffites and Lollards, scat-
tered to other lands and carried the gospel with them. Now that their
leader was gone, the preachers worked with even more zeal than
before. Many people flocked to listen. Some of the nobility, and
even the wife of the king, were among the converts. In many places
the people removed Rome’s idolatrous symbols from the churches.
But soon relentless persecution burst on those who had dared to
accept the Bible as their guide. For the first time in the history of
England, the law condemned the disciples of the gospel to the stake.
Martyrdom followed martyrdom. Those who preached the truth
were hunted as enemies of the church and traitors to the kingdom,
yet they continued to preach in secret places. They found shelter in
the humble homes of the poor and often hid even in dens and caves.
A calm, patient protest against the corruption of religious faith
continued for centuries. The Christians of that early time had learned
to love God’s Word and patiently suffered for its sake. Many sacri-
ficed their earthly possessions for Christ. Those who were allowed to
live in their homes gladly sheltered their banished fellow believers.
Then when they too were driven out, they cheerfully accepted the
role of the outcast. Many bore fearless testimony to the truth in
dungeon cells and in torture and flames, rejoicing that they were
counted worthy to know “the fellowship of his sufferings.”
The hatred of the pope’s advocates could not be satisfied while
Wycliffe’s body rested in the grave. More than forty years after
his death, they dug up his bones. They then burned them publicly
and threw the ashes into a nearby brook. “This brook,” says an old
 58 Love Under Fire

writer, “conveyed his ashes into the Avon River, the Avon into the
Severn, the Severn into the narrow seas, and the seas into the main
[43] ocean. And so the ashes of Wycliffe are a symbol of his doctrine,
which now is dispersed all over the world.”6
Through the writings of Wycliffe, John Huss of Bohemia came
to renounce many of the Catholic Church’s errors. From Bohemia
the work went out to other lands. A divine hand was preparing the
way for the Great Reformation.

6 Thomas Fuller, Church History of Britain, book 4, section 2, paragraph 54.

 Chapter 6—Two Heroes Face Death [44]

As early as the ninth century the people of Bohemia* had the

Bible in their language and conducted public worship in their lan-
guage. But Gregory VII was intent on enslaving the people, and the
papacy issued an edict forbidding public worship in the Bohemian
tongue. The pope declared that “it was pleasing to God that His
worship be celebrated in an unknown language.”1 But Heaven had
provided agencies to preserve the church. Many Waldenses and
Albigenses, driven by persecution, came to Bohemia. They worked
earnestly in secret. In this way they preserved the true faith.
Before the days of Huss there were people in Bohemia who
condemned the corruption in the church. This stirred the fears of
the hierarchy, and they began to persecute those who taught the
gospel. After a time there was a decree that all who strayed from
Rome’s way of worship would be burned. But the Christians looked
forward to the victory of their cause. As he died, one of them
declared, “Someone will arise from among the common people,
without sword or authority, and they will not be able to prevail
against him.”2 Already there was one coming to prominence, whose
testimony against Rome would stir the nations.
John Huss was born into a humble home. The death of his
father left him an orphan at an early age. His pious mother, who
believed that education and the fear of God were the most valuable
possessions, made efforts to provide this heritage for her son. Huss
studied at the provincial school, then left for the university at Prague,
where he was admitted as a charity scholar.
At the university, Huss soon drew attention by his rapid progress.
His gentle, winning conduct made everyone admire him. He was
a sincere follower of the Roman Church who sought earnestly for
the spiritual blessings it claims to give. After completing his college
* Now part of the Czech Republic.
1 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 3, chapter 1.
2 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 3, chapter 1.

59
 60 Love Under Fire

course, he entered the priesthood. Quickly gaining prominence, he

became attached to the court of the king. He was also made professor
and later rector [dean] of the university. The humble charity scholar
had become the pride of his country, his name honored throughout
Europe.
Jerome, who later became associated with Huss, had brought
[45] with him from England the writings of Wycliffe. The queen of
England, a convert to Wycliffe’s teachings, was a Bohemian princess.
Through her influence the Reformer’s works circulated widely in her
native country. Huss was inclined to look favorably on Wycliffe’s
reforms. Already, though he did not know it, he had started on a
path that would lead him far away from Rome.

Two Pictures Impress Huss

About this time, two strangers from England, men of learning,
had received the light and had come to spread it in Prague. They
were soon silenced, but because they were unwilling to give up
their plans, they resorted to other measures. Being artists as well as
preachers, they drew two pictures in a place where the public could
see them. One represented Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, “lowly, and
sitting on a donkey” (Matthew 21:5) and followed by His disciples
in travel-worn clothes and bare feet. The other picture showed a
high church procession—the pope in his rich robes and triple crown,
riding on a magnificently decorated horse, with trumpeters in front
of him and cardinals and officials following in dazzling array.
Crowds came to gaze at the drawings. No one could miss the
moral. A great commotion arose in Prague, and the strangers found
it necessary to leave. But the pictures made a deep impression on
Huss and led him to a closer study of the Bible and of Wycliffe’s
writings.
Though he was not ready yet to accept all the reforms that
Wycliffe advocated, he saw the true character of the papacy, and he
denounced the pride, ambition, and corruption of the hierarchy.
 Two Heroes Face Death 61

Prague Placed Under Censure

News about these things reached Rome, and Huss was ordered
to appear before the pope. To obey would bring certain death. The
king and queen of Bohemia, the university, members of the nobility,
and officers of the government united in appealing to the pontiff
to allow Huss to remain at Prague and answer by a representative.
Instead, the pope proceeded to put Huss on trial and condemn him,
and he declared the city of Prague under interdict.*
In that age this sentence caused great alarm. The people thought
the pope was the representative of God, holding the keys of heaven
and hell and possessing power to bring God’s judgment on them.
They believed that until the pope removed the ban, the dead were
shut out from heaven. All religious services were suspended. The
churches were closed. Marriages were performed outside in the
churchyard. The dead were buried in ditches or fields without funer-
als.
Prague was filled with commotion. Many people denounced
Huss and demanded that he be given up to Rome. To quiet the storm,
the Reformer went away for a time to his home village. He did not
stop his work, but traveled through the country preaching to eager
crowds. When the excitement in Prague died down, Huss returned
to continue preaching the Word of God. His enemies were powerful, [46]
but the queen and many nobles were his friends, and great numbers
of the people sided with him.
Huss had stood alone in his work. Now Jerome joined in the
reform. From then on the lives of the two were united, and in
death they were not to be divided. In those qualities that make for
real strength of character, Huss was the greater. Jerome, with true
humility, recognized his worth and yielded to his counsels. Under
their labors together, the reform spread rapidly.
God permitted great light to shine on the minds of these chosen
men, revealing to them many of Rome’s errors, but they did not
receive all the light that God had for the world. God was leading the
people out of the darkness of Romanism, and He led them on, step
by step, as they could bear it. Like the full glory of the noonday sun
* Interdict:
A Roman Catholic ecclesiastical censure, withdrawing most sacraments
and Christian burial from a person or district.
 62 Love Under Fire

to those who have been in the dark a long time, all the light would
have caused them to turn away. So God revealed it little by little, as
the people could receive it.
The split in the church continued. Three popes were now com-
peting for supremacy. Their strife filled the whole Christian world
with confusion. Not content with hurling condemnation at each
other, each set about to buy weapons and obtain soldiers. Of course
they needed money for this. To get it, they offered the gifts, offices,
and blessing of the church for sale. (See Appendix.)
With increasing boldness Huss thundered against the terrible
abuses that were tolerated in the name of religion. The people
openly accused Rome as the cause of the miseries that overwhelmed
the Christian world.
Again Prague seemed on the edge of a bloody war. As in past
ages, God’s servant was accused of being the “troubler of Israel” (1
Kings 18:17). Rome again placed the city under interdict, and Huss
left for his native village. He was to speak from a wider platform, to
all Christianity, before laying down his life as a witness for truth.
A general council was called to meet at Constance [in south-
western Germany]. The emperor Sigismund wanted to have such
a council, so one of the three rival popes, John XXIII, called it.
Pope John, whose character and policy would not look good under
investigation, dared not oppose Sigismund’s will. (See Appendix.)
The main things to be accomplished were to heal the split in the
church and to root out “heresy.” The two antipopes were summoned
to appear, as well as John Huss. The rival popes were represented
by their delegates. Pope John came with many misgivings. He was
afraid he would have to answer for his vices that had disgraced the
papal crown as well as for the crimes he had committed to secure it.
Yet he made his entry into the city of Constance with great pomp,
accompanied by high church officials and a procession of other at-
tendants. Above his head was a golden canopy, held by four of the
chief magistrates. The communion wafer for the mass was carried
before him, and the rich dress of the cardinals and nobles made an
impressive display.
[47] Meanwhile another traveler was approaching Constance. Huss
said goodbye to his friends as if he would never see them again,
feeling that his journey was leading him to the stake. He had obtained
 Two Heroes Face Death 63

a safe-conduct from the king of Bohemia and one also from Emperor
Sigismund. But he made all his arrangements with the fact in mind
that he would probably die.

Safe Conduct From the King

In a letter to his friends he said: “My brethren, ... I am departing
with a safe-conduct from the king to meet my many mortal ene-
mies.... Jesus Christ suffered for His well-beloved; and therefore
should we be astonished that He has left us His example? ... There-
fore, beloved, if my death will contribute to His glory, pray that
it may come quickly, and that He may enable me to bear all my
calamities faithfully.... Let us pray to God ... that I may not suppress
one speck of the truth of the gospel, in order to leave my brethren
an excellent example to follow.”3
In another letter, Huss spoke with humility of his own errors,
accusing himself “of having felt pleasure in wearing rich clothing
and of having wasted hours on trivial things.” He then added, “May
the glory of God and the salvation of souls occupy your mind, and
not the possession of wealth and property. Beware of adorning your
house more than your soul; and, above all, pay attention to spiritual
things. Be pious and humble with the poor, and don’t spend your
resources on feasting.”4
At Constance, Huss was given full liberty. He received not
only the emperor’s safe-conduct, but also a personal assurance of
protection by the pope. But in spite of these repeated declarations, in
a short time the Reformer was arrested on orders from the pope and
cardinals and thrown into a miserable dungeon. Later he was taken
to a strong castle across the Rhine to be kept as a prisoner. Soon
after, the pope himself was committed to the same prison.5 He had
been proven guilty of the lowest crimes, besides murder, simony,*
and adultery, “sins not fit to be named.” He was finally deprived of
3 François P. E. B. de Bonnechose, The Reformers Before the Reformation, volume
1, pages 147, 148.
4 François P. E. B. de Bonnechose, The Reformers Before the Reformation, volume

1, pages 148, 149.

5 François P. E. B. de Bonnechose, The Reformers Before the Reformation, volume

1, page 247.
* Simony: Selling high positions in the church for money.
 64 Love Under Fire

the crown. The antipopes also were deposed, and a new pontiff was
chosen.
Though the pope himself had been guilty of greater crimes than
those with which Huss had charged the priests, yet the same council
that removed the pontiff went on to crush the Reformer. The im-
prisonment of Huss stirred up great resentment in Bohemia. The
emperor, who did not want to violate a safe-conduct, opposed the
proceedings against Huss. But the Reformer’s enemies argued that
“faith should not be kept with heretics, nor persons suspected of
heresy, even when they are given safe-conducts from the emperor
and kings.”6
Weak from illness—the damp dungeon brought on a fever that
nearly ended his life—Huss was finally brought before the council.
[48] Loaded with chains he stood in the presence of the emperor, who had
pledged to protect him. He firmly presented the truth and solemnly
protested against the corruptions of the hierarchy. When the council
required him to choose whether he would recant his doctrines or be
put to death, he accepted the martyr’s fate.
The grace of God sustained him. During the weeks of suffering
before his final sentence, heaven’s peace filled his soul. “I write
this letter,” he said to a friend, “in my prison, and with my chained
hand, expecting my sentence of death tomorrow.... When, with the
assistance of Jesus Christ, we meet again in the delicious peace of
the future life, you will learn how merciful God has been toward me,
how well He has supported me in my temptations and trials.”7

Triumph Foreseen
In his dungeon he could see that the true faith would triumph
in the future. In his dreams he saw the pope and bishops leaving
no trace of the pictures of Christ that he had painted on the walls of
the chapel at Prague. “This vision distressed him: but on the next
day he saw many painters occupied in restoring these pictures in
greater number and in brighter colors.... The painters, ... surrounded
by an immense crowd, exclaimed, ‘Now let the popes and bishops
come; they will never remove them again!’” The Reformer said,
6 Jacques Lenfant, History of the Council of Constance, volume 1, page 516.
7 Bonnechose, volume 2, page 67.
 Two Heroes Face Death 65

“The image of Christ will never be erased. They wanted to destroy

it, but it will be painted afresh in all hearts by much better preachers
than myself.”8
For the last time, Huss was brought before the council, a huge and
brilliant assembly—emperor, princes of the empire, royal deputies,
cardinals, bishops, priests, and an immense crowd. When those
presiding asked him for his final decision, Huss refused to renounce
his views. Looking intently at the monarch who had so shamelessly
violated his pledged word, he declared, “I decided, of my own free
will, to appear before this council, under the public protection and
faith of the emperor here present.”9 A deep blush reddened the face
of Sigismund as all eyes turned to him.
After sentence was pronounced, the ceremony of degradation
began. Again urged to retract, Huss replied, turning toward the
people: “With what face, then, could I look to heaven? How should
I look on those multitudes of people to whom I have preached the
pure gospel? No; I consider their salvation more valuable than this
poor body, now condemned to death.” Huss’s priestly vestments
were removed one by one, each bishop pronouncing a curse as he
performed his part of the ceremony. Finally, “they put on his head
a cap or pyramid-shaped miter of paper, on which were painted
frightful figures of demons, with the word ‘Archheretic’ prominent
in front. ‘Most joyfully,’ Huss said, ‘will I wear this crown of shame
for Your sake, O Jesus, who wore a crown of thorns for me.’”10

Huss Dies at the Stake

Huss was now led away. An immense procession followed.
When everything was ready for the fire to be lighted, the martyr was
urged once more to save himself by renouncing his errors. “What [49]
errors shall I renounce?” said Huss. “I know that I am guilty of none.
I call God to witness that everything I have written and preached
has been for the purpose of rescuing souls from sin and destruction.
8 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
1, chapter 6.
9 Bonnechose, volume 2, page 84.
10 Wylie, book 3, chapter 7.
66 Love Under Fire

Therefore, most joyfully will I confirm with my blood the truth that
I have written and preached.”11
When the flames started to burn around him, he began to sing,
“Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me,” and continued to
sing till his voice was silenced forever. A zealous Catholic described
the martyrdom of Huss, and of Jerome, who died soon after, this
way: “They prepared for the fire as if they were going to a marriage
feast. They uttered no cry of pain. When the flames rose, they began
to sing hymns, and the intensity of the fire could scarcely stop their
singing.”12
When the body of Huss had been consumed, his ashes were
gathered up and thrown into the Rhine and were carried onward to
the ocean to be like seed scattered in all the countries of the world.
In lands unknown at the time, it would later yield abundant fruit in
witnesses for the truth. The voice in the council hall of Constance
echoed through all the coming ages. His example would encourage
a great many others to stand firm in the face of torture and death. His
execution had shown to the world the treacherous cruelty of Rome.
The enemies of truth had been helping the cause they were trying to
destroy!
Yet the blood of still another witness must testify for the truth.
Jerome had urged Huss to be courageous and firm, saying that if
Huss fell into danger, he would rush to his aid. When he heard of
the Reformer’s imprisonment, the faithful disciple prepared to fulfill
his promise. Without a safe-conduct he set out for Constance. On
arriving, he became convinced that he had only exposed himself to
danger without the possibility of doing anything for Huss. He fled
but was arrested and brought back, loaded with chains. At his first
appearance before the council his attempts to reply were met with
shouts, “To the flames with him!”13 He was thrown into a dungeon
and fed on bread and water. The cruelties of his imprisonment made
him sick and threatened his life. His enemies, fearing he might
escape them, treated him less harshly, though he remained in prison
one year.
11 Wylie,book 3, chapter 7.
12 Wylie,book 3, chapter 7.
13 Bonnechose, volume 1, page 234.
 Two Heroes Face Death 67

Jerome Submits to the Council

The violation of Huss’s safe-conduct had created a storm of
anger. So the council decided that, instead of burning Jerome, they
would force him to retract. He was offered the choice to recant or to
die at the stake. Weakened by illness, by the harshness of prison, and
by the torture of anxiety and suspense, separated from friends, and
crushed by the death of Huss, Jerome gave in. He pledged himself
to cling to the Catholic faith and accepted the action of the council
in condemning Wycliffe and Huss, except, however, for the “holy
truths”14 they had taught.
But alone in his dungeon, he saw clearly what he had done.
He thought of the courage and faithfulness of Huss and pondered
his own denial of the truth. He thought of the divine Master who [50]
endured the cross for his sake. Before his retraction, even in his
sufferings he had found comfort in the assurance of God’s favor.
Now remorse and doubt tortured his soul. He knew that he would
have to make many other retractions before he could be at peace
with Rome. The path upon which he was starting down could only
end in complete apostasy.

Jerome Finds Repentance and New Courage

Soon he was brought before the council again. His submission
had not satisfied the judges. Only by complete surrender of truth
could Jerome preserve his life. But he had decided to proclaim his
faith and follow his brother martyr to the flames.
He renounced his earlier recanting and, as a dying man, solemnly
claimed the right to make his defense. The church officials in-
sisted that he simply affirm or deny the charges brought against him.
Jerome protested against such cruel injustice. “You have held me
shut up three hundred and forty days in a frightful prison,” he said.
“You then bring me out before you, and listening to my mortal ene-
mies, you refuse to hear me.... Be careful not to sin against justice.
As for me, I am only a feeble mortal; my life is of little importance;
14 Bonnechose, volume 2, page 141.
 68 Love Under Fire

and when I urge you not to deliver an unjust sentence, I speak less
for myself than for you.”15
His request was finally granted. In the presence of his judges,
Jerome knelt down and prayed that the divine Spirit would control his
thoughts so that he would say nothing contrary to truth or unworthy
of his Master. That day the promise was fulfilled to him, “When
they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should
speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you shall speak;
for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks
in you” (Matthew 10:19, 20).
For a whole year Jerome had been in a dungeon, unable to read or
even see. Yet he presented his arguments with as much clearness and
power as if he had had undisturbed opportunity for study. He pointed
his hearers to the long line of holy men condemned by unjust judges.
In almost every generation those seeking to elevate the people of
their time had been cast out. Christ Himself was condemned as a
felon at an unrighteous trial.
Jerome now stated his repentance and testified to the innocence
and holiness of the martyr Huss. “I knew him from his childhood,”
he said. “He was a most excellent man, just and holy; he was
condemned, even though he was innocent.... I am ready to die. I
will not turn away in the face of the torments that my enemies and
false witnesses have prepared for me. One day they will have to give
an account for their deceptions before the great God, whom nothing
can deceive.”
Jerome continued: “Of all the sins that I have committed since
my youth, none weigh so heavily on my mind and cause me such
keen remorse as the one I committed in this fatal place, when I
approved of the evil sentence rendered against Wycliffe, and against
the holy martyr, John Huss, my teacher and my friend. Yes! I
[51] confess it from my heart and declare with horror that I disgracefully
gave in to fear when, through a dread of death, I condemned their
doctrines. I therefore beg ... Almighty God to stoop to pardon me
my sins, and this one in particular, the most terrible of all.”
15 Bonnechose, volume 2, pages 146, 147.
 Two Heroes Face Death 69

Pointing to his judges, he said firmly, “You condemned Wycliffe

and John Huss.... The things that they affirmed, and which are
irrefutable, I also think and declare, like them.”
His words were interrupted. The church officials, trembling with
rage, cried out: “What need is there of further proof? We see with
our own eyes the most stubborn of heretics!”
Unmoved by this storm, Jerome exclaimed: “What! do you
suppose that I am afraid to die? You have held me for a whole year
in a frightful dungeon, more horrible than death itself.... I cannot
help expressing my astonishment at such inhuman treatment toward
a Christian.”16

Assigned to Prison and Death

Again the storm of rage burst out, and Jerome was hurried away
to prison. Yet his words had made a deep impression on some, and
they wanted to save his life. These dignitaries visited him and urged
him to submit to the council. They presented bright prospects as
reward.
“Prove to me from the Holy Writings that I am in error,” he said,
“and I will renounce it.”
“The Holy Writings!” exclaimed one of his tempters. “Is every-
thing then to be judged by them? Who can understand them till the
church has interpreted them?”
“Are the traditions of men more worthy of faith than the gospel
of our Savior?” Jerome replied.
“Heretic!” was the response. “I repent having pleaded so long
with you. I see that you are urged on by the devil.”17
Before long Jerome was led out to the same spot on which Huss
had yielded up his life. He went singing on his way, his face lighted
up with joy and peace. To him death had lost its terrors. When
the executioner stepped behind him to light the wood, the martyr
exclaimed, “Apply the fire before my face. If I had been afraid, I
would not be here.”
His last words were a prayer: “Lord, Almighty Father, have pity
on me, and pardon me my sins, for You know that I have always
16 Bonnechose, volume 2, pages 151, 153.
17 Wylie, book 3, chapter 10.
 70 Love Under Fire

loved Your truth.”18 The ashes of the martyr were gathered up and,
like those of Huss, thrown into the Rhine. So perished God’s faithful
light-bearers.
The execution of Huss had lit a flame of indignation and horror
in Bohemia. The whole nation declared that he had been a faithful
teacher of the truth. The people accused the council of murder.
Huss’s doctrines attracted greater attention than before, and many
came to accept the reformed faith. The pope and the emperor united
to crush the movement, and the armies of Sigismund were hurled
against Bohemia.
But God raised up a deliverer. Ziska, one of the ablest generals
of his age, was the leader of the Bohemians. Trusting in the help
of God, the Bohemian people withstood the mightiest armies that
[52] could be brought against them. Again and again the emperor invaded
Bohemia, only to be repulsed. The Hussites rose above the fear of
death, and nothing could stand against them. The brave Ziska died,
but his place was filled by Procopius, who in some respects was a
more capable leader.
The pope proclaimed a crusade against the Hussites. An im-
mense force descended on Bohemia, only to suffer terrible defeat.
Another crusade was called. In all the papal countries of Europe
men, money, and munitions of war were raised. Great numbers
flocked to the papal banner.
The vast force entered Bohemia. The people rallied to repel
them. The two armies approached each other until only a river lay
between them. “The crusaders had the greatly superior force, but
instead of dashing across the stream and engaging in battle with
the Hussites whom they had come so far to meet, they stood gazing
silently at those warriors.”19
Suddenly a mysterious terror fell on the army. Without striking a
blow, that mighty force broke and scattered as if dispelled by an un-
seen power. The Hussite army pursued them, and immense plunder
fell into the hands of the victors. The war, instead of impoverishing
the Bohemians, enriched them.
18 Bonnechose, volume 2, page 168.
19 Wylie, book 3, chapter 17.
 Two Heroes Face Death 71

A few years later, under a new pope, still another crusade was
launched. A vast army entered Bohemia. The Hussite forces fell
back before them, drawing the invaders farther into the country,
leading them to think they had already won the victory.
At last the army of Procopius advanced to give them battle. As
the invaders heard the sound of the approaching force, even before
the Hussites were in sight, a panic again fell on them. Princes,
generals, and common soldiers fled in all directions, throwing away
their armor. Their defeat was complete, and again an immense
amount of plunder fell into the hands of the victors.
So for the second time a great army of warlike men, trained for
battle, fled without a blow before the defenders of a small and feeble
nation. The invaders were struck with a supernatural terror. The
same God who scattered the armies of Midian before Gideon and his
three hundred had again stretched out His hand (see Judges 7:19-25;
Psalm 53:5).

Betrayed by Diplomacy
The papal leaders finally resorted to diplomacy. They struck a
compromise with the Bohemians that betrayed them into the power
of Rome. The Bohemians had specified four points as the condition
of peace with Rome: (1) the free preaching of the Bible; (2) the
right of the whole church to both the bread and the wine in the
communion and the use of the mother tongue in divine worship; (3)
the exclusion of the clergy from all secular offices and authority;
and, (4) in cases of crime, the jurisdiction of the civil courts over
clergy and laity alike. The papal authorities agreed to accept the four
articles but said “that the right of explaining them ... should belong
to the council—in other words, to the pope and the emperor.”20 So
they signed a treaty, and Rome gained by deceit and fraud what she [53]
had failed to gain by conflict. Placing her own interpretation on
the Hussite articles, as she had on the Bible, she could twist their
meaning to suit her purposes.
Many people in Bohemia could not consent to the treaty, recog-
nizing that it betrayed their liberties. Disagreements arose, leading to
20 Wylie, book 3, chapter 18.
72 Love Under Fire

strife among themselves. The noble Procopius fell, and the liberties
of Bohemia died.
Again foreign armies invaded Bohemia, and those who remained
faithful to the gospel met with bloody persecution. Yet their firmness
was unshaken. Forced to find refuge in caves, they still met to read
God’s Word and unite in His worship. Through messengers secretly
sent to different countries they learned “that amid the mountains
of the Alps was an ancient church, resting on the foundations of
Scripture and protesting against the idol-worshiping corruptions
of Rome.”21 With great joy, they opened correspondence with the
Waldensian Christians.
Faithful to the gospel, the Bohemians waited through the night
of their persecution. In the darkest hour they still turned their eyes
toward the horizon like people watching for the morning.

21 Wylie, book 3, chapter 19.

 Chapter 7—Luther, a Man for His Time [54]

Among those called to lead the church from Rome’s darkness

into the light of a purer faith, Martin Luther is chief. Having no fear
but the fear of God, and acknowledging no foundation for faith but
the Holy Scriptures, Luther was the man for his time.
Luther spent his early years in the humble home of a German
peasant. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but God intended
to make him a builder in the great temple that was rising slowly
through the centuries. Hardship, poverty, and severe discipline were
the school in which Infinite Wisdom prepared Luther for his life
mission.
Luther’s father was a man of active mind. His unfailingly good
sense led him to distrust the monastic system. He was unhappy
when Luther entered a monastery without his permission. It took
two years before the father reconciled with his son, and even then
his opinions remained the same.
Luther’s parents tried to instruct their children in the knowledge
of God. Earnestly and constantly they worked to prepare their chil-
dren to live useful lives. Sometimes they were too strict, but the
Reformer himself found more to approve than to condemn in their
discipline.
At school Luther was treated harshly and even with violence. He
often suffered from hunger. That era’s gloomy, superstitious ideas
of religion filled him with fear. He would lie down at night with
a heavy heart, constantly terrified at the thought of God as a cruel
tyrant rather than a kind heavenly Father.
When he entered the University of Erfurt, the future looked
brighter than in his earlier years. By thrift and hard work his parents
had become well-to-do, and they were able to give him all the help
he needed. And wise, caring friends to some extent reduced the
gloomy effects of his earlier training. With good influences, his
mind developed rapidly. Consistent attention to his studies soon
placed him in the top rank among his associates.
73
 74 Love Under Fire

Luther did not fail to begin each day with prayer; his heart
continually breathed a request for guidance. “To pray well,” he
often said, “is the better half of study.”1
One day in the library of the university he discovered a book
he had never seen—a Latin Bible. He had heard portions of the
Gospels and Epistles, and he had thought that these were the entire
[55] Bible. Now, for the first time, he was looking at the whole of God’s
Word. With awe and wonder he turned the sacred pages and read for
himself the words of life, pausing to exclaim, “O that God would
give me such a book for myself!”2 Angels were by his side. Rays of
light from God revealed treasures of truth to his understanding. Like
never before, the deep conviction that he was a sinner took hold of
him.

Peace With God

A desire to find peace with God led him to devote himself to a
monk’s life. As part of this, he was required to do the lowest jobs and
to beg from house to house. He patiently endured this humiliation,
believing it was necessary because of his sins.
Luther loved to study God’s Word. He had found a Bible chained
to the convent wall, and he often went to it there, robbing himself of
sleep and grudging even the time he spent at his meager meals.
He led a very strict life, trying to subdue the evils of his nature by
fasting, vigils, and whippings. Later he said, “If ever a monk could
gain heaven by his monkish works, I would certainly have been
entitled to it.... If it had continued much longer, I would have carried
my self-denial even to death.”3 With all his efforts, his burdened
heart found no relief. Finally he was driven nearly to despair.
When it seemed that all hope was gone, God raised up a friend for
him. Staupitz opened the Word of God to Luther’s mind and urged
him to look away from self and look to Jesus. “Instead of torturing
yourself because of your sins, throw yourself into the Redeemer’s
1 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
2, chapter 2.
2 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

2, chapter 2
3 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

2, chapter 3.
 Luther, a Man for His Time 75

arms. Trust in Him, in the righteousness of His life, in the atonement

of His death.... The Son of God ... became man to give you the
assurance of God’s favor.... Love Him who first loved you.”4 His
words made a deep impression on Luther’s mind. Peace came to his
troubled heart.
After being ordained a priest, Luther was called to a profes-
sorship in the University of Wittenberg. He began to lecture on
the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles to crowds of delighted
listeners. Staupitz, his supervisor, urged him to go into the pulpit
and preach. But Luther felt that he was unworthy to speak to the
people in Christ’s place. It was only after a long struggle that he
yielded to the request of his friends. He was mighty in the Scriptures,
and the grace of God rested on him. He presented the truth with
a clearness and power that convinced their understanding, and his
earnest appeals touched their hearts.
Luther was still a true son of the papal church, and he had no
thought that he would ever be anything else. Led to visit Rome, he
made the journey on foot, spending the night at monasteries along
the way. He was amazed at the magnificence and luxury that he saw.
The monks lived in elegant apartments, dressed in costly robes, and
feasted on rich food. Luther’s mind was becoming perplexed.
Finally in the distance he saw the seven-hilled city. He stretched
himself face down on the earth, exclaiming: “Holy Rome, I salute
you!”5 He visited the churches, listened to the priests and monks tell [56]
their fantastic tales, and performed all the required ceremonies. Ev-
erywhere, what he saw filled him with astonishment—evils among
the clergy, indecent jokes from church officials. He was filled with
horror by their foul language even during mass. He met intemper-
ance and immorality. “No one can imagine,” he wrote, “what sins
and shameful actions are committed in Rome.... They are in the
habit of saying, ‘If there is a hell, Rome is built over it.’”6

4 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

2, chapter 4.
5 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

2, chapter 6.
6 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

2, chapter 6.
76 Love Under Fire

Truth on Pilate’s Staircase

The pope had promised an indulgence to everyone who would
climb on their knees up “Pilate’s staircase,” which was said to have
been miraculously brought from Jerusalem to Rome. One day, as
Luther was climbing these steps, a voice like thunder seemed to say,
“The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). He jumped to his feet
in shame and horror. At that moment, he saw more clearly than ever
before how wrong it was to trust in human works for salvation. He
turned his face from Rome. Beginning then, the separation grew
until he cut all connection with the papal church.
After he returned from Rome, Luther received the degree of doc-
tor of divinity. Now he was free to devote himself to the Scriptures
that he loved. He had taken a solemn vow to be faithful in preaching
the Word of God, not the doctrines of the popes. He was no longer
just a monk, but the authorized herald of the Bible, called as a shep-
herd to feed the flock of God that were hungering and thirsting for
truth. He firmly declared that Christians should receive no other
doctrines than those that are based on the authority of the Sacred
Scriptures.
Eager crowds listened to him intently. The good news of a
Savior’s love, the assurance of pardon and peace through His atoning
blood, made their hearts rejoice. At Wittenberg a light began to shine
whose rays would become brighter and brighter to the close of time.
But there is always conflict between truth and error. Our Savior
Himself declared, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword”
(Matthew 10:34). A few years after the start of the Reformation,
Luther said: “God ... pushes me forward.... I want to live in peace,
but I am thrown into the middle of uprisings and revolutions.”7

Indulgences for Sale

The Roman Church put the grace of God up for sale. Under the
pressure of raising funds to build St. Peter’s at Rome, the church
offered to sell indulgences for sin under authority of the pope. A
temple was to be built for God’s worship, paid for by the price of
7 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
5, chapter 2.
 Luther, a Man for His Time 77

crime. This is what stirred up the papacy’s most successful enemies

and led to the battle that shook the papal throne and the triple crown
on the pope’s head.
Tetzel was the official appointed to sell indulgences in Germany.
He had been convicted of shameful offenses against society and the
law of God, but he was hired to carry out the fundraising projects
of the pope in Germany. He told glaring lies and marvelous tales to
deceive an ignorant and superstitious people. If they had possessed
the Word of God, they would not have been deceived. But the church [57]
had kept the Bible from them.8
As Tetzel entered a town, a messenger went ahead, announc-
ing, “The grace of God and of the holy father is at your gates.”9
The people welcomed the blasphemous deceiver as if he were God
Himself. From the pulpit in the church, Tetzel glorified indulgences
as the most precious gift of God. He declared that by means of his
certificates of pardon, all the sins that the buyer would afterward
desire to commit would be forgiven him, and “not even repentance is
necessary.”10 He assured his hearers that his indulgences had power
to save the dead; the very moment the money would clink against
the bottom of his case, the soul for whom it had been paid would
escape from purgatory and make its way to heaven.11
Gold and silver flowed into Tetzel’s treasury. A salvation bought
with money was easier to get than one that requires repentance, faith,
and diligent effort to resist and overcome sin. (See Appendix.)
Luther was horrified. Many of his own congregation had bought
certificates of pardon. They soon began to come to their pastor,
confessing sins and expecting forgiveness, not because they were
sorry and wanted to reform, but on the basis of the indulgence.
Luther refused, and he warned them that unless they repented and
reformed, they must die in their sins. They went back to Tetzel
complaining that their confessor had refused his certificates, and
some boldly demanded their money back. In a rage, the friar uttered
terrible curses, caused fires to be lighted in the public squares, and
8 See John C. L. Giesler, A Compendium of Ecclesiastical History, period 4, section
1, paragraph 5.
9 D’Aubigné, book 3, chapter 1.
10 D’Aubigné, book 3, chapter 1.
11 See K. R. Hagenbach, History of the Reformation, volume 1, page 96.
 78 Love Under Fire

declared that he “had received an order from the pope to burn all
heretics who dared to oppose his most holy indulgences.”12

Luther’s Work Begins

Luther spoke from the pulpit in solemn warning. He told the
people how offensive sin is to God and how impossible it is for
anyone by his own works to reduce its guilt or avoid its punishment.
Nothing but repentance toward God and faith in Christ can save the
sinner. The grace of Christ cannot be purchased—it is a free gift. He
counseled the people not to buy indulgences but to look in faith to a
crucified Redeemer. He told about his own painful experience and
assured his hearers that it was by believing in Christ that he found
peace and joy.
As Tetzel continued making his ungodly claims, Luther decided
on a more effective protest. The castle church of Wittenberg pos-
sessed relics that were exhibited to the people on certain holy days.
All who visited the church on those days and made confession were
granted full remission of sins. On the day before one of the most
important of these occasions, the festival of All Saints, Luther joined
the crowds already making their way to the church and on its door
posted ninety-five propositions against the doctrine of indulgences.
His challenges attracted everyone’s attention. They were read
and repeated in every direction, creating great excitement in the
whole city. These theses showed that God had never committed
[58] to the pope or any man the power to pardon sin and to remove its
penalty. They clearly showed that God bestows His grace freely on
all who seek it by repentance and faith.
Luther’s theses spread through all Germany and in a few weeks
had echoed throughout Europe. Many devoted Roman Catholics
read them with joy, recognizing the voice of God in them. They felt
that the Lord had begun to act to stop the rising tide of corruption
issuing from Rome. Princes and magistrates secretly rejoiced that
a limit was to be put on the arrogant power that denied the right to
appeal from its decisions.
Crafty church leaders were enraged to see their profits endan-
gered. The Reformer had bitter accusers to meet. “Who does not
12 D’Aubigné, book 3, chapter 4.
 Luther, a Man for His Time 79

know,” he responded, “that it is rare for someone to suggest any

new idea without ... being accused of stirring up quarrels? ... Why
were Christ and all the martyrs put to death? Because ... they ad-
vanced novelties without having first humbly taken counsel of the
established religious leaders.”13
The accusations of Luther’s enemies, their misrepresentation of
his intentions, and their hate-filled assaults on his character swept
over him like a flood. He had felt confident that the leaders would
gladly unite with him in reform. Looking forward, he had seen a
brighter day dawning for the church.
But encouragement from some leaders had changed to criticism.
Many officials of church and state soon saw that the acceptance of
these truths would effectively undermine Rome’s authority, stop
thousands of streams now flowing into her treasury, and so restrict
the luxury of the papal leaders. To teach the people to look to Christ
alone for salvation would overthrow the pope’s throne and eventually
destroy their own authority. So they set themselves against Christ
and the truth by opposing the man He sent to enlighten them.
Luther trembled as he looked at himself—one man opposed to
the mighty powers of earth. “Who was I,” he wrote, “to oppose the
majesty of the pope, before whom ... the kings of the earth and the
whole world trembled? ... No one can know what my heart suffered
during these first two years and into what sadness, even what despair,
I had sunk.”14 But when human support failed, he looked to God
alone. He could safely lean on that all-powerful arm.
Luther wrote to a friend: “Your first duty is to begin by prayer....
Hope for nothing from your own labors, from your own understand-
ing. Trust in God alone and in the influence of His Spirit.”15 Here
is an important lesson for those who feel that God has called them
to present to others the vital truths for this time. Going against the
powers of evil requires something more than intellect and human
wisdom.

13 D’Aubigné, book 3, chapter 6.

14 D’Aubigné, book 3, chapter 6.
15 D’Aubigné, book 3, chapter 7.
 80 Love Under Fire

Luther Appealed Only to the Bible

When enemies appealed to custom and tradition, Luther met
them with the Bible only. Here were arguments they could not
answer. From his sermons and writings came beams of light that
[59] awakened and illuminated thousands. The Word of God was like a
two-edged sword, cutting its way to the hearts of the people. The
eyes of the people, so long directed to human ceremonies and earthly
priests, were now turning in faith to Christ and Him crucified.
This widespread interest stirred the fears of the papal authorities.
Luther received a summons to appear at Rome to answer the charge
of heresy. His friends knew very well the danger that threatened him
in that corrupt city, already drunk with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus. They requested that he receive his examination in Germany.
This was arranged, and the pope’s representative, or legate, was
appointed to hear the case. The instructions to this official stated
that Luther had already been declared a heretic. The legate was
therefore “to prosecute and restrain him without any delay.” The
legate was empowered “to ban him in every part of Germany; to
banish, curse, and excommunicate all those who are attached to him,”
to excommunicate all, no matter their rank in church or state, except
the emperor, who would neglect to seize Luther and his followers
and deliver them to the vengeance of Rome.16
The document reveals not a trace of Christian principle or even
common justice. Luther had had no opportunity to explain or defend
his position, yet he was pronounced a heretic and in the same day
counseled, accused, judged, and condemned.
When Luther so much needed the advice of a true friend, God
sent Melanchthon to Wittenberg. Melanchthon’s sound judgment,
combined with a pure and upright character, won everyone’s admira-
tion. He soon became Luther’s most trusted friend. His gentleness,
caution, and exactness helped to supplement Luther’s courage and
energy.
The trial was to take place at Augsburg, and the Reformer set
out on foot. There had been threats that he would be murdered on
the way, and his friends begged him not to go. But he said, “I am
like Jeremiah, a man of strife and contention; but the more their
16 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 2.
 Luther, a Man for His Time 81

threats increase, the more my joy is multiplied.... They have already

destroyed my honor and my reputation.... As for my soul, they
cannot take that. Whoever wants to proclaim the word of Christ to
the world must expect death at every moment.”17
The news of Luther’s arrival at Augsburg gave great satisfaction
to the pope’s representative. The troublesome heretic who had
caught the world’s attention seemed now to be in Rome’s power, and
he would not escape. The representative intended to force Luther
to retract, or if this failed, to send him to Rome to share the fate of
Huss and Jerome. So through his agents he tried to get Luther to
appear without a safe-conduct and trust himself to his mercy. But
the Reformer declined to do this. Not until he had received the
document pledging the emperor’s protection did he appear in the
presence of the pope’s ambassador.
As a strategy, the pope’s delegates decided to win Luther by
seeming to treat him gently. The ambassador professed great friend-
liness, but he demanded that Luther submit completely to the church [60]
and yield every point without argument or question. In his reply,
Luther expressed his regard for the church, his desire for truth, and
his readiness to answer all objections to what he had taught and
to submit his doctrines to the decision of leading universities. But
he protested against the cardinal’s requiring him to retract without
having proved him to be in error.
The only response was, “Retract, retract!” The Reformer showed
that his position was supported by Scripture. He could not renounce
truth. The ambassador, unable to refute Luther’s arguments, over-
whelmed him with a storm of accusations, attacks, flattery, quota-
tions from tradition, and the sayings of the church fathers, giving
the Reformer no opportunity to speak. Luther finally received a
reluctant permission to present his answer in writing.
In writing to a friend, he said, “What is written may be submitted
to the judgment of others; and second, one has a better chance of
working on the fears, if not on the conscience, of an arrogant and
babbling despot, who would otherwise overpower by his haughty
language.”18
17 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 4.
18 W. Carlos Martyn, The Life and Times of Martin Luther, pages 271, 272.
 82 Love Under Fire

At the next interview, Luther gave a clear, concise, and forcible

presentation of his views, supported by Scripture. After reading this
paper aloud, he handed it to the cardinal, who threw it aside, dis-
missing it as a mass of idle words and irrelevant quotations. Luther
now met the haughty official on his own ground—the traditions and
teaching of the church—and completely overthrew his claims.
The official lost all self-control. In a rage he cried out, “Retract!
or I will send you to Rome.” And he finally declared, in a haughty
and angry tone, “Retract, or return no more.”19
The Reformer promptly left with his friends, indicating plainly
that the ambassador could expect no retraction from him. This was
not what the cardinal had intended. Now, left alone with his sup-
porters, he looked from one to another in chagrin at the unexpected
failure of his schemes.
The large assembly who were there had opportunity to com-
pare the two men and to judge for themselves the spirit each had
shown, as well as the strength and truthfulness of their positions.
The Reformer was simple, humble, and firm, having truth on his
side. The pope’s representative was self-important, haughty, un-
reasonable, and without a single argument from the Scriptures, yet
loudly demanding, “Retract, or be sent to Rome.”

Escape From Augsburg

Luther’s friends argued that since it was useless for him to stay,
he should return to Wittenberg immediately, and that he should
exercise the greatest caution. So he left Augsburg before daybreak
on horseback, accompanied only by a guide that the magistrate
provided. He made his way secretly through the dark streets of the
city. Enemies, watchful and cruel, were plotting to destroy him.
Those were moments of anxiety and earnest prayer. He reached a
small gate in the wall of the city. It was opened for him, and he and
[61] his guide passed through. Before Rome’s representative learned that
Luther was gone, he was beyond the reach of his persecutors.
The news of Luther’s escape overwhelmed the representative
with surprise and anger. He had expected to receive great honor for
his firmness in dealing with this disturber of the church. In a letter
19 D’Aubigné, London edition, book 4, chapter 8.
 Luther, a Man for His Time 83

to Frederick, the elector of Saxony, he bitterly denounced Luther,

demanding that Frederick send the Reformer to Rome or banish him
from Saxony.
Up to this point, the elector had little knowledge of the reformed
doctrines, but he was deeply impressed by the force and clearness
of Luther’s words. Until someone proved that the Reformer was in
error, Frederick determined to stand as his protector. In reply to the
official he wrote: “Since Doctor Martin has appeared before you
at Augsburg, you should be satisfied. We did not expect that you
would try to make him retract without first convincing him of his
errors. None of the learned men in our territory have informed me
that Martin’s doctrine is sacrilegious, antichristian, or heretical.”20
The elector saw that the church needed a work of reform. He secretly
rejoiced that a better influence was arising in the church.
Only a year had passed since the Reformer posted his theses
on the castle church, yet his writings had sparked a new interest in
the Holy Scriptures everywhere. Students flocked to the university
not only from all parts of Germany, but from other lands. Seeing
Wittenberg for the first time, young men “raised their hands to heaven
and praised God for having caused the light of truth to shine out
from this city.”21
At this time Luther was only partially converted from Rome’s
errors. But, he wrote, “I am reading the decrees of the pontiffs,
and ... I do not know whether the pope is antichrist himself, or his
apostle, since Christ is so greatly misrepresented and crucified in
them.”22
Rome became more and more angry over Luther’s attacks. Fa-
natical opponents, even doctors in the church’s universities, declared
that whoever killed the monk would be without sin. But God was
his defense. His doctrines were heard everywhere—“in cottages and
convents, ... in the castles of the nobles, in the universities, and in
the palaces of kings.”23
About this time Luther found that the Bohemian Reformer, Huss,
had held the great truth of justification by faith before him. Luther
20 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 10.
21 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 10.
22 D’Aubigné, book 5, chapter 1.
23 D’Aubigné, book 6, chapter 2.
 84 Love Under Fire

said, “We have all—Paul, Augustine, and I—been Hussites with-

out knowing it!” “The truth was preached ... a century ago, and
burned!”24
Regarding the universities, Luther wrote: “I fear that the uni-
versities will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they work
diligently to explain the Holy Scriptures and engrave them in the
hearts of youth.... Every institution that does not engage people
constantly with the word of God must become corrupt.”25
This appeal circulated throughout Germany. It stirred the whole
nation. Luther’s opponents urged the pope to take decisive action
[62] against him. A decree was issued that his doctrines must be con-
demned immediately. If the Reformer and his followers did not
recant, they were all to be excommunicated.

A Terrible Crisis
That was a terrible crisis for the Reformation. Luther was not
blind to the storm that was about to burst, but he trusted in Christ
to support and shield him. “What is about to happen I do not know,
nor do I care to know.... Not even a leaf falls without the will of our
Father. How much more will He care for us! It is a light thing to
die for the Word, since the Word that was made flesh has Himself
died.”26
When the papal decree reached Luther, he said: “I despise and
attack it as ungodly and false.... It is Christ Himself who is con-
demned in it. Already I feel greater liberty in my heart; for at last I
know that the pope is antichrist, and that his throne is that of Satan
himself.”27
Yet the demands of Rome were not without effect. The weak
and superstitious trembled before the decree of the pope, and many
felt that life was too precious to be risked. Was the Reformer’s work
about to close?
Luther was still fearless. With terrible power he flung the sen-
tence of condemnation back on Rome herself. In the presence of a
24 JamesA. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 6, chapter 1.
25 D’Aubigné, book 6, chapter 3.
26 D’Aubigné, 3rd London edition, Walther, 1840, book 6, chapter 9.
27 D’Aubigné, book 6, chapter 9.
 Luther, a Man for His Time 85

crowd of people from all levels of society, Luther burned the pope’s
edict. He said, “A serious struggle has just begun. Up to now I have
been only playing with the pope. I began this work in God’s name;
it will be ended without me, and by His might.... Who knows if God
has not chosen and called me, and if they shouldn’t be afraid that,
by despising me, they despise God Himself? ...
“God never selected as a prophet either the high priest or any
other great person, but ordinarily He chose low and despised people,
once even the shepherd Amos. In every age, God’s people have had
to reprove the great—kings, princes, priests, and wise men—at the
peril of their lives.... I do not say that I am a prophet, but I say that
they ought to fear precisely because I am alone and they are many. I
am sure of this, that the word of God is with me, and that it is not
with them.”28
Yet Luther had a terrible struggle with himself before deciding
finally to separate from the church: “Oh, how much pain it has
caused me, though I had the Scriptures on my side, to justify it to
myself that I should dare to make a stand alone against the pope
and identify him as antichrist! How many times have I not asked
myself with bitterness that question which was so frequent on the
lips of the pope’s loyalists: ‘Are you alone wise? Can everyone else
be mistaken? How will it be if, after all, it is you who is wrong
and who is involving in your error so many souls who will then be
eternally damned?’ That is how I fought with myself and with Satan,
till Christ, by His own infallible word, fortified my heart against
these doubts.”29
A new edict appeared, declaring the Reformer’s final separation
from the Roman Church, denouncing him as cursed by Heaven, and
including in the same condemnation anyone else who received his
doctrines.
Everyone whom God uses to present truths that apply especially [63]
to their time will face opposition. There was a present truth in the
days of Luther; there is present truth for the church today. But the
majority today want truth no more than Luther’s opponents did.
Those who present the truth for this time should not expect to be
28 D’Aubigné, book 6, chapter 10.
29 Martyn, pages 372, 373.
86 Love Under Fire

received more favorably than the earlier Reformers were. The great
controversy between truth and error, between Christ and Satan, is
to increase to the close of this world’s history. (See John 15:19, 20;
Luke 6:26.)
 Chapter 8—A Champion of Truth [64]

A new emperor, Charles V, came to the throne of Germany. The

elector of Saxony, who was largely responsible for putting Charles
on the throne, urged him to take no action against Luther before
granting him a hearing. This placed the emperor in a perplexing and
embarrassing position. The pope’s followers would be satisfied with
nothing short of Luther’s death. The elector had declared “that Dr.
Luther should be furnished with a safe-conduct, so that he might
appear before a tribunal of learned, pious, and impartial judges.”1
The assembly met at the city of Worms. For the first time the
princes of Germany were to meet their young monarch in assembly.
Officials of church and state and ambassadors from foreign lands all
gathered at Worms. Yet the subject that stirred the deepest interest
was the Reformer. Charles had instructed the elector to bring Luther
with him, assuring protection and promising free discussion of the
disputed questions. Luther wrote the elector: “If the emperor calls
me, I cannot doubt that it is the call of God Himself. If they intend to
use violence against me, ... I place the matter in the Lord’s hands....
If He will not save me, my life is of little importance.... You may
expect everything from me ... except to run away or to recant. Flee I
cannot, and still less retract.”2
As the news circulated that Luther would appear before the as-
sembly, a general excitement arose. Aleander, the pope’s repre-
sentative, was alarmed and enraged. To take up a case in which
the pope had already pronounced sentence of condemnation would
show contempt for the pope’s authority. Furthermore, the powerful
arguments of this man might turn many of the princes from the pope.
Aleander urged Charles not to allow Luther to appear at Worms, and
he persuaded the emperor to yield.
1 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
6, chapter 11.
2 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 1.

87
 88 Love Under Fire

Not content with this victory, Aleander worked to have Luther

condemned, accusing the Reformer of “sedition, rebellion, impiety,
and blasphemy.” But his strong language revealed the spirit driving
him. “He is moved by hatred and vengeance,” was the general
opinion.3
With fresh zeal Aleander urged the emperor to carry out the
pope’s rulings. Worn down by this insistence, Charles invited him to
present his case to the assembly. Those who favored the Reformer
[65] were uneasy about what Aleander would say. The elector of Saxony
was not present, but some of his councilors took notes of Aleander’s
speech.

Luther Accused of Heresy

With learning and eloquence, Aleander set himself to overthrow
Luther as an enemy of the church and the state. “In Luther’s errors
there is enough,” he declared, to justify the burning of “a hundred
thousand heretics.”
“What are all these Lutherans? A crew of insolent teachers,
corrupt priests, immoral monks, ignorant lawyers, and degraded
nobles.... How far superior to them is the Catholic party in num-
ber, ability, and power! A unanimous decree from this illustrious
assembly will enlighten the ignorant, warn the reckless, decide the
waverers, and give strength to the weak.”4
People still make the same arguments against all who dare to
present the plain teachings of God’s Word. “Who are these preachers
of new doctrines? They are uneducated, few in numbers, and from
the poorer class. Yet they claim to have the truth and to be the
chosen people of God. They are ignorant and deceived. How greatly
superior in numbers and influence is our church!” These arguments
are no more valid now than they were in the days of the Reformer.
Luther was not there to vanquish the papal champion with the
clear and convincing truths of God’s Word. Most of the assembly
was inclined not only to condemn him and the doctrines he taught,
3 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 1.
4 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 3.
 Champion of Truth 89

but if possible to uproot the heresy. All that Rome could say in her
own defense had been said. From here on, the contrast between truth
and error would become clearer as the open warfare developed.
Now the Lord moved upon a member of the assembly to give
a true account of the effects of papal tyranny. Duke George of
Saxony stood up in that princely gathering and specified with terrible
precision the church’s deceptions and abominations:
“Abuses ... cry out against Rome. All shame has been put aside,
and their only interest is ... money, money, money, ... so that the
preachers who should teach the truth speak nothing but falsehoods.
They are not only tolerated, but rewarded, because the greater their
lies, the greater their gain. It is from this foul spring that such tainted
waters flow. Indecency stretches out the hand to greed.... Sad to say,
it is the scandal caused by the clergy that hurls so many poor souls
into eternal condemnation. We must bring about a general reform.”5
The fact that the speaker was a determined enemy of the Reformer
gave greater influence to his words.
Angels of God sent beams of light into the darkness of error and
opened hearts to truth. The power of the God of truth controlled
even the enemies of the Reformation and prepared the way for the
great work about to take place. The voice of One who was greater
than Luther had been heard in that assembly.
A committee was appointed to prepare a list of papal oppressions
that weighed heavily on the German people. This list was presented
to the emperor, with a request that he take measures to correct these
abuses. The request said, “It is our duty to prevent the ruin and [66]
dishonor of our people. For this reason we most humbly but most
urgently ask you to order a general reformation and use your power
to accomplish it.”6

Luther Summoned to Appear

The council now demanded that Luther appear before them. The
emperor finally consented, and Luther was summoned. With the
5 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 4.
6 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 4.
90 Love Under Fire

summons he was granted a safe-conduct. A herald took these to

Wittenberg, with instructions to bring Luther to Worms.
Knowing the prejudice and hatred against him, Luther’s friends
feared that his safe-conduct would not be honored. He replied:
“Christ will give me His Spirit to overcome these ministers of error.
I despise them during my life; I will triumph over them by my death.
They are busy at Worms to force me to retract, and this will be my
retraction: I said before that the pope was Christ’s vicar, but now I
assert that he is the Lord’s adversary and the devil’s apostle.”7
Besides the imperial messenger, three friends determined to
go with Luther. Melanchthon’s heart was knit to Luther’s, and he
wanted to follow him. But Luther denied his pleas. The Reformer
told him: “If I do not return, and my enemies put me to death,
continue to teach, and stand firmly in the truth. Labor in my place....
If you survive, my death will be of little importance.”8
Gloomy forebodings filled the minds of the people. They learned
that Luther’s writings had been condemned at Worms. The herald,
afraid for Luther’s safety at the council, asked if he still wanted to
go forward. He answered, “Although condemned in every city, I
shall go on.”9
At Erfurt, Luther passed through the streets he had often walked,
visited his convent cell, and thought about the struggles that had
brought to his heart the light now flooding Germany. People urged
him to preach. He had been forbidden to do so, but the herald gave
him permission, and the friar who had once slaved at the worst duties
of the convent now entered the pulpit.
The people listened as if spellbound. Luther broke the bread of
life to those starving souls. He lifted up Christ before them as higher
than popes, church officials, emperors, and kings. Luther made no
reference to his own dangerous position. In Christ he had lost sight
of self. He hid behind the Man of Calvary, seeking only to present
Jesus as the sinner’s Redeemer.
7 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 6.
8 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 7.
9 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 7.
 Champion of Truth 91

The Courage of a Martyr

As the Reformer went on his way, an eager crowd surged around
him, and friendly voices warned him of the Catholic authorities.
“They will burn you,” said some, “and reduce your body to ashes, as
they did with John Huss.” Luther answered, “Even if they lit a fire
all the way from Worms to Wittenberg, ... I would walk through it
in the name of the Lord. I would appear before them, ... confessing
the Lord Jesus Christ.”10
Luther’s approach to Worms stirred up great commotion. Friends
trembled for his safety, and enemies feared for their cause. The
pope’s followers arranged for some to urge him to go to the castle of [67]
a friendly knight, where, they declared, all difficulties could be re-
solved with goodwill. Friends described the dangers that threatened
him. Luther, still unshaken, declared: “Even if there were as many
devils in Worms as tiles on the housetops, still I would enter it.”11
When he arrived at Worms, a vast crowd flocked to the gates
to welcome him. The excitement was intense. “God will be my
defense,” said Luther as he stepped from his carriage. His arrival
filled Rome’s supporters with dismay. The emperor summoned
his councilors. What course should they follow? A rigid Catholic
declared: “We have consulted on this matter a long time already. Let
your imperial majesty get rid of this man at once. Did not Sigismund
cause John Huss to be burnt? We are not obligated either to give or
to honor the safe-conduct of a heretic.” “No,” said the emperor, “we
must keep our promise.”12 They decided that the Reformer should
be heard.
Everyone in the city was eager to see this remarkable man.
Luther, tired from the journey, needed quiet and rest. But he had
enjoyed only a few hours’ relief when noblemen, knights, priests,
and citizens gathered eagerly around him. Among these were nobles
who had boldly demanded that the emperor reform the church’s
abuses. Enemies as well as friends came to see the fearless monk.
10 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 7.
11 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 7.
12 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 8.
 92 Love Under Fire

His bearing was firm and courageous. His pale, thin face wore a
kindly and even joyous expression. The deep earnestness of his
words carried a power that even his enemies could not completely
resist. Some were convinced that a divine influence was with him.
Others declared, as the Pharisees had about Christ, “He has a demon”
(John 10:20).
On the following day an imperial officer was sent to bring Luther
to the assembly hall. Every street was crowded with spectators eager
to see the monk who had dared to resist the pope. An old general,
the hero of many battles, said to him kindly: “Poor monk, you are
now going to make a nobler stand than I or any other captains have
ever made in the bloodiest of our battles. But if your cause is just, ...
go forward in God’s name, and fear nothing. God will not forsake
you.”13

Luther Stands Before the Council

The emperor sat on his throne, surrounded by the most important
people in the empire. Martin Luther was now to answer for his faith.
“This appearance was itself a clear victory over the papacy. The
pope had condemned the man, and he was now standing before a
tribunal which, by this very act, set itself above the pope. The pope
had placed him under a ban and cut him off from all human society,
and yet he was summoned in respectful language and was received
before the most distinguished assembly in the world.... Rome was
already descending from her throne, and it was the voice of a monk
that caused this humiliation.”14
The lowly born Reformer seemed awed and embarrassed. Sev-
eral princes approached him, and one whispered: “Do not fear those
[68] who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Another said: “When
you are brought before governors and kings for My sake, it will be
given you, by the Spirit of your Father, what you shall say.” (See
Matthew 10:28, 18-20.)
13 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 8.
14 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 8.
 Champion of Truth 93

A deep silence fell on the crowded assembly. Then an imperial

officer arose and, pointing to Luther’s writings, demanded that the
Reformer answer two questions—whether he acknowledged them as
his, and whether he intended to retract the opinions they advanced.
After the titles of the books were read, Luther answered the first
question, acknowledging that the books were his. “As to the second,”
he said, “I would act rashly if I replied without reflection. I might
affirm less than the occasion demands, or more than truth requires.
For this reason I ask your imperial majesty, with all humility, to
allow me time, that I may answer without offending against the
word of God.”15
Luther’s reply convinced the assembly that he did not act from
passion or impulse. Such calmness and self-command, unexpected in
someone so bold and uncompromising, enabled him to answer later
with wisdom and dignity that surprised his opponents and rebuked
their haughty arrogance.
The next day Luther was to give his final answer. For a time his
heart sank. His enemies seemed about to triumph. Clouds gathered
around him and seemed to separate him from God. In anguish of
spirit he poured out those broken, heart-rending cries, which no one
but God can fully understand.
“O almighty and everlasting God,” he pleaded, “if it is only in the
strength of this world that I must put my trust, everything is over....
My last hour has come, my condemnation has been pronounced....
O God, do help me against all the wisdom of the world.... The cause
is Yours, ... and it is a righteous and eternal cause. O Lord, help me!
Faithful and unchangeable God, in no man do I place my trust....
You have chosen me for this work.... Stand at my side, for the sake
of Your well-beloved Jesus Christ, who is my defense, my shield,
and my strong tower.”16
Yet it was not the fear of personal suffering, torture, or death
that overwhelmed him with terror. He felt his inadequacy. Through
his weakness the cause of truth might suffer loss. He wrestled with
God, not for his own safety, but for the triumph of the gospel. In
15 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 8.
16 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 8.
 94 Love Under Fire

his complete helplessness he fastened his faith on Christ, the mighty

Deliverer. He would not appear before the council alone. Peace
returned to his heart, and he rejoiced that he was permitted to lift up
the Word of God before the rulers of the nations.
Luther thought about his answer, examined passages in his writ-
ings, and drew from Scripture suitable proofs to uphold his positions.
Then, laying his left hand on the Sacred Volume, he lifted his right
hand to heaven and vowed “to remain faithful to the gospel and
freely to confess his faith, even if he would seal his testimony with
his blood.”17

Luther Before the Assembly Again

[69] When Luther was again ushered into the assembly, he was calm
and peaceful, yet brave and noble, as God’s witness among the great
ones of earth. The imperial officer now demanded his decision.
Did he desire to retract? Luther made his answer in a humble
tone, without violence or passion. His demeanor was modest and
respectful, yet he showed a confidence and joy that surprised the
assembly.
“Most serene emperor, illustrious princes, gracious lords,” said
Luther, “I appear before you this day to comply with the order given
me yesterday. If, through ignorance, I might violate the customs and
forms of courts, I ask you to pardon me, for I was not brought up in
the palaces of kings, but in the seclusion of a convent.”18
Then he stated that in some of his published works he had writ-
ten of faith and good works, and even his enemies said they were
beneficial. To retract these would condemn truths that all accepted.
The second class consisted of writings exposing the corruptions and
abuses of the papacy. To revoke these would strengthen the tyranny
of Rome and open a wider door to great sacrilege. In the third class
he had attacked individuals who defended existing evils. Concern-
ing these he freely admitted that he had been more violent than was
proper. But even these books he could not revoke, for the enemies
17 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 8.
18 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 8.
 Champion of Truth 95

of truth would then take the opportunity to curse God’s people with
still greater cruelty.
He continued, “I will defend myself as Christ did: ‘If I have
spoken evil, bear witness of the evil.’ ... By the mercy of God,
I appeal to you, most serene emperor, and you, most illustrious
princes, and all men of every degree, to prove from the writings of
the prophets and apostles that I have been wrong. As soon as I am
convinced of this, I will retract every error and be the first to lay hold
of my books and throw them into the fire....
“Far from being dismayed, I rejoice to see that the gospel is now,
as in former times, a cause of trouble and dissension. This is the
character, this is the destiny, of the word of God. ‘I came not to
send peace on earth, but a sword,’ said Jesus Christ.... Beware lest,
by presuming to put a stop to dissensions, you persecute the holy
word of God and draw down on yourselves a frightful flood of insur-
mountable dangers, of present disasters, and eternal desolation.”19
Luther had spoken in German; he was now requested to repeat
the same words in Latin. He again delivered his speech with the
same clearness as before. God’s guidance directed in this. Error and
superstition had so blinded many of the princes that at first they did
not see the force of Luther’s reasoning, but the repetition enabled
them to understand clearly the points he presented.
Those who stubbornly closed their eyes to the light were enraged
over the power of Luther’s words. The spokesman of the assembly
said angrily: “You have not answered the question put to you.... You
are required to give a clear and precise answer.... Will you, or will
you not, retract?”
The Reformer answered: “Since your most serene majesty and
your high mightinesses require from me a clear, simple, and precise
answer, I will give you one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith [70]
either to the pope or the councils, because it is clear as the day
that they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless
therefore I am convinced by the testimony of the Scripture.... I
cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak
19 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 8.
96 Love Under Fire

against his conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. May God

help me. Amen.”20
Thus stood this righteous man. His greatness and purity of
character, his peace and joy of heart, were clear to all as he witnessed
to the superiority of the faith that overcomes the world.
At his first answer Luther had spoken with a respectful, almost
submissive bearing. The pope’s followers thought the request for
delay was just the first step toward recanting his faith. Charles
himself, noting with some contempt the monk’s worn body, his plain
clothing, and the simplicity of his speech, had declared, “This monk
will never make a heretic of me.” The courage and firmness that
he now displayed, the power of his reasoning, filled everyone with
surprise. The emperor exclaimed in admiration, “This monk speaks
with a brave heart and unshaken courage.”
The supporters of Rome had lost the controversy. They tried to
maintain their power, not by appealing to Scripture, but by threats—
Rome’s unfailing argument. The spokesman of the assembly said,
“If you do not retract, the emperor and the states of the empire will
consult what course to adopt against an unreformable heretic.”
Luther said calmly, “May God be my helper, for I can retract
nothing.”21
He was told to step out while the princes consulted together.
Luther’s persistent refusal to submit could affect the history of the
church for ages. They decided to give him one more opportunity
to retract. Again the question came to him: Would he renounce his
doctrines? “I have no other reply to make,” he said, “than the one I
have already made.”
The papal leaders were chagrined that their power did not in-
timidate a humble monk. Luther had spoken to all with Christian
dignity and calmness, and his words were free from passion and
misrepresentation. He had lost sight of himself and felt only that he
was in the presence of One infinitely superior to popes, kings, and
emperors. The Spirit of God had been present, impressing the hearts
of the chiefs of the empire.
20 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 8.
21 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 8.
 Champion of Truth 97

Several princes boldly acknowledged that Luther’s cause was

just. Another group did not express their convictions then, but at a
future time they became fearless supporters of the Reformation.
The elector Frederick had listened to Luther’s speech with deep
emotion. With joy and pride he witnessed the doctor’s courage
and calmness, and he determined to stand more firmly in Luther’s
defense. He saw that the power of truth had defeated the wisdom of
popes, kings, and church dignitaries.
As the pope’s representative saw the effect that Luther’s speech
produced, he resolved to use every means at his command to bring
about the Reformer’s overthrow. With eloquence and diplomatic
skill he presented to the young emperor the danger of sacrificing [71]
the friendship and support of Rome for the cause of an insignificant
monk.
The day after Luther’s answer, Charles announced to the assem-
bly his determination to uphold and protect the Catholic religion. He
intended to use vigorous measures against Luther and the heresies
he taught: “I will sacrifice my kingdoms, my treasures, my friends,
my body, my blood, my soul, and my life.... I will ... proceed against
him and his followers as obstinate heretics, by excommunication,
by official ban, and by every means calculated to destroy them.”22
Nevertheless, the emperor declared, Luther’s safe-conduct must be
respected. He must be allowed to reach his home safely.

Luther’s Safe-conduct in Jeopardy

The pope’s representatives again demanded that the emperor
disregard the Reformer’s safe-conduct. “The Rhine should receive
his ashes, as it received those of John Huss a century ago.”23 But
princes of Germany, though sworn enemies of Luther, protested
such a violation of public faith. They pointed to the disasters that
had followed the death of Huss. They did not dare to bring upon
Germany a repetition of those terrible evils.
22 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 9.
23 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

7, chapter 9.
 98 Love Under Fire

In answer to the disgraceful proposal, Charles said, “Though

honor and faith were banished from all the world, they ought to find a
refuge in the hearts of princes.”24 Luther’s papal enemies continued
to urge him to deal with the Reformer as Sigismund had dealt with
Huss. But remembering the scene when in public assembly Huss
had pointed to his chains and reminded the monarch of his pledges
of safe-conduct, Charles V declared, “I would not like to blush like
Sigismund.”25
Yet Charles deliberately rejected the truths that Luther presented.
He would not step out of the path of custom to walk in the ways
of truth and righteousness. Because his fathers did, he also would
uphold the papacy. In this way he refused to accept light that went
beyond what his fathers had received.
Many today cling to the traditions of their ancestors. When the
Lord sends additional light, they refuse to accept it because their
fathers had not received it. God will not approve us if we look to our
fathers to decide our duty instead of searching the Word of Truth
for ourselves. We are accountable for the additional light that now
shines on us from the Word of God.
Through Luther, divine power had spoken to the emperor and
princes of Germany. God’s Spirit pleaded for the last time with many
in that assembly. As Pilate had done centuries before, so Charles V
yielded to worldly pride and decided to reject the light of truth.
The threats against Luther circulated widely, stirring up excite-
ment throughout the city. Knowing the deceitful cruelty of Rome,
many friends resolved to prevent the Reformer from being sacrificed.
Hundreds of nobles pledged to protect him. Signs were posted on
the gates of houses and in public places, some condemning Luther
and others defending him. One of them carried the significant words,
“Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child” (Ecclesiastes 10:16).
[72] Popular enthusiasm in Luther’s favor convinced the emperor and the
assembly that any injustice to him would endanger the peace of the
empire and the stability of the throne.

24 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
7, chapter 9.
25 Jacques Lenfant, History of the Council of Constance, volume 1, page 422.
 Champion of Truth 99

Efforts for Compromise With Rome

Frederick of Saxony carefully concealed his real feelings toward
the Reformer. At the same time he guarded Luther with constant
vigilance, watching his movements and those of his enemies. But
many others did not try to hide their sympathy with Luther. “The
doctor’s little room,” wrote Spalatin, “could not contain all the visi-
tors who presented themselves.”26 Even those who had no faith in
his doctrines could not help admiring the integrity that led him to
risk death rather than violate his conscience.
Some tried earnestly to get Luther to agree to a compromise
with Rome. Nobles and princes told him that if he set up his own
judgment against the church and the councils, he would be banished
from the empire and have no defense. They again urged him to
submit to the emperor’s judgment. Then he would have nothing to
fear. In reply he said: “I consent with all my heart that the emperor,
the princes, and even the meanest Christian, should examine and
judge my works; but on one condition, that they take the word of
God for their standard. Humanity has nothing to do but to obey it.”
To another appeal he said: “I consent to renounce my safe-
conduct. I place my person and my life in the emperor’s hands, but
the word of God—never!”27 He said he was willing to submit to
a general council, but only if the council were required to decide
according to the Scriptures. “In what concerns the word of God and
the faith, every Christian is as good a judge as the pope, even if a
million councils side with the pope.”28 Both friends and enemies
were finally convinced that further effort to reconcile the two sides
would be useless.
If the Reformer had given in on a single point, Satan and his
angels would have gained the victory. But his unwavering firmness
was the means of freeing the church. The influence of this one man
who dared to think and act for himself was to affect the church and
the world, not only in his own time, but in all future generations.
26 [Link] Martyn, The Life and Times of Martin Luther, volume 1, page 404.
27 D’Aubigné, book 7, chapter 10.
28 Martyn, volume 1, page 410.
 100 Love Under Fire

The emperor soon commanded Luther to return home. His con-

demnation would quickly follow. Threatening clouds hung over his
path, but as he left Worms, his heart was full of joy and praise.
After he left, Luther wanted to make it clear that his firmness
was not rebellion. He wrote to the emperor: “I am ready most
earnestly to obey your majesty, in honor or in dishonor, in life or in
death, and with no exception but the word of God, by which man
lives.... When eternal interests are involved, God does not want one
person to submit to another. This is because such submission in
spiritual matters is a real worship, and it ought to be given only to
the Creator.”29
On the journey from Worms, princely church leaders welcomed
the excommunicated monk, and civil rulers honored the man whom
[73] the emperor had denounced. They urged him to preach, and, despite
the imperial ban, he again entered the pulpit. “I never pledged myself
to chain up the word of God,” he said, “nor will I.”30
He had not been away from Worms very long when Catholic
leaders got the emperor to issue an edict against him. Luther was
denounced as “Satan himself under the form of a man and dressed in
a monk’s clothing.”31 As soon as his safe-conduct expired, everyone
was forbidden to shelter him, give him food or drink, or help him by
word or act. He was to be delivered to the authorities, his followers
also to be imprisoned and their property taken. His writings were to
be destroyed, and finally, anyone who dared to act contrary to this
decree was included in its condemnation. The elector of Saxony and
the princes most friendly to Luther had left Worms soon after Luther,
and the emperor’s decree received approval from the assembly that
remained. The supporters of Rome were overjoyed. They thought
the fate of the Reformation was sealed.

God Uses Frederick of Saxony

A vigilant eye had followed Luther’s movements, and a true
and noble heart had resolved to rescue him. God gave Frederick of
Saxony a plan to save the Reformer’s life. On his trip homeward
29 D’Aubigné, book 7, chapter 11.
30 Martyn,volume 1, page 420.
31 D’Aubigné, book 7, chapter 11.
 Champion of Truth 101

Luther was separated from his attendants and was quickly taken
through the forest to the castle of Wartburg, an isolated mountain
fortress. His hiding place was such a closely guarded secret that
even Frederick himself did not know where he had been taken. This
ignorance was planned; as long as the elector knew nothing, he could
reveal nothing. Satisfied that the Reformer was safe, he was content.
Spring, summer, and autumn passed, and winter came, and
Luther still remained a prisoner. Aleander and his followers boasted
of their success. The light of the gospel seemed about to be ex-
tinguished. But the Reformer’s light was to shine out even more
brightly.

Security at Wartburg
In the friendly security of the Wartburg castle, Luther rejoiced
to be free from the heat and turmoil of battle. But he was used
to a life of activity and hard conflict, and he could hardly stand to
remain inactive. In those lonely days the condition of the church
rose up before him. He feared being called a coward for withdrawing
from the contest. Then he scolded himself for being idle and self-
indulgent.
Yet at the same time, every day he was accomplishing more than
it seemed possible for one man to do. His pen was never still. His
enemies were astonished and confused by tangible proof that he was
still active. A great many tracts from his pen circulated throughout
Germany. He also translated the New Testament into the German
language. From his rocky Patmos he continued for nearly a whole
year to proclaim the gospel and rebuke the errors of the times.
God had taken His servant away from the stage of public life. In
the quiet isolation of his mountain retreat, Luther was removed from
earthly supports and shut out from human praise. This saved him [74]
from the pride and self-confidence that success so often brings.
As people rejoice in the freedom that the truth brings them, Satan
tries to turn their thoughts and affections from God and to fasten
them on human agencies, to honor the instrument and to ignore
the Hand that directs the events God chooses. Too often religious
leaders who are praised like this begin to trust in themselves. The
people tend to look to them for guidance instead of to God’s Word.
102 Love Under Fire

God wanted to guard the Reformation from this danger. Human eyes
had looked to Luther as the expounder of the truth. He was removed
so that all eyes could be directed to the eternal Author of truth.
 Chapter 9—Light Kindled in Switzerland [75]

A few weeks after Luther was born in a miner’s cabin in Saxony,

Ulric Zwingli was born in a herdsman’s cottage among the Alps.
Brought up among scenes of nature’s grandeur, even in childhood
his mind was impressed with the majesty of God. At the side of his
grandmother he listened to the few precious Bible stories she had
learned among the legends and traditions of the church.
At the age of thirteen Zwingli went to Bern, which at the time
possessed the best school in Switzerland. Here, however, a dan-
ger arose. The friars made determined efforts to lure him into a
monastery. Through God’s intervention, his father received infor-
mation about the friars’ plans. He recognized that his son’s future
usefulness was at stake, and he instructed him to return home.
Zwingli obeyed the command, but he could not be content very
long to remain in his native valley, and he soon resumed his studies,
traveling, after a time, to Basel. Here Zwingli first heard the gospel
of God’s free grace. Wittembach, a teacher of ancient languages, had
been led to the Holy Scriptures while studying Greek and Hebrew,
and so rays of divine light fell on the minds of the students under
his instruction. He taught that the death of Christ is the sinner’s only
ransom. To Zwingli these words were like the first ray of light that
precedes the dawn.
Zwingli was soon called away from Basel to begin his lifework.
His first assignment was in a parish in the Alps. Ordained as a priest,
he “devoted himself with his whole heart to the search for divine
truth.”1
The more he searched the Scriptures, the more clearly he saw
the contrast between truth and the false teachings of Rome. He sub-
mitted himself to the Bible as the Word of God, the only sufficient,
infallible rule. He saw that the Bible must be its own interpreter.
He pursued every aid to obtaining a correct understanding of its
meaning, and he asked for the help of the Holy Spirit. “I began to
1 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 8, chapter 5.

103
 104 Love Under Fire

ask God for His light,” he wrote later, “and the Scriptures began to
be much easier for me.”2
The doctrine Zwingli preached had not come from Luther. It
was the doctrine of Christ. “If Luther preaches Christ,” Zwingli said,
“he does what I am doing.... I have not written one single word to
Luther, nor Luther to me. And why? ... To demonstrate how much
[76] the Spirit of God is in unison with itself, since both of us, without
any collusion, teach the doctrine of Christ with such uniformity.”3
In 1516, Zwingli was invited to preach in the convent at Ein-
siedeln. Here he would exert an influence as a Reformer that would
extend far beyond his native Alps.
Among the chief attractions of Einsiedeln was an image of the
Virgin Mary. People said it had the power to work miracles. Above
the convent’s gateway was the inscription, “Here a complete re-
mission of sins may be obtained.”4 Crowds came to the shrine of
the Virgin from all parts of Switzerland and even from France and
Germany. Zwingli took the opportunity to proclaim liberty through
the gospel to these slaves of superstition.
He said, “Do not imagine that God is in this temple more than in
any other part of creation.... Can useless works, long pilgrimages,
offerings, images, or appeals to the Virgin or the saints obtain for you
the grace of God? ... How can a glossy cowl, a smooth-shorn head,
a long and flowing robe, or gold-embroidered slippers be any help
at all in forgiving sins?” “Christ,” he said, “who was once offered
on the cross, is the sacrifice and victim that paid the debt for the sins
of believers to all eternity.”5
To many it was a bitter disappointment to be told that their
difficult journey had been in vain. They could not comprehend
pardon that was freely offered through Christ. They were satisfied
with the way that Rome had directed them. It was easier to trust
their salvation to the priests and pope than to seek purity of heart.
2 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 8, chapter 6.
3 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
8, chapter 9.
4 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

8, chapter 5.
5 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

8, chapter 5.
 Light Kindled in Switzerland 105

But other people gladly received the good news of redemption

through Christ, and in faith they accepted the Savior’s blood as their
atonement. They went home and told others about the precious light
they had received. In this way the truth traveled from town to town,
and the number of pilgrims to the Virgin’s shrine greatly decreased.
The offerings were reduced, and so was Zwingli’s salary, which
came from them. But this only made him rejoice as he saw that the
power of superstition was being broken. The truth was gaining hold
of people’s hearts.

Zwingli Called to Zurich

After three years Zwingli was called to preach in the cathedral
at Zurich, the most important town in the Swiss confederacy. The
influence he exerted here would be widely felt. The churchmen
proceeded to instruct him about his duties:
“You will make every effort to collect the revenues of the chapter
without overlooking the least of them.... You will be diligent in
increasing the income arising from the sick, from masses, and in
general from every church function.” “As for the administration of
the sacraments, the preaching, and the care of the flock, ... you may
employ a substitute, especially in preaching.”6
Zwingli listened in silence to this instruction and said in reply,
“The life of Christ has been hidden from the people for too long.
I will preach on the whole of the Gospel of St. Matthew.... I will
consecrate my ministry to God’s glory, to the praise of His Son, to
the real salvation of souls, and to their growth in the true faith.” [77]
The people flocked in great numbers to listen to his preaching.
He began his ministry by opening the Gospels and explaining the life,
teachings, and death of Christ. “It is to Christ,” he said, “that I desire
to lead you—to Christ, the true source of salvation.” Statesmen,
scholars, craftsmen, and peasants listened to his words. He fearlessly
rebuked the evils and corruptions of the times. Many returned from
the cathedral praising God. “This man,” they said, “is a preacher of
6 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
8, chapter 6.
106 Love Under Fire

the truth. He will be our Moses, to lead us out from this Egyptian
darkness.”7
After a time opposition arose. The monks heckled him and
sneered at him; others resorted to insults and threats. But Zwingli
bore it all patiently.
When God is preparing to break the chains of ignorance and
superstition, Satan exerts his greatest power to keep people in dark-
ness and to fasten their shackles more firmly. Rome worked with
renewed energy to open her market throughout the Christian world,
offering pardon for money. Every sin had its price, and the church
gave people free license for crime if it would keep the treasury of
the church well filled. So the two movements advanced—Rome
licensing sin and making it her source of income, and the Reformers
condemning sin and pointing to Christ as the sacrifice and deliverer.

Sale of Indulgences in Switzerland

In Germany the infamous Tetzel conducted the sale of indul-
gences. In Switzerland the church put sales under the control of
Samson, an Italian monk. Samson had already raised huge sums
from Germany and Switzerland to fill the papal treasury. Now he
traveled throughout Switzerland, draining the poor peasants of their
meager earnings and demanding rich gifts from the wealthy. When
he arrived with his wares at a town near Einsiedeln, Zwingli imme-
diately set out to oppose him. Zwingli was so successful in exposing
the friar’s lies that Samson had to leave for other towns. Later,
Zwingli preached zealously in Zurich against those who tried to
sell God’s forgiveness. When Samson approached the place, he
used a clever maneuver to gain entrance. But when the people there
sent him away without the sale of a single pardon, he soon left
Switzerland.
The plague, or Great Death, swept over Switzerland in the year
1519. Many came to feel how useless and worthless were the par-
dons they had bought. They longed for a surer foundation for their
faith. At Zurich Zwingli came down with the plague, and the report
circulated widely that he was dead. In that awful hour he looked in
7 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
8, chapter 6.
 Light Kindled in Switzerland 107

faith to the cross of Calvary, trusting in the all-sufficient sacrifice

for sin. When he came back from the gates of death, he preached
the gospel with greater intensity than ever before. The people them-
selves had come from caring for the sick and the dying, and they felt
the value of the gospel as never before.
Zwingli had come to a clearer understanding of the gospel’s
truths and had more fully experienced its renewing power in him-
self. “Christ,” he said, “... has purchased for us a never-ending
redemption.... His suffering is ... an eternal sacrifice, and it has [78]
eternal power to heal. It satisfies the divine justice forever for all
who rely on it with firm and unshaken faith.... Wherever there is
faith in God, there is also a zeal urging and driving people to good
works.”8
Step by step the Reformation gained ground in Zurich. In alarm
its enemies arose to oppose it openly. They made repeated attacks
on Zwingli, trying to silence the teacher of heresy. The bishop of
Constance sent three deputies to the Council of Zurich, accusing
Zwingli of endangering the peace and order of society. If the author-
ity of the church were set aside, he urged, complete anarchy would
result.
The council declined to take action against Zwingli, and Rome
prepared for a fresh attack. The Reformer exclaimed: “Let them
come on. I fear them like the rocky cliff fears the waves that thunder
at its feet.”9 The efforts of the church officials only helped the cause
that they were trying to overthrow. The truth continued to spread. In
Germany its followers, discouraged by Luther’s disappearance, took
heart again as they saw the progress of the gospel in Switzerland. As
the Reformation became established in Zurich, its fruits were more
fully seen in the reduction of crime and the promotion of order.

Debate With Rome’s Representatives

When they saw how little persecution had accomplished in sup-
pressing Luther’s work in Germany, the representatives of Rome
decided they would hold a debate with Zwingli. They would make
8 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
8, chapter 9.
9 Wylie, book 8, chapter 11.
 108 Love Under Fire

sure of victory by choosing not only the place of combat but the
judges that would decide between the two sides. And if they could
just get Zwingli in their power, they would see to it that he did not
escape. This intention, however, they carefully concealed.
The debate was scheduled to be held at Baden. But the Council of
Zurich, suspecting the plans of Rome’s representatives and warned
by the fires lit in the papal cantons to burn those who accepted
the gospel, forbade their pastor to venture into such a dangerous
situation. To go to Baden, where the blood of martyrs for the truth
had just been shed, was to go to certain death. Oecolampadius and
Haller were chosen to represent the Reformers, while the famous
Dr. Eck, supported by a great many scholars and church officials,
was the champion of Rome.
The Roman side chose all the secretaries, and everyone else
was forbidden to take notes, on pain of death. Even so, a student
attending the debate made a record each evening of the arguments
presented that day. Two other students undertook to deliver these
papers to Zwingli at Zurich, with the daily letters of Oecolampadius.
Zwingli answered, giving counsel. To avoid being caught by the
guard at the city gates, these messengers brought baskets of poultry
on their heads and were permitted to pass without trouble.
Myconius said that Zwingli “has labored more by his deep
thoughts, his sleepless nights, and the advice that he transmitted
[79] to Baden, than he would have done by discussing in person sur-
rounded by his enemies.”10
Rome’s representatives had come to Baden in their richest robes
and glittering with jewels. They ate luxuriously from tables spread
with costly delicacies and choice wines. In contrast to this, the
Reformers had simple, inexpensive food that kept them only a short
time at the table. Oecolampadius’s landlord sometimes watched him
in his room. Finding him always studying or praying he reported
that the heretic was at least “very pious.”
At the conference, “Eck haughtily ascended a pulpit splendidly
decorated, while the humble Oecolampadius, poorly clothed, was
forced to take his seat in front of his opponent on a crudely carved
stool.” Eck’s loud voice and limitless assurance never failed him.
10 D’Aubigné, book 11, chapter 13.
 Light Kindled in Switzerland 109

As the defender of the faith, he was to be rewarded by a handsome

fee. When he didn’t have better arguments, he resorted to insults
and even swearing.
Oecolampadius, modest and self-distrustful, did not relish the
combat. Yet although he was gentle and courteous in conduct,
he proved himself capable and unflinching. He held firmly to the
Scriptures. “Custom,” he said, “has no force in our Switzerland,
unless it agrees with the constitution. Now, in matters of faith, the
Bible is our constitution.”11
The calm, clear reasoning of the Reformer, presented so gently
and modestly, appealed to minds that turned in disgust from Eck’s
boastful claims.
The discussion continued eighteen days. Rome’s representatives
claimed the victory. Most of the delegates sided with Rome, and
the council pronounced the Reformers defeated and declared that
they and Zwingli were cut off from the church. But the contest
resulted in new energy for the Protestant cause. Not long afterward,
the important cities of Bern and Basel declared for the Reformation.

11 D’Aubigné, book 11, chapter 13.

[80] Chapter 10—Progress in Germany

Luther’s mysterious disappearance upset all of Germany. Wild

rumors circulated, and many people believed he had been murdered.
There was great mourning, and many took solemn vows to avenge
his death.
At first Luther’s enemies rejoiced at his supposed death, but they
were filled with fear when they learned that he had become a captive.
“The only remaining way to save ourselves,” one of them said, “is to
light torches and hunt for Luther through the whole world, to restore
him to the nation that is calling for him.”1 The news that he was safe,
though a prisoner, calmed the people, while they read his writings
more eagerly than ever before. Increasing numbers took sides with
the heroic man who had defended the Word of God.
The seed Luther had sown sprang up everywhere. His absence
accomplished a work that his presence would have failed to do. Now
that their great leader was removed, other laborers stepped forward
so that the work that had begun so nobly would not be held back.
Satan now tried to deceive and destroy the people by palming off
on them a counterfeit in place of the true work. Just as there were
false christs in the first century, so there arose false prophets in the
sixteenth.
A few men imagined that they had received special revelations
from Heaven and that God had commissioned them to carry forward
the Reformation which, they claimed, Luther had only feebly begun.
Actually, they were undoing the work that he had accomplished.
They rejected the principle of the Reformation—that the Word of
God is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. In place of that
unerring guide, they substituted the uncertain standard of their own
feelings and impressions.
People who were naturally inclined to fanaticism united with
them. The deeds of these extremists created considerable excitement.
1 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
9, chapter 1.

110
 Progress in Germany 111

Luther had stirred the people to feel the need of reform, and now
some really honest persons were misled by the false claims of the
new “prophets.”
The leaders of the movement urged their claims on Melanchthon:
“God has sent us to instruct the people. We have held direct conver-
sations with the Lord; we know what will happen. In a word, we are
apostles and prophets, and we appeal to Dr. Luther.”
The Reformers were perplexed. Melanchthon said: “There are [81]
indeed extraordinary spirits in these men; but what spirits? ... On
the one hand, let us beware of quenching the Spirit of God, and on
the other, of being led astray by the spirit of Satan.”2

The Fruit of the New Teaching Becomes Visible

The false prophets led the people to neglect the Bible or to cast
it aside completely. Students, throwing off all restraint, left their
studies and withdrew from the university. The men who thought
that they were fit to revive and control the work of the Reformation
succeeded only in bringing it nearly to ruin. Rome’s supporters now
regained their confidence and exclaimed triumphantly, “One last
struggle, and all will be ours.”
At the Wartburg castle, Luther heard about what had happened.
He said with deep concern, “I always expected that Satan would send
us this plague.”3 He recognized the true character of those pretended
“prophets.” The opposition of the pope and the emperor had not
caused such great perplexity and distress as these developments had.
The professed “friends” of the Reformation had become its worst
enemies, stirring up strife and creating confusion.
The Spirit of God had urged Luther forward and had carried him
beyond himself. Yet he often trembled over the results his work
might have: “If I knew that my doctrine injured one person, one
single person, however lowly and obscure—which it cannot, for it is
the gospel itself—I would rather die ten times than not retract it.”4
2 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
9, chapter 7.
3 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

9, chapter 7.
4 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

9, chapter 7.
 112 Love Under Fire

Wittenberg itself was falling under the power of fanaticism and

lawlessness, and all over Germany Luther’s enemies were blaming
him for it. In bitter anguish he asked, “Is this, then, going to be the
end of this great work of the Reformation?” But as he wrestled with
God in prayer, peace flowed into his heart. “The work is not mine,
but Yours,” he said. But he determined to return to Wittenberg.
He was under the empire’s condemnation. Enemies were free to
kill him, friends forbidden to shelter him. But he saw that the work
of the gospel was in danger, and he went out fearlessly in the name
of the Lord to battle for truth. In a letter to the elector, Luther wrote:
“I am going to Wittenberg under a protection far higher than that of
princes and electors. I am not asking for your highness’s support,
and far from wanting your protection, I would rather protect you
myself.... There is no sword that can help this cause along. God
alone must do everything.” In a second letter, Luther added: “I am
ready to receive the displeasure of your highness and the anger of the
whole world. Are not the Wittenbergers my sheep? And if necessary,
shouldn’t I expose myself to death for their sakes?”5

The Power of the Word

The news soon spread through Wittenberg that Luther had re-
turned and was to preach. The church was filled. With great wisdom
and gentleness he instructed and reproved:
“The mass is a bad thing. God is opposed to it, and it ought to be
[82] abolished.... But we must not tear anyone from it by force.... God’s
... word must act, and not we.... We have a right to speak; we do
not have the right to act. Let us preach; the rest belongs to God. If I
were to use force, what would I gain? God takes hold of the heart,
and when He conquers it, all is won....
“I will preach, discuss, and write, but I will force none, for faith
is a voluntary act.... I stood up against the pope, indulgences, and
those who supported the papacy, but without violence or rioting.
I put forward God’s word; I preached and wrote—this was all I
did. And yet while I was asleep, ... the word that I had preached
overthrew the papal system, so that neither prince nor emperor has
5 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
9, chapter 8.
 Progress in Germany 113

done it as much harm. And yet I did nothing. The word alone did it
all.”6 The Word of God broke the spell of fanatical excitement. The
gospel brought misguided people back into the way of truth.
Several years later the fanaticism broke out with more terrible
results. Luther said: “To them the Holy Scriptures were no more
than a dead letter, and they all began to cry, ‘The Spirit! the Spirit!’
But most assuredly I will not follow where their spirit leads them.”7
Thomas Münzer, the most active of the fanatics, was a man
with considerable ability, but he had not learned true religion. “He
was possessed with a desire to reform the world, and forgot, as all
fanatics do, that the reformation should begin with himself.”8 He
was unwilling to be second, even to Luther. He claimed that God
Himself had commissioned him to introduce the true reform: “He
who possesses this spirit, possesses the true faith, even if he never
sees the Scriptures in his life.”9
The fanatical teachers allowed themselves to be governed by
impressions, taking every thought and impulse as the voice of God.
Some even burned their Bibles. Thousands of people received
Münzer’s doctrines. He soon declared that those who obeyed princes
were trying to serve both God and Satan.
Münzer’s revolutionary teachings led the people to break away
from all control. Terrible scenes of conflict followed, and the fields
of Germany were drenched with blood.

Luther Experiences Agony of Soul

The princes who favored the pope declared that the rebellion was
the fruit of Luther’s doctrines. This charge brought the Reformer
great distress—that the cause of truth should be disgraced by being
classed with the worst fanaticism. On the other hand, the leaders in
the revolt hated Luther. He had not only denied their claims to divine
6 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
9, chapter 8.
7 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

10, chapter 10.

8 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

9, chapter 8.
9 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

10, chapter 10.

 114 Love Under Fire

inspiration, but had called them rebels against the civil authority. In
retaliation they denounced him as an evil pretender.
Rome’s supporters expected to see the downfall of the Reforma-
tion. And they blamed Luther even for the errors that he had tried
most earnestly to correct. The fanatical party, falsely claiming to
have been treated unjustly, gained sympathy. People began to regard
them as martyrs. In this way the ones opposed to the Reformation
received both sympathy and praise. This was the work of the same
[83] spirit of rebellion that first showed its face in heaven.
Satan is constantly trying to deceive people and lead them to call
sin righteousness and righteousness sin. Counterfeit holiness, false
sanctification, still exhibits the same spirit as in the days of Luther,
diverting minds from Scripture and leading people to follow feelings
and impressions rather than the law of God.
Fearlessly Luther defended the gospel from attack. With the
Word of God he warred against the pope’s usurped authority, while
he stood firm as a rock against the fanaticism that tried to join itself
to the Reformation.
Both of these opposing elements set aside the Holy Scriptures,
exalting human wisdom as the source of truth. Rationalism idolizes
reason and makes it the standard for religion. Romanism claims an
unbroken line of inspiration from the apostles, giving it the opportu-
nity to conceal extravagance and corruption under the “apostolic”
commission. The inspiration that Münzer claimed came from the
mists of his imagination. True Christianity receives the Word of God
as the test of all inspiration.
When he returned from Wartburg, Luther completed his transla-
tion of the New Testament, and soon the gospel went to the people
of Germany in their own language. Everyone who loved the truth
received this translation received with great joy.
The priests were alarmed at the thought that the common people
would now be able to discuss God’s Word with them, which would
expose their own ignorance. Rome used all her authority to prevent
the Scriptures from spreading. But the more she prohibited the Bible,
the more the people wanted to know what it really taught. All who
could read carried it around with them and were not content until
they had memorized large portions of it. Luther immediately began
to translate the Old Testament.
 Progress in Germany 115

Luther’s writings found a welcome in both city and village.

“What Luther and his friends composed, others circulated. Monks
who were convinced that their monastic vows were unlawful, but
who were too ignorant to proclaim the word of God, ... sold the
books of Luther and his friends. Germany soon swarmed with these
bold book salesmen.”10

Bible Study Everywhere

At night the teachers of the village schools read aloud to little
groups gathered by the fireside. Each time, some hearts would be
convicted of the truth. “The entrance of Your words gives light; it
gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).
The pope’s followers who had left the study of the Scriptures
to the priests and monks now called for them to disprove the new
teachings. But, ignorant of the Scriptures, the priests and friars were
totally defeated. “Unfortunately,” said a Catholic writer, “Luther
had persuaded his followers to put no faith in any other guide than
the Holy Scriptures.”11 Crowds would gather to hear men with little
education preach the truth. The shameful ignorance of great men
became obvious as the simple teachings of God’s Word refuted their
arguments. Laborers, soldiers, women, and even children were better [84]
acquainted with the Bible than priests and educated scholars were.
Noble-minded youths devoted themselves to study, investigating
Scripture and becoming familiar with the masterpieces of antiquity.
Possessing active minds and brave hearts, these young men soon
acquired knowledge so great that for a long time no one could
compete with them. In the new teachings, the people had found
what satisfied the desires of their hearts, and they turned away from
those who had fed them for so long with the worthless husks of
superstitious rites and human traditions.
When persecution broke out against the teachers of the truth,
they followed the words of Christ: “When they persecute you in
this city, flee to another” (Matthew 10:23). Somewhere the fugitives
10 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
9, chapter 11.
11 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

9, chapter 11.
116 Love Under Fire

would find a hospitable door opened to them, and they would preach
Christ, sometimes in the church or in private houses or in the open
air. The truth spread with irresistible power.
Church and civil authorities resorted to imprisonment, torture,
fire, and sword, but without success. Thousands of believers sealed
their faith with their blood, and yet persecution served only to extend
the truth. The fanaticism that Satan tried to unite with it resulted in
making more clear the contrast between the work of Satan and the
work of God.
 Chapter 11—The Protest of the Princes [85]

One of the noblest testimonies ever given for the Reformation

was the Protest that the Christian princes of Germany made at the
Diet of Spires in 1529. The courage and firmness of those men of
God resulted in liberty of conscience for succeeding generations and
gave the reformed church the name of Protestant.
God’s intervention had held back the forces that opposed the
truth. Charles V was determined to crush the Reformation, but as
often as he raised his hand to strike he had been forced to direct the
blow elsewhere. Again and again at the critical moment the Turkish
armies appeared on the frontier, or the king of France or even the
pope himself made war on him. In this way, amid the strife and
turmoil of nations, the Reformation had been left to strengthen and
spread.
Finally, however, the Catholic rulers united against the Reform-
ers. The emperor summoned a diet, or council, to convene at Spires
in 1529 for the purpose of crushing heresy. If peaceful methods
failed, Charles was prepared to use the sword.
Rome’s loyalists at Spires openly showed their hostility toward
the Reformers. Melanchthon said: “We are what the world hates
and tries to sweep away. But Christ will look down on His poor
people and preserve them.”1 The people of Spires thirsted for the
Word of God, and despite the fact that it was forbidden, thousands
flocked to services held in the chapel of the elector of Saxony. This
brought on the crisis even sooner. Religious toleration had already
been legally established, and the states where the Reformation was
strong resolved to oppose any restriction on their rights. In Luther’s
place stood his coworkers and the princes God had raised up to
defend His cause. Frederick of Saxony had died, but Duke John, his
successor, had joyfully welcomed the Reformation and displayed
great courage.
1 J.H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
13, chapter 5.

117
 118 Love Under Fire

The priests demanded that the states that had accepted the Refor-
mation submit to Rome’s jurisdiction. The Reformers, on the other
hand, could not consent for Rome again to control those states that
had received the Word of God.
It was finally proposed that where the Reformation had not be-
come established, the Edict of Worms should be enforced; and that
“where the people could not conform to it without danger of revolt,
[86] they should at least introduce no new reform, ... they should not
oppose the celebration of the mass, [and] they should permit no
Roman Catholic to embrace Lutheranism.” This measure passed the
council, to the great satisfaction of the priests and church officials.

Mighty Issues at Stake

If this edict were enforced, “the Reformation could neither be
extended ... nor be established on solid foundations ... where it
already existed.”2 Liberty would be prohibited. No conversions
would be allowed. The hopes of the world seemed about to be
extinguished.
The evangelicals looked at each other in blank dismay: “What
can we do?” “Should the leaders of the Reformation submit, and
accept the edict? ... The Lutheran princes were guaranteed the free
exercise of their religion. The same privilege was extended to all
of their subjects who had embraced the reformed views before the
measure passed. Shouldn’t this satisfy them? ...
“Fortunately, they looked at the principle on which this arrange-
ment was based, and they acted in faith. What was that principle? It
was the right of Rome to force the conscience and forbid free inquiry.
But weren’t they and their Protestant subjects to enjoy religious free-
dom? Yes, as a favor specially provided in the arrangement, but
not as a right.... If they accepted the proposed arrangement, they
would virtually have been admitting that religious liberty ought to be
confined to reformed Saxony; and as for all the rest of Christendom,
free inquiry and the profession of the reformed faith were crimes
and must be punished with the dungeon and the stake. Could they
consent to localize religious liberty? ... Could the Reformers have
2 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
13, chapter 5.
 Protest of the Princes 119

claimed that they were innocent of the blood of those hundreds and
thousands who would have to yield up their lives in Catholic lands
as a result of this arrangement?”3
“Let us reject this decree,” the princes said. “In matters of con-
science the majority has no power.” To protect liberty of conscience
is the duty of the state, and this is the limit of its authority in matters
of religion.
The Catholic rulers determined to put down what they termed
“daring obstinacy.” The representatives of the free cities were re-
quired to declare whether they would accept the terms of the propo-
sition. They pleaded for delay, but were refused. Nearly one half
sided with the Reformers, knowing that their position marked them
for future condemnation and persecution. One of them said, “We
must either deny the word of God, or—be burnt.”4

Noble Stand of the Princes

King Ferdinand, the emperor’s representative, tried the art of
persuasion. He “begged the princes to accept the decree, assuring
them that the emperor would be greatly pleased with them.” But
these faithful men answered calmly: “We will obey the emperor in
everything that may contribute to maintaining peace and the honor
of God.”
The king finally announced that “their only remaining course
was to submit to the majority.” Having said this, he left the chamber, [87]
giving the Reformers no opportunity to reply. “They sent represen-
tatives begging the king to return.” He answered only, “It is a settled
affair; submission is all that remains.”5
The imperial party believed smugly that the cause of the emperor
and the pope was strong and the Reformers’ position weak. If the
Reformers had depended on human aid alone, they would have been
as powerless as the Catholic side supposed. But they appealed “from
the report of the Diet [Council] to the word of God, and from the
emperor Charles to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of
lords.”
3 JamesA. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 9, chapter 15.
4 D’Aubigné, book 13, chapter 5.
5 D’Aubigné, book 13, chapter 5.
120 Love Under Fire

Because Ferdinand had refused to honor their conscientious con-

victions, the princes decided not to let his absence stop them, but
to bring their protest before the national council immediately. They
drew up a solemn declaration and presented it to the diet:
“We protest by these words ... that, for us and for our people, we
neither consent to nor accept in any manner whatsoever the proposed
decree, in anything that is contrary to God, to His holy word, to our
right conscience, to the salvation of our souls.... For this reason we
reject the yoke that is imposed on us.... At the same time we expect
that his imperial majesty will behave toward us like a Christian
prince who loves God above all things; and we declare ourselves
ready to offer him, as well as to you, gracious lords, all the affection
and obedience that are our just and legitimate duty.”6
The majority were amazed and alarmed by the boldness of the
protesters. Dissension, war, and bloodshed seemed inevitable. But
the Reformers, relying on God’s omnipotent arm, were “full of
courage and firmness.”
“The principles contained in this celebrated protest ... constitute
the very essence of Protestantism.... Protestantism sets the power of
conscience above the ruler, and the authority of God’s word above
the visible church.... It ... says with the prophets and apostles, ‘We
must obey God rather than man.’ In the presence of the crown of
Charles the Fifth, it uplifts the crown of Jesus Christ.”7 The Protest
of Spires was a solemn witness against religious intolerance and an
assertion of the right of all people to worship God according to their
own consciences.
The experience of these noble Reformers contains a lesson for
all ages to follow. Satan is still opposed to making the Scriptures
the guide of life. People in our time need to return to the great
Protestant principle—the Bible, and the Bible only, as the rule of
faith and duty. Satan is still working to destroy religious liberty. The
anti-Christian power that the protesters of Spires rejected is now
seeking to reestablish its lost supremacy.

6 D’Aubigné, book 13, chapter 6.

7 D’Aubigné, book 13, chapter 6.
 Protest of the Princes 121

The Diet at Augsburg

King Ferdinand denied a hearing to the evangelical princes,
but to quiet the dissensions that were disturbing the empire, in the
year following the Protest of Spires Charles V convened a diet at
Augsburg. He announced he intended to preside in person, and he
summoned the Protestant leaders. [88]
The elector of Saxony’s councilors urged him not to appear at
the diet: “Is it not risking everything to go and shut oneself up
within the walls of a city with a powerful enemy?” But others nobly
declared, “Let the princes only conduct themselves with courage,
and God’s cause is saved.” “God is faithful; He will not abandon us,”
said Luther.8
The elector started out for Augsburg. Many went forward with
gloomy faces and troubled hearts. But Luther, who accompanied
them as far as Coburg, revived their faith by singing the hymn he
wrote on that journey, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Many a
heavy heart lightened at the sound of the inspiring song.
The reformed princes had decided to have a statement of their
views, with the evidence from the Scriptures, to present before
the council. They committed the task of preparing it to Luther,
Melanchthon, and their associates. The Protestants accepted this
Confession, and they assembled to sign their names on the document.
The Reformers were careful not to mix their cause with political
questions. As the Christian princes came forward to sign the Con-
fession, Melanchthon objected, saying, “It is for the theologians and
ministers to propose these things. Let us reserve the authority of the
mighty ones of the earth for other matters.” John of Saxony replied:
“God forbid that you should exclude me. I am resolved to do what
is right, without troubling myself about my crown. I want to confess
the Lord. My electoral hat and my ermine are not so precious to me
as the cross of Jesus Christ.” Another of the princes said as he took
the pen, “If the honor of my Lord Jesus Christ requires it, I am ready
... to leave my goods and life behind.” “I would rather renounce my
subjects and my states, rather leave the country of my fathers with
8 D’Aubigné, book 14, chapter 2.
 122 Love Under Fire

staff in hand,” he continued, “than receive any other doctrine than

what is contained in this Confession.”9
The appointed time came. Charles V, surrounded by the electors
and the princes, took time to hear the Protestant Reformers. In that
high and formal assembly the Reformers clearly set forth the truths
of the gospel and pointed out the errors of the Catholic church. That
day has been called “the greatest day of the Reformation, and one of
the most glorious in the history of Christianity and of mankind.”10
Luther had stood alone at Worms. Now in his place were the
most powerful princes of the empire. “I am overjoyed,” Luther
wrote, “that I have lived until this hour, to see Christ publicly exalted
by such illustrious confessors, and in so glorious an assembly.”
What the emperor had forbidden to be preached from the pulpit
was proclaimed from the palace. What many had regarded as unfit
even for servants to listen to was heard with amazement by the mas-
ters and lords of the empire. Crowned princes were the preachers,
and the sermon was the royal truth of God. “Since the apostolic age
there has never been a greater work or a more magnificent confes-
sion.”11
One of the principles that Luther most firmly maintained was that
[89] no one should enlist the secular power in support of the Reformation.
He rejoiced that princes of the empire confessed the gospel, but
when they proposed uniting in a defensive alliance, he declared that
“the doctrine of the gospel would be defended by God alone.... In
Luther’s view, all the political precautions suggested came from
improper fear and sinful mistrust.”12
Later, referring to the league the reformed princes had suggested,
Luther declared that the only weapon in this warfare should be “the
sword of the Spirit.” He wrote to the elector of Saxony: “We cannot
conscientiously approve of the proposed alliance. The cross of Christ
must be carried. Let your highness be without fear. We will do more
by our prayers than all our enemies can do by their boastings.”13
9 D’Aubigné,book 14, chapter 6.
10 D’Aubigné, book 14, chapter 7.
11 D’Aubigné, book 14, chapter 7.
12 D’Aubigné, London edition, book 10, chapter 14.
13 D’Aubigné, London edition, book 14, chapter 1.
 Protest of the Princes 123

From the secret place of prayer came the power that shook the
world in the Reformation. At Augsburg Luther “did not pass a day
without devoting at least three hours to prayer.” In the privacy of
his room he was heard pouring out his soul before God in words
“full of adoration, fear, and hope.” To Melanchthon he wrote: “If
the cause is unjust, abandon it. If the cause is just, why should we
dishonor the promises of Him who commands us to sleep without
fear?”14 The Protestant Reformers had built on Christ. The gates of
hell could not prevail against them!

14 D’Aubigné, London edition, book 14, chapter 6.

[90] Chapter 12—Daybreak in France

After the Protest of Spires and the Confession at Augsburg came

years of conflict and darkness. Weakened by divisions, Protestantism
seemed headed for destruction.
But in the moment when the emperor apparently triumphed, he
was struck with defeat. He was forced at last to grant toleration to
the doctrines that he had wanted most in life to destroy. He saw his
armies wasted by battle, his treasuries drained, his many kingdoms
threatened by revolt, while the faith he had tried to suppress was
growing everywhere. Charles V had been battling against omnipo-
tent power. God had said, “Let there be light,” but the emperor had
tried to keep the darkness unbroken. Worn out with the long struggle,
he gave up the throne and buried himself in a monastery.
Many of Switzerland’s regions, or cantons, accepted the re-
formed faith, but others clung to the teachings of Rome. Persecution
resulted in civil war. Zwingli and many who had joined in the re-
form fell on the bloody field of Cappel. Rome was triumphant and
in many places seemed about to recover all that she had lost. But
God had not forsaken His cause or His people. In other lands He
raised up workers to carry on the reform.
In France, one of the first to catch the light was Lefevre, a
professor in the University of Paris. In his research into ancient
literature, his attention was directed to the Bible, and he introduced
some of his students to its study. He had begun to prepare a history
of the saints and martyrs as given in the legends of the church, and
had already made considerable progress in it, when, thinking that the
Bible might help him in the project, he began to study it. Here indeed
he found saints, but not the kind featured in the Roman church’s
calendar. In disgust he turned away from his self-appointed work
and devoted himself to the Word of God.
In 1512, before either Luther or Zwingli had begun the work
of reform, Lefevre wrote, “It is God who gives us, by faith, that

124
 Daybreak in France 125

righteousness which by grace alone justifies us to eternal life.”1 And

while teaching that the glory of salvation belongs only to God, he
also declared that the duty of obedience belongs to man.
Some of Lefevre’s students listened eagerly to his words and
continued to declare the truth long after the teacher’s voice was
silenced. One of these was William Farel. The son of religious [91]
parents and himself a devoted follower of Rome, he was zealous to
destroy all who dared to oppose the church. “I would gnash my teeth
like a furious wolf,” he said later, “when I heard anyone speaking
against the pope.” But adoration of the saints, worshiping at the
altars, and adorning the holy shrines with gifts could not bring peace
to his heart. Conviction of sin came over him, and no act of penance
could banish it. He listened to Lefevre’s words, “Salvation is of
grace.” “It is the cross of Christ alone that opens the gates of heaven
and shuts the gates of hell.”2
By a conversion like Paul’s, Farel turned from the slavery of
tradition to the liberty of the sons of God. “Instead of having the
murderous heart of a prowling wolf,” he came back, he says, “quietly
like a meek and harmless lamb, with his heart entirely withdrawn
from the pope and given to Jesus Christ.”3
While Lefevre spread the light among students, Farel went out
to preach the truth in public. A dignitary of the church, the bishop of
Meaux, soon united with them. Other teachers joined in proclaiming
the gospel, and it won followers from the homes of craftsmen and
peasants to the palace of the king. The sister of Francis I accepted
the reformed faith. With high hopes the Reformers looked forward
to the time when France would be won to the gospel.

French New Testament

But their hopes would not be fulfilled. Trial and persecution
lay ahead for the disciples of Christ. However, a time of peace
interrupted the flow of events, allowing them to gain strength to
meet the coming storm, and the Reformation made rapid progress.
1 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 13, chapter 1.
2 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 13, chapter 2.
3 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

12, chapter 3.
 126 Love Under Fire

Lefevre began to translate the New Testament, and at the very time
when Luther’s German Bible came from the press in Wittenberg, the
French New Testament was published at Meaux. Soon the peasants
of Meaux had the Holy Scriptures. The workers in the field, the
craftsmen in the workshop, cheered their daily labors by talking
about the precious truths of the Bible. Though they belonged to the
humblest class—the unschooled and hardworking peasantry—the
reforming, uplifting power of divine grace was visible in their lives.
The light ignited at Meaux sent its beams to distant places. Every
day the number of converts was increasing. For a time the king held
back the rage of the church’s hierarchy, but the papal leaders finally
prevailed. The stake was set up, and many witnessed for the truth in
the flames.
In the lordly halls of the castle and the palace there were kingly
souls who valued truth above wealth or position or even life. Louis de
Berquin was of noble birth, devoted to study, polished in manners,
and blameless in morals. “He crowned all his other virtues by
viewing Lutheranism with a special hatred.” But God guided him
to the Bible, and he was amazed to find there “not the doctrines of
Rome, but the doctrines of Luther.” He gave himself to the cause of
the gospel.
Rome’s supporters in France put him in prison as a heretic, but
[92] the king freed him. For years, King Francis wavered between Rome
and the Reformation. Three times the papal authorities imprisoned
Berquin, only to have the king release him, refusing to sacrifice him
to the hatred of the church leaders. Berquin was warned repeatedly
about the danger that threatened him in France, and he was urged to
follow the steps of those who had found safety in voluntary exile.

Bold Berquin
But Berquin’s zeal only grew stronger. He decided to take bolder
measures. He would not only stand in defense of the truth, he would
attack error. The most active of his opponents were the educated
monks in the theological department of the University of Paris, one
of the highest church authorities in the nation. From the writings
of these doctors, Berquin drew twelve propositions that he publicly
 Daybreak in France 127

declared to be “opposed to the Bible,” and he appealed to the king

to act as judge in the controversy.
The king was glad for an opportunity to humble the pride of
these haughty monks, so he ordered the Romanists defend their
cause by the Bible. They would find little help from this weapon;
torture and the stake were arms that they better understood how to
use. Now they saw themselves about to fall into the pit into which
they had hoped to push Berquin. They looked around them for some
way to escape.
“Just at that time an image of the virgin at the corner of one of
the streets was mutilated.” Crowds flocked to the place, grieving
and angry. The king was deeply moved. “These are the fruits of
Berquin’s doctrines,” the monks proclaimed. “Everything is about
to be overthrown—religion, the laws, the throne itself—by this
Lutheran conspiracy.”4
The king withdrew from Paris, leaving the monks free to do as
they wished. Berquin was tried and condemned to die. To keep
Francis from intervening to save him, they carried out the sentence
on the very day it was pronounced. At noon a huge crowd gathered
to witness the event, and many were astonished to see that the victim
had been chosen from the best and bravest of the noble families of
France. Amazement, indignation, scorn, and bitter hatred darkened
the faces of that surging crowd, but on one face no shadow rested.
The martyr was conscious only of the presence of his Lord.
Berquin’s face radiated with the light of heaven. He wore “a
cloak of velvet, a jacket of satin and damask, and golden pants.”5 He
was about to testify to his faith in the presence of the King of kings,
and no sign of mourning should contradict his joy.
As the procession moved slowly through the crowded streets, the
people noticed with amazement his look of joyous triumph. They
said, “He is like someone sitting in a temple, meditating on holy
things.”

4 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

13, chapter 9.
5 D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, book 2,

chapter 16.
 128 Love Under Fire

Berquin at the Stake

At the stake, Berquin tried to say a few words to the people, but
the monks began to shout and the soldiers to strike their weapons,
and their noise drowned the martyr’s voice. So in 1529 the highest
[93] church authority of cultured Paris “gave the populace of revolution-
ary France in 1793 the detestable example of suppressing on the
scaffold the sacred words of the dying.”6 Berquin was strangled, and
his body was consumed in the flames.
Teachers of the reformed faith left for other fields. Lefevre made
his way to Germany. Farel returned to his native town in eastern
France, to spread the light in his childhood home. The truth that
he taught found listeners. Soon he was banished from the city. He
traveled from village to village, teaching in private homes and hidden
meadows, finding shelter in the forests and among rocky caverns
that he had known in boyhood.
As in the apostles’ days, persecution had “actually turned out for
the furtherance of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Driven from Paris
and Meaux, “those who were scattered went everywhere preaching
the word” (Acts 8:4). And so the light found its way into many
remote provinces of France.

The Call of Calvin

In one of the schools of Paris was a thoughtful, quiet young
man known for his blameless life, for intellectual vigor, and for
religious devotion. His genius and diligence made him the pride of
the college, and people confidently expected that John Calvin would
become one of the most effective defenders of the church.
But a ray of divine light penetrated the walls of scholasticism
and superstition that enclosed Calvin. Olivetan, a cousin of Calvin,
had joined the Reformers. The two cousins discussed together the
matters disturbing Christendom. “There are only two religions in
the world,” said Olivetan, the Protestant. “The one ... which humans
have invented, in ... which we save ourselves by ceremonies and
good works; the other is that one religion revealed in the Bible,
6 Wylie, book 13, chapter 9.
 Daybreak in France 129

which teaches us to look for salvation only from the free grace of
God.”
“I will have none of your new doctrines,” exclaimed Calvin. “Do
you think that I have lived in error all my life?”7 But when he was
alone in his room he thought about his cousin’s words. He saw
himself without an intercessor in the presence of a holy and just
Judge. Prayers to saints, good works, the ceremonies of the church—
all were powerless to atone for sin. Confession and penance could
not reconcile the sinner to God.

Witness to a Burning
One day when he happened to visit one of the public squares,
Calvin witnessed the burning of a heretic. In the tortures of that
dreadful death and under the terrible condemnation of the church,
the martyr displayed a faith and courage that the young student
painfully contrasted with his own despair and darkness. He knew
that the “heretics” rested their faith on the Bible. He determined to
study it and discover the secret of their joy.
In the Bible he found Christ. “O Father,” he cried, “His sacrifice
has appeased Your anger, His blood has washed away my impurities,
His cross has taken my curse, His death has atoned for me.... You
have touched my heart, so that I may turn away in disgust from all
other merits except those of Jesus.”8 [94]
Now he determined to devote his life to the gospel. But he
was naturally timid and wanted to devote himself to study. The
earnest appeals of his friends, however, finally led him to agree to
become a public teacher. His words were like dew falling to refresh
the earth. He was now in a provincial town under the protection
of the princess Margaret, who loved the gospel and extended her
protection to its disciples. Calvin’s work began with the people in
their homes. Those who heard the message carried the good news to
others. Calvin went forward, laying the foundation of churches that
would produce fearless witnesses for the truth.
Paris would receive another invitation to accept the gospel. It
had rejected the call of Lefevre and Farel, but again all classes in that
7 Wylie, book 13, chapter 7.
8 W. Carlos Martyn, The Life and Times of Martin Luther, volume 3, chapter 13.
 130 Love Under Fire

great capital were to hear the message. The king had not yet fully
sided with Rome against the Reformation. Margaret resolved to
have the reformed faith preached in Paris. She ordered a Protestant
minister to preach in the churches. When the papal dignitaries
prohibited this, the princess opened up the palace. It was announced
that every day a sermon would be preached, and the people were
invited to attend. Thousands gathered every day.
The king then ordered that two of the churches of Paris should
be opened. Never had the city been so moved by the Word of God.
Temperance, purity, order, and industry were taking the place of
drunkenness, immorality, strife, and idleness. While many accepted
the gospel, most of the people rejected it. Leaders who favored the
papacy succeeded in regaining their influence. Again the churches
were closed, and the stake was set up.
Calvin was still in Paris. Finally the authorities determined to
bring him to the flames. He had no idea he was in danger when
friends came hurrying to his room with the news that officers were
on their way to arrest him. At that instant they heard a loud knocking
at the outer entrance. There was not a moment to lose. Friends
delayed the officers at the door, while others helped the Reformer
let himself down from a window, and he hurried to the cottage of
a laborer who was a friend of the reform. He disguised himself in
his host’s clothes and, with a hoe over his shoulder, started on his
journey. Traveling southward, he again found refuge in Princess
Margaret’s territory.
Calvin could not remain inactive for long. As soon as the storm
had quieted a little, he set out for a new field of work in Poitiers,
where some people already favored the new views. Persons from all
classes gladly listened to the gospel. As the number of hearers grew,
the Reformers thought it was safer to gather outside the city. For a
meeting place they chose a cave where trees and overhanging rocks
kept them completely hidden. In this secluded spot they read and
explained the Bible. Here French Protestants celebrated the Lord’s
Supper for the first time. This little church sent out several faithful
evangelists.
Once more Calvin returned to Paris, but he found almost every
[95] door closed to his work. He finally decided to go to Germany. He
had scarcely left France when trouble burst on the Protestants. The
 Daybreak in France 131

French Reformers decided to rally the whole nation by striking a

bold blow against the superstitions of Rome. Signs attacking the
mass were posted all over France in one night. This zealous but
unwise movement gave the Romanists a pretext for demanding the
destruction of the “heretics” as agitators who were dangerous to the
throne and to the peace of the nation.
One of the signs was attached to the door of the king’s private
chamber. The unprecedented boldness of thrusting these startling
messages into the royal presence made the king angry. He expressed
his rage in the terrible words: “Arrest everyone, without distinction,
who is suspected of Lutheresy. I will exterminate them all.”9 The
king had determined to put his influence fully on the side of Rome.

A Reign of Terror
One of those arrested was a poor man who had often called the
believers to their secret gatherings. Under the threat of immediate
death at the stake, he was commanded to take the papal emissary to
the home of every Protestant in the city. Fear of the flames overcame
him, and he agreed to betray his brethren. Morin, the royal detective,
along with the traitor, slowly and silently passed through the streets
of the city. When they arrived at the house of a Lutheran, the betrayer
made a sign but spoke no word. The procession stopped, soldiers
entered the house, dragged the family out and chained them, and the
terrible company went forward in search of fresh victims. “Morin
made the whole city tremble.... It was a reign of terror.”10
The victims were put to death with cruel torture, on orders that
the fire be lowered in order to prolong their agony. But they died
as conquerors, their commitment unshaken, their peace unclouded.
Their persecutors felt themselves defeated. “All Paris was able to see
what kind of people the new opinions could produce. There was no
pulpit like the martyr’s pile. The serene joy that lighted up the faces
of these Christians as they went along ... to the place of execution ...
pleaded with irresistible eloquence on behalf of the gospel.”11
9 D’Aubigné, book 2, chapter 30.
10 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 10.
11 Wylie, book 13, chapter 20.
 132 Love Under Fire

Protestants were charged with plotting to massacre the Catholics,

to overthrow the government, and to murder the king. The accusers
could produce not a hint of evidence to support their allegations.
Yet the cruelties done to the innocent Protestants accumulated like
a huge weight of punishment that was due, and in later centuries
brought about the very doom the accusers had predicted for the
king, his government, and his subjects. But the ones doing it were
infidels and the pope’s advocates themselves. The suppression of
Protestantism was to bring these terrible disasters on France.
Suspicion, distrust, and terror now extended to all classes of
society. Hundreds fled from Paris, exiling themselves from their
native land. In many cases their departure was the first indication
that they favored the reformed faith. The officials who supported
the pope looked around them in amazement at the thought of the
[96] unsuspected “heretics” that had been tolerated among them.

Printing Declared Abolished

King Francis I had delighted to gather scholars from every coun-
try to his court. But in his fresh zeal to stamp out heresy, this pa-
tron of learning issued an edict abolishing printing all over France!
Francis I is one among the many examples on record showing that
intellectual culture does not prevent religious intolerance and perse-
cution.
The priests demanded blood to atone for the insult offered to
High Heaven in the condemnation of the mass. January 21, 1535,
was chosen for the awful ceremony. In front of every door was a
lighted torch in honor of the “holy sacrament.” Before daybreak the
procession formed at the king’s palace.
“The bishop of Paris carried the host under a magnificent canopy,
... supported by four royal princes.... After the host walked the
king.... Francis I on that day wore no crown nor robe of state.”12 At
every altar he bowed in humiliation, not for the vices that defiled
his soul nor the innocent blood that stained his hands, but for the
“deadly sin” of his subjects who had dared to condemn the mass.
In the great hall of the bishop’s palace the king appeared. In
words of moving eloquence he lamented “the crime, the blasphemy,
12 Wylie, book 13, chapter 21.
 Daybreak in France 133

the day of sorrow and disgrace,” that had come upon the nation. And
he called upon every loyal subject to aid in stamping out the deadly
“heresy” that threatened France with ruin. Tears choked his voice,
and the whole assembly wept, all exclaiming together, “We will live
and die for the Catholic religion!”13
“The grace that brings salvation” had appeared, but France, illu-
minated by its radiance, had turned away, choosing darkness rather
than light. They had called evil good and good evil, till they had
fallen victims to their own chosen self-deception. The light that
would have saved them from deception, from staining their hearts
with the guilt of innocent blood, they had deliberately rejected.
Again the procession formed. “At short distances scaffolds
had been erected on which certain Protestant Christians were to
be burned alive, and it was arranged that the wood should be lighted
at the moment the king approached, and that the procession should
stop to witness the execution.”14 There was no wavering by the vic-
tims. When he was urged to recant, one answered: “I only believe in
what the prophets and the apostles preached long ago, and what all
the company of saints believed. My faith has a confidence in God
which will resist all the powers of hell.”15
When they reached the palace, the crowd dispersed and the king
and the church officials withdrew, congratulating themselves that
the work would continue until the “heresy” had been completely
destroyed.
The gospel of peace that France rejected was indeed to be rooted
out, and terrible would be the results. On January 21, 1793, another
procession passed through the streets of Paris. “Again the king was
the chief figure, again there was uproar and shouting, again there
was heard the cry for more victims, again there were black scaffolds, [97]
and again the scenes of the day closed with horrid executions. Louis
XVI, struggling hand to hand with his jailers and executioners, was
dragged forward to the block and held down by force till the axe had
fallen and his severed head rolled on the scaffold.”16 Near the same
spot twenty-eight hundred human beings died by the guillotine.
13 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 12.
14 Wylie, book 13, chapter 21.
15 D’Aubigné, book 4, chapter 12.
16 Wylie, book 13, chapter 21.
134 Love Under Fire

The Reformation had presented to the world an open Bible.

Infinite Love had unfolded to humanity the principles of heaven.
When France rejected the gift of heaven, she sowed seeds of ruin.
The inevitable outworking of cause and effect resulted in the French
Revolution and the Reign of Terror.
The bold and zealous Farel had been forced to flee from the
land of his birth to Switzerland. Yet he continued to exert a strong
influence on the reform in France. With the help of other exiles, he
translated the writings of the German Reformers into French, and
together with the French Bible these were printed in large quantities.
Traveling book salesmen sold these works widely in France.
Farel began his work in Switzerland in the humble role of a
schoolmaster, cautiously introducing the truths of the Bible. Some
believed his teachings, but the priests came forward to stop the work,
and they stirred up superstitious people to oppose it. “That cannot
be the gospel of Christ,” urged the priests, “since the preaching of it
does not bring peace, but war.”17
From village to village Farel went, enduring hunger, cold, and
weariness, and everywhere risking his life. He preached in the
marketplace, in the churches, and sometimes in the pulpits of the
cathedrals. More than once he was beaten almost to death. Yet he
kept on working. One after another he saw towns and cities that had
been strongholds of Catholicism opening their gates to the gospel.
Farel had wanted to plant the Protestant banner in Geneva. If
this city could be won, it would be a center for the Reformation in
France, Switzerland, and Italy. Many of the surrounding towns and
hamlets had already become Protestant.
With just one companion he entered Geneva. But he was per-
mitted to preach only two sermons. The priests called him before a
church council, and they came to it themselves with weapons hid-
den under their robes, determined to take his life. They gathered a
furious mob to make sure of his death if he managed to escape the
council. However, the presence of magistrates and an armed force
saved him. Early the next morning he was taken across the lake to a
safe place. This is how his first effort to evangelize Geneva ended.
17 Wylie, book 14, chapter 3.
 Daybreak in France 135

The next attempt involved a lowlier instrument—a young man

so humble in appearance that even the professed friends of reform
treated him coldly. But what could someone like this do where Farel
had been rejected? “God has chosen the weak things of the world to
put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Froment, the Schoolmaster

Froment began his work as a schoolteacher. The truths he taught
the children at school they repeated at home. Soon the parents came [98]
to hear the Bible explained. New Testaments and tracts were given
out freely. After a time Froment also had to flee, but the truths he
taught had taken hold of the minds of the people. The Reformation
had been planted. The preachers returned, and Protestant worship
became finally established in Geneva.
The city had already declared itself for the Reformation when
Calvin entered its gates. He was on his way to Basel when he was
forced to take a detour through Geneva.
Farel recognized the hand of God in this visit. Although Geneva
had accepted the reformed faith, yet the work of regeneration must
be done in the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by the
decrees of councils. While the people of Geneva had thrown off the
authority of Rome, they were not so ready to renounce the vices that
had taken firm root during her rule.
In the name of God Farel solemnly appealed to the young evan-
gelist to remain and work there. Calvin drew back in alarm. He
did not want to meet the bold and even violent spirit of the people
living in Geneva. He wanted to find a quiet place for study, where
he could instruct and build up the churches through printed material.
But he did not dare to refuse. It seemed to him “that the hand of God
was stretched down from heaven, that it had taken hold of him, and
fastened him forever to the place he was so impatient to leave.”18

18 D’Aubigné, book 9. chapter 17.

 136 Love Under Fire

The Thunder of Condemnation

The pope’s condemnations thundered against Geneva. How
could this little city resist the powerful hierarchy that had forced
kings and emperors to submit?
With the first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome called
up new forces to destroy it. She created the order of the Jesuits,
the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions
of the papal system. Dead to the claims of natural affection, and
with consciences completely silenced, its members acknowledged
no rule, no tie, except that of their order. (See Appendix.)
The gospel of Christ had enabled its followers to endure suffer-
ing, cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold truth in face of torture,
the dungeon, and the stake. Jesuitism inspired its followers with a
fanaticism that enabled them to endure similar dangers and to bring
all the weapons of deception against the power of truth. There was
no crime too great to commit, no deception too evil to practice, no
disguise too difficult for them to assume. It was their calculated aim
to overthrow Protestantism and reestablish the pope’s supremacy.
They wore an appearance of holiness, visiting prisons and hos-
pitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, and bearing the sacred
name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless
exterior, they often concealed criminal and deadly intentions.
A fundamental principle of the order was that the end justifies
the means. Lying, theft, perjury, and assassination were commend-
able when they helped the aims of the church. Under disguise the
[99] Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the
counselors of kings and shaping the policy of nations. They became
servants in order to act as spies against their masters. They estab-
lished colleges for princes and nobles, and schools for the common
people. They drew the children of Protestant parents into observing
Catholic rites. In this way the liberty for which the fathers had
worked and bled was betrayed by the sons. Wherever the Jesuits
went, a revival of Catholicism followed.
To give them greater power, the pope issued a decree reestablish-
ing the Inquisition. Church rulers again set up this terrible tribunal,
and atrocities too horrifying to bear the light of day were repeated
in its secret dungeons. In many countries thousands upon thousands
 Daybreak in France 137

of the nation’s best, the most intellectual and highly educated, were
killed or forced to escape to other lands. (See Appendix.)

Victories for the Reformation

Rome used methods such as these to quench the light of the
Reformation and to restore the ignorance and superstition of the
Dark Ages. But under God’s blessings and the labors of noble
men whom He raised up to follow Luther, Protestantism was not
overthrown. It would not owe its strength to the military might
of princes. The humblest and least powerful nations became its
strongholds. It was little Geneva; it was Holland, wrestling against
the tyranny of Spain; it was bleak, snowy Sweden, that gained
victories for the Reformation.
For nearly thirty years Calvin worked at Geneva to spread the
Reformation throughout Europe. His behavior was not faultless,
nor were his doctrines free from error. But he was instrumental in
proclaiming especially important truths, in keeping Protestantism
strong against the fast-returning tide of the papacy, and in promoting
simplicity and purity of life in the reformed churches.
Publications and teachers went out from Geneva to spread the
reformed doctrines. The persecuted of all lands looked to Geneva for
instruction and encouragement. The city of Calvin became a refuge
for the hunted Reformers of all Western Europe. Geneva welcomed
and tenderly cared for them, and when they found a home here, they
blessed their adopted city by their skill, their learning, and their deep
faith. John Knox, the brave Scottish Reformer, many of the English
Puritans, Protestants of Holland and of Spain, and the Huguenots
of France all carried the torch of truth from Geneva to lighten the
darkness of their native lands.
[100] Chapter 13—The Netherlands and Scandinavia
[101]
In the Netherlands the tyranny of Rome drew a protest very
early. Seven hundred years before Luther, two bishops fearlessly
denounced the pope after being sent as envoys to Rome, where they
had learned the true character of the “holy see”: “You set up yourself
in the temple of God. Instead of a pastor, you have become a wolf
to the sheep.... While you ought to be a servant of servants, as you
call yourself, you try to become a lord of lords.... You bring the
commands of God into contempt.”1
Over the centuries, others rose up to echo this protest. They
translated the Waldensian Bible into the Dutch language. They
declared “that there was great benefit in it; no jokes, no fables, no
meaningless talk, no lies, but the words of truth.” This is what the
friends of the ancient faith wrote in the twelfth century.2
Then Rome’s persecutions began, but the believers continued to
multiply, declaring that the Bible is the only infallible authority in
religion and that “no one should be forced to believe, but should be
won by preaching.”3
The teachings of Luther found earnest and faithful men in the
Netherlands to preach the gospel. Menno Simons, educated as a
Roman Catholic and ordained to the priesthood, was completely
ignorant of the Bible and would not read it because he was afraid
it was heresy. He tried to silence the voice of his conscience by
ungodly living, but he did not succeed. After a while he was led to
the study of the New Testament. Along with Luther’s writings, this
caused him to accept the reformed faith.
Soon afterward, he saw a man put to death for having been
rebaptized. This led him to study the Bible regarding infant baptism.
1 Gerard Brandt, History of the Reformation in and About the Low Countries, book 1,
page 6.
2 Gerard Brandt, History of the Reformation in and About the Low Countries, book 1,

page 14.
3 W. Carlos Martyn, The Life and Times of Martin Luther, volume 2, page 87.

138
 Netherlands and Scandinavia 139

He saw that repentance and faith are required as the condition of

baptism.
Menno left the Catholic Church and devoted his life to teaching
the truths he had received. In both Germany and the Netherlands a
class of fanatics had emerged, offending public order and decency
and leading toward revolt against government. Menno strongly
opposed the false teachings and wild schemes of the fanatics. For
twenty-five years he traveled across the Netherlands and northern
Germany, exerting a widespread influence, demonstrating in his own
life the principles he taught. He was a man of integrity, humble and
gentle, sincere and earnest. Many people were converted through
his work.
In Germany, Emperor Charles V had banned the Reformation, [102]
but the princes restrained his tyranny. In the Netherlands his power
was greater, and persecuting decrees followed one another in quick
succession. To read the Bible, to hear or preach it, to pray to God in
secret, to refrain from bowing to an image, to sing a psalm—all of
these things were punishable by death. Thousands were killed under
Charles and Philip II.
At one time a whole family was brought before the inquisitors,
charged with remaining away from mass and worshiping at home.
The youngest son answered: “We fall on our knees, and pray that
God may enlighten our minds and pardon our sins. We pray for our
king, that his reign may be prosperous and his life happy. We pray
for our officials, that God may preserve them.” The father and one
of his sons were condemned to the stake.4
Not only men but women and young girls displayed unflinching
courage. “Wives would stand by their husband’s stake, and while
he was enduring the fire they would whisper words of comfort, or
sing psalms to cheer him.” “Young girls, condemned to be buried
alive, would lie down in their living grave as if they were going to
their room for nightly sleep. Others would go out to the scaffold and
the fire, dressed in their best clothes, as if they were going to their
marriage.”5
4 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 18, chapter 6.
5 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 18, chapter 6.
 140 Love Under Fire

Persecution increased the number of witnesses for truth. Year

after year the emperor urged on his cruel work, but he did not succeed
in stamping out the Reformation. William of Orange finally brought
the freedom to worship God to Holland.

Reformation in Denmark
The gospel made a peaceful entrance into the countries of the
North. Students at Wittenberg returning home carried the reformed
faith to Scandinavia. Luther’s writings also spread the light. The
hardy people of the North turned from Rome’s corruption and su-
perstitions to welcome the life-giving truths of the Bible.
Even as a child Tausen, “the Reformer of Denmark,” showed
that he had a bright mind, and he entered a monastery. Examination
revealed that he had talent that promised to be very helpful to the
church. The young student was given permission to choose a univer-
sity in Germany or the Netherlands for himself, with one condition:
he must not go to Wittenberg with its dangerous heresy. This is what
the friars decreed.
Tausen went to Cologne, one of the strongholds of Catholicism.
He soon became disgusted with the mystical teachings there. About
the same time he read Luther’s writings with joy, and he longed to
experience the personal instruction of the Reformer. But if he did
so, he would risk losing his superior’s support. He soon made his
decision, and before long he was a student at Wittenberg.
When Tausen returned to Denmark, he did not reveal his secret,
but tried to lead his friends to a purer faith. He opened the Bible
and preached Christ to them as the sinner’s only hope of salvation.
[103] His supervisor at the monastery, who had high hopes for him as a
defender of Rome, became very angry. He removed Tausen immedi-
ately from his own monastery, put him in another, and confined him
to his cell. Through the bars of his cell Tausen shared a knowledge
of the truth with his companions. If those Danish fathers had been
skilled in the church’s plan for dealing with heresy, Tausen would
never have been heard from again. But instead of confining him in
some underground dungeon, they expelled him from the monastery.
A royal decree, just issued, offered protection to the teachers
of the new doctrine. Tausen found the churches open to him, and
 Netherlands and Scandinavia 141

the people crowded in to listen. The New Testament in Danish

was widely circulated. Efforts to overthrow the work resulted in
extending it, and before long Denmark declared that it had accepted
the reformed faith.

Progress in Sweden
In Sweden also, young men from Wittenberg brought the water
of life to their countrymen. Two leaders in the Swedish Reformation,
Olaf and Laurentius Petri, studied under Luther and Melanchthon.
Like the great Reformer, Olaf captivated the people by his eloquence,
while Laurentius, like Melanchthon, was thoughtful and calm. Both
had unflinching courage. The Catholic priests stirred up the ignorant
and superstitious people. Several times, Olaf Petri barely escaped
with his life. However, these Reformers did have the protection of
the king, who was committed to having a reformation and welcomed
these talented helpers in the battle against Rome.
In the presence of the king and leading men of Sweden, Olaf
Petri defended the reformed faith with great ability. He declared
that Christians should accept the teachings of the church fathers
only when they agree with Scripture, and that the Bible presents the
essential doctrines of the faith in a clear manner, so that everyone
can understand them.
These events show us “the sort of men that belonged to the army
of the Reformers. They were not illiterate, narrow-minded, noisy
people who loved to argue—far from it. They were men who had
studied the word of God and knew well how to use the weapons
that the Bible’s armory supplied to them. They were scholars and
theologians, men who thoroughly mastered the whole system of
gospel truth, and who could win an easy victory over the false
reasoners of the schools and the dignitaries of Rome.”6
The king of Sweden accepted the Protestant faith, and the na-
tional assembly voted in its favor. At the request of the king, the
two brothers took on the task of translating the whole Bible. The
assembly ordered that throughout the kingdom, ministers should
explain the Scriptures and that the children in the schools should be
taught to read the Bible.
6 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 10, chapter 4.
 142 Love Under Fire

Freed from Rome’s oppression, the nation achieved a strength

and greatness it had never before reached. A century later, this
previously feeble nation came to the deliverance of Germany in
the terrible struggle of the Thirty Years’ War—the only country in
Europe that dared to lend a helping hand. All of Northern Europe
[104] seemed about to be brought again under Rome’s tyranny. The armies
of Sweden, however, enabled Germany to win toleration for Protes-
tants and to restore liberty of conscience to those countries that had
accepted the Reformation.
 Chapter 14—Truth Advances in Britain [105]

While Luther was opening a closed Bible to the people of Ger-

many, the Spirit of God was leading Tyndale to do the same for
England. Wycliffe had translated the Bible from the Latin text,
which had many errors. The cost of manuscript copies was so great
that not many were produced.
In 1516, for the first time the New Testament was printed in
the original Greek language. This printing corrected many errors
of former versions and conveyed the meaning more clearly. It led
many of the educated people to a better knowledge of truth and
gave a new energy to the work of reform. But to a great extent the
common people were still shut away from God’s Word. Tyndale
would complete Wycliffe’s work in giving the Bible to the people of
England.
He preached his convictions fearlessly. To the Catholic claim that
the church had given the Bible and the church alone could explain
it, Tyndale responded: “Far from having given us the Scriptures,
it is you who have hidden them from us. It is you who burn those
who teach them, and if you could, you would burn the Scriptures
themselves.”1
Tyndale’s preaching stirred up great interest. But the priests
tried to destroy his work. “What can be done?” he exclaimed. “I
cannot be everywhere. Oh, if Christians just possessed the Holy
Scriptures in their own language, they themselves could resist these
clever deceivers. Without the Bible it is impossible to establish the
people in the truth.”2
A new purpose now took hold of his mind. “Shouldn’t the gospel
speak the language of England among us? ... Should the church have
less light at noonday than at the dawn, when it began? ... Christians
1 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
18, chapter 4.
2 J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book

18, chapter 4.

143
 144 Love Under Fire

must read the New Testament in their mother tongue.”3 Only by the
Bible could people arrive at the truth.
In a dispute with Tyndale an educated Catholic exclaimed, “We
would be better off without God’s laws than the pope’s.” Tyndale
replied, “I defy the pope and all his laws; and if God spares my life,
in a few years I will see to it that a boy driving a plow knows more
of the Bible than you do.”4

Tyndale Translates the New Testament Into English

Driven from home by persecution, Tyndale went to London
and for a while worked there undisturbed. But again the Catholic
[106] officials forced him to leave. All England seemed closed against him.
In Germany he began the printing of the English New Testament.
When he was forbidden to print in one city, he went to another. He
finally made his way to Worms, where Luther had defended the
gospel before the assembly a few years before. There were many
friends of the Reformation in that city. Three thousand copies of the
New Testament were soon finished, and another edition followed.
The Word of God was taken to London secretly and circulated
throughout the country. Catholic officials tried to suppress the truth,
but they failed. The bishop of Durham bought a bookseller’s whole
stock of Bibles in order to destroy them, thinking that this would
harm the work. But the money this provided bought material for
a new and better edition. Later, when Tyndale was taken prisoner,
he was offered freedom if he would reveal the names of those who
helped him with the expense of printing his Bibles. He replied
that the bishop of Durham had done more than any other person by
paying a large price for the books left in stock.
Tyndale finally witnessed for his faith by a martyr’s death, but
the weapons he prepared enabled other soldiers to do battle through
the centuries, even down to our own time.
Latimer said from the pulpit that the Bible ought to be read in
the language of the people. “Let us not take any side paths, but let
3 J.
H. Merle D’Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book
18, chapter 4.
4 Anderson, Annals of the English Bible (revised edition, 1862), page 19.
 Truth Advances in Britain 145

God’s word direct us. Let us not walk after ... our forefathers, nor
seek not what they did, but what they should have done.”5
Barnes and Frith, Ridley and Cranmer, leaders in the English
Reformation, were men of learning, highly regarded for zeal or piety
in the Catholic religion. They opposed the papacy because they
knew the errors of the “holy see.”

Infallible Authority of Scripture

The grand principle that these Reformers maintained—the same
that the Waldenses, Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Zwingli, and those with
them also held—was the infallible authority of Scripture. By its
teaching they tested all doctrines and all claims. Faith in God’s Word
sustained these holy men as they yielded up their lives at the stake.
“Be of good comfort,” exclaimed Latimer to his fellow martyr as the
flames were about to silence their voices. “Today, by God’s grace,
we will light such a candle in England as I believe will never be put
out.”6
For hundreds of years after the churches of England submitted
to Rome, the churches in Scotland kept their freedom. In the twelfth
century, however, Catholicism became established, and in no country
was the darkness deeper. Still, rays of light came to pierce the gloom.
The Lollards came from England with the Bible and the teachings
of Wycliffe, and they did much to preserve the knowledge of the
gospel. With the opening of the Reformation came Luther’s writings
and Tyndale’s English New Testament. These messengers silently
passed through the mountains and valleys, fanning into new life the
torch of truth that had so nearly died out and undoing the work that
four centuries of oppression had done.
Then, suddenly realizing the danger, the Catholic leaders brought [107]
to the stake some of the noblest men in Scotland. These dying
witnesses filled the hearts of the people throughout the land with an
undying determination to cast off the chains of Rome.

5 Hugh Latimer, “First Sermon Preached Before King Edward VI.”

6 Works of Hugh Latimer, volume 1, page xiii.
146 Love Under Fire

John Knox
Hamilton and Wishart, with a long line of less prominent disci-
ples, yielded up their lives at the stake. But from the burning pile
of Wishart another man came forward whom the flames were not
to silence, one who under God was to end the power of Rome in
Scotland.
John Knox turned away from the traditions of the church to feed
on the truths of God’s Word. The teaching of Wishart confirmed his
decision to forsake Rome and join the persecuted Reformers.
His companions urged him to preach, but he trembled with fear
at its responsibility. Only after days of painful conflict with himself
did he consent. But once he had accepted the position, he pressed
ahead with unfailing courage. This truehearted Reformer had no
fear of anyone. When he was brought face-to-face with the queen of
Scotland, John Knox was not to be won by favors, nor did he lose
courage in the face of threats. The queen said that he had taught
the people to receive a religion prohibited by the state, and so he
had transgressed God’s command for subjects to obey their princes.
Knox answered firmly: “If all the descendants of Abraham had
followed the religion of Pharaoh, whose subjects they were for many
years, I ask you, madam, what religion would there have been in
the world? Or if everyone in the days of the apostles had followed
the religion of the Roman emperors, what religion would there have
been on the face of the earth?”
Mary said, “You interpret the Scriptures in one way, and they
[Roman Catholics] interpret in another; whom shall I believe, and
who shall be judge?”
“You shall believe God, who plainly speaks in His word,” an-
swered the Reformer. “The word of God is plain in itself; and
if any obscurity appears in one place, the Holy Spirit, who never
contradicts Himself, explains it more clearly in other places.”7
At the risk of his life and with unfailing courage, the fearless
Reformer kept at his mission, until Scotland was free from Catholi-
cism.
In England the establishment of Protestantism as the national
religion reduced the persecution but did not stop it completely. Many
7 David Laing, The Collected Works of John Knox, volume 2, pages 281, 284.
 Truth Advances in Britain 147

of Rome’s forms were retained. Protestants rejected the supremacy

of the pope, but in his place they enthroned the king as head of
the church. The religion still departed widely from the purity of
the gospel. English Protestants did not yet understand religious
liberty. Though the Protestant rulers rarely resorted to the horrible
cruelties that Rome employed, they did not acknowledge the right of
all to worship God according to their own consciences. Dissenters
suffered persecution for hundreds of years.

Thousands of Pastors Expelled

In the seventeenth century, thousands of pastors were expelled, [108]
and the people were forbidden to attend any religious meetings
except those that the church approved. In the sheltering depths of
the forest, those persecuted children of the Lord met together to pour
out their hearts in prayer and praise. Many suffered for their faith.
The jails were crowded, families broken up. Yet persecution could
not silence their testimony. Many were driven across the ocean to
America, and there they laid the foundations of civil and religious
liberty.
In a dungeon crowded with criminals, John Bunyan breathed
the atmosphere of heaven and wrote his wonderful allegory of the
pilgrim’s journey from the land of destruction to the heavenly city.
Pilgrim’s Progress and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners
have guided many feet into the path of life.
In a time of spiritual darkness, Whitefield and the Wesleys ap-
peared as light bearers for God. Under the established church the
people had fallen into a condition that was hardly different from
heathenism. The higher classes sneered at godly living; the lower
classes reveled in vice. The church had no courage or faith to support
the struggling cause of truth.

Justification by Faith
People had almost completely lost sight of the great doctrine of
justification by faith that Luther had taught so clearly. The Catholic
principle of trusting to good works for salvation had taken its place.
Whitefield and the Wesleys were sincere seekers for God’s favor.
 148 Love Under Fire

They had been taught that they could obtain it by living uprightly
and by keeping the rules of the church.
Once when Charles Wesley became ill and expected to die soon,
someone asked him on what basis he hoped to have eternal life. His
answer: “I have used my best efforts to serve God.” The friend did
not seem fully satisfied with this answer. Wesley thought: “What!
... Would he rob me of my efforts? I have nothing else in which to
trust.”8 This was the kind of darkness that had settled on the church,
turning people from their only hope of salvation—the blood of the
crucified Redeemer.
Wesley and his associates came to see that God’s law extends
to the thoughts as well as to the words and actions. By diligent
and prayerful efforts they tried to subdue the evils of the natural
heart. They lived a life of self-denial and humiliation, carefully
following every practice that they thought could help them become
holy enough to win God’s favor. But their efforts failed to free them
from sin’s condemnation or to break its power.
The fires of divine truth had nearly died out on the altars of
Protestantism, but they were about to be relit from the ancient torch
handed down by the Christians of Bohemia. Some of these, who
found safety in Saxony, kept the ancient faith alive. Light came to
Wesley from these Christians.
John and Charles Wesley were sent on a mission to America. A
company of Moravians was also on board the ship. On the journey
they encountered violent storms, and John, face to face with death,
[109] realized he did not have the assurance of peace with God. The
Germans showed a calmness and trust that he didn’t know. “Long
before this,” he said, “I had observed the great seriousness of their
behavior.... Now there was an opportunity to see whether they were
delivered from the spirit of fear, as well as from that of pride, anger,
and revenge. In the middle of the psalm that began their religious
service, the sea broke over the ship, split the mainsail in pieces,
covered the ship, and poured in between the decks as if the great
deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began
among the English. The Germans calmly sang on. I asked one of
them afterwards, ‘Were you not afraid?’ He answered, ‘I thank God,
8 John Whitehead, Life of the Rev. Charles Wesley, page 102.
 Truth Advances in Britain 149

no.’ I asked, ‘But were not your women and children afraid?’ He
replied calmly, ‘No, our women and children are not afraid to die.’”9

Wesley’s Heart “Strangely Warmed”

When he returned to England, Wesley gained a clearer under-
standing of Bible faith under the instruction of a Moravian. At a
meeting of the Moravian society in London someone read a state-
ment from Luther. As Wesley listened, faith stirred in him. “I felt
my heart strangely warmed,” he says. “I felt I did trust in Christ,
Christ alone, for salvation, and God gave me assurance that He had
taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin
and death.”10
Now he had found that the grace he had worked so hard to win
by prayers and fasts and self-denial was a gift, “without money and
without price.” His whole heart filled with the desire to spread the
glorious gospel of God’s free grace everywhere. “I see all the world
as my parish,” he said. “In whatever part of it I am, I consider it
fitting, right, and my solemn duty, to declare the glad tidings of
salvation to all who are willing to hear.”11
He continued his strict and self-denying life, but now it was
not the basis for his faith, but the result of it; not the root, but the
fruit of holiness. The grace of God in Christ will show itself in
obedience. Wesley devoted his life to preaching the great truths he
had received—justification through faith in Christ’s atoning blood,
and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit on the heart, which
produces fruit in a life that follows Christ’s example.
In their university days, George Whitefield and the Wesleys
were contemptuously called “Methodists” by their ungodly fellow
students—a name regarded as honorable today. The Holy Spirit
urged them to preach Christ and Him crucified, and thousands were
truly converted. It was necessary to protect these sheep from the
prowling wolves. John Wesley had no thought of forming a new
denomination, but he organized the converts under what was called
the Methodist Connection.
9 John Whitehead, Life of the Rev. Charles Wesley, page 10.
10 John Whitehead, Life of the Rev. Charles Wesley, page 52.
11 John Whitehead, Life of the Rev. Charles Wesley, page 74.
 150 Love Under Fire

The opposition that these preachers met from the established

church was mysterious and trying, but the truth found entrance where
doors would otherwise remain closed. Some of the pastors awoke
from their moral stupor and became zealous preachers in their own
districts.
[110] In Wesley’s time, people of different gifts did not agree on every
point of doctrine. At one point, the differences between Whitefield
and the Wesleys threatened to divide them, but as they learned
meekness in the school of Christ, mutual restraint and goodwill
brought them back together. They had no time to dispute while error
and sin were all around them.

Wesley Escapes Death

Influential people tried to stop them. Many pastors were hostile,
and they closed the doors of the churches against a pure faith. The
pastors who denounced the Reformers from the pulpit stirred up the
elements of darkness and evil. John Wesley escaped death again and
again by a miracle of God’s mercy. When there seemed no way to
escape, an angel in human form came to his side, the mob fell back,
and the servant of Christ walked away from the danger in safety.
Speaking of one such deliverance, Wesley said: “Although many
tried to take hold of my collar or clothes, to pull me down, they could
not hold on at all. Only one got a firm grip on the flap of my vest,
which was soon left in his hand; the other flap, covering a pocket in
which was a bank note, was only half torn off.... A vigorous man
just behind me struck at me several times with a large oak stick. If
he had struck me with it once on the back of my head, it would have
saved him all further trouble. But every time, the blow was turned
aside, I don’t know how, for I could not move to the right or the
left.”12
The Methodists of those days endured ridicule and persecution,
and often violence. In some cases, people posted signs inviting
those who wanted to break the windows and rob the houses of the
Methodists to gather at a certain time and place. Unbelievers carried
on systematic persecution against a group of people whose only fault
was that they tried to turn sinners to the path of holiness.
12 John Wesley, Works, volume 3, pages 297, 298.
 Truth Advances in Britain 151

To a great degree, the spiritual decline in England just before the

time of Wesley had resulted from teaching that Christ had done away
with the moral law and that Christians are under no obligation to
keep it. Others declared that it was unnecessary for ministers to urge
the people to obey its teachings, since those whom God had chosen
for salvation would “be led to a life of piety and virtue,” while those
doomed to eternal damnation “did not have power to obey the divine
law.”
Others believed that “the ones God has chosen to save cannot
fall from grace nor lose God’s favor.” This led them to the dreadful
conclusion that “the wicked actions they commit are not really sinful,
... and that, consequently, they have no reason either to confess their
sins or to break them off by repentance.”13 So, they concluded, even
one of the worst sins “that everyone considers an enormous violation
of the divine law is not a sin in the sight of God” if committed by
one of God’s chosen ones. “They cannot do anything that is either
displeasing to God or prohibited by the law.”
These shocking doctrines are essentially the same as the later
teaching that there is no unchangeable divine law as the standard
of right, but that morality is something that society itself decides [111]
and is constantly subject to change. All these ideas are inspired by
Satan, who among the sinless inhabitants of heaven began his work
to break down the righteous restraints of God’s law.
The doctrine that divine decrees made people’s characters un-
changeable had led many to reject the law of God. Wesley firmly
opposed this doctrine that led to lawless living. “The grace of God
that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” “God our Savior ...
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,
the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.” Christ
is “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the
world.” (Titus 2:11; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; John 1:9.) People lose out on
salvation because of their own willful refusal to accept the gift of
life.

13 McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia, article “Antinomians.”

152 Love Under Fire

In Defense of the Law of God

In answer to the claim that Christ’s death had abolished the Ten
Commandments along with the ceremonial law, Wesley said: “The
moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments and enforced by
the prophets, He did not take away. This is a law that can never be
broken, which ‘stands firm as the faithful witness in heaven.’”
Wesley declared that the law and the gospel were in perfect
harmony. “On the one hand, the law continually makes way for the
gospel and points us to it. On the other hand, the gospel continually
leads us to fulfill the law more exactly. For instance, the law requires
us to love God, to love our neighbor, to be meek, humble, or holy. We
feel that we are not able to do these things.... But we see a promise
of God to give us this love and to make us humble, meek, and holy.
We lay hold of this gospel, this good news.... ‘The righteousness of
the law is fulfilled in us,’ through faith in Christ Jesus....
“Among the worst enemies of the gospel of Christ,” said Wes-
ley, “are people who ... teach others to break ... not only one
commandment, whether of the least or of the greatest, but all the
commandments at once.... They honor Him just as Judas did when
he said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi,’ and kissed Him.... It is nothing less than
betraying Him with a kiss, to talk of His blood and take away His
crown, to make light of any part of His law under the pretense of
advancing His gospel.”14

Harmony of Law and Gospel

To those who claimed that “the preaching of the gospel fulfills
all the purposes of the law,” Wesley replied: “It does not fulfill
the very first purpose of the law, which is to convict people of sin,
awakening those who are still asleep on the brink of hell.... It is
absurd, therefore, to offer a physician to those who are well, or who
at least imagine that they are well. You must first convince them
that they are sick; otherwise they will not appreciate your efforts.
It is equally absurd to offer Christ to those whose hearts are whole,
having never been broken.”15
14 Wesley, Sermon 25.
15 Wesley, Sermon 35.
 Truth Advances in Britain 153

While preaching the gospel of the grace of God, Wesley, like

Jesus his Master, tried to “exalt the law and make it honorable” [112]
(Isaiah 42:21). And he lived to see glorious results. At the close of
more than half a century he spent in ministry, his followers numbered
more than half a million. But we will not know how many people
were lifted from the degradation of sin to a higher and purer life
through his efforts until the whole family of the redeemed gather in
the kingdom of God. His life presents a priceless lesson to every
Christian.
If only the faith, untiring zeal, self-sacrifice, and devotion of this
servant of Christ were reflected in the churches of today!
[113] Chapter 15—France’s Reign of Terror: Its True
Cause

Some nations welcomed the Reformation as a messenger of

Heaven. Other lands excluded the light of Bible knowledge almost
completely. In one country truth and error struggled for the mastery
for centuries. In the end, the truth of Heaven was pushed out. The
restraint of God’s Spirit was removed from a people that had despised
the gift of His grace. And all the world saw what happens when
people willfully reject light.
The war against the Bible in France led to the Revolution, the
legitimate result of Rome’s having suppressed the Scriptures (see
Appendix). It presented the most striking illustration the world has
ever seen of the effects of the Roman Church’s teaching.
In the book of Revelation, John points to the terrible results that
were to come especially to France from the domination of the “man
of sin”:
“They will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy
one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth....
When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the
bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill
them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city
which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord
was crucified.... And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over
them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two
prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now after the
three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and
they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them”
(Revelation 11:2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11).
The “forty-two months” and “one thousand two hundred and
sixty days” are the same, the time in which Rome would oppress
the church of Christ. The 1,260 years began in A.D. 538 and ended
in 1798 (see Appendix). At that time a French army took the pope
154
 France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause 155

prisoner, and he died in exile. The papal hierarchy has never since
been able to wield the power it possessed before.
The persecution of the church did not continue through the entire
1,260 years. In mercy to His people, God cut short the time of their
fiery trial by the influence of the Reformation.
The “two witnesses” represent the Scriptures of the Old and the
New Testament, important testimonies to the origin and permanence
of God’s law, and also to the plan of salvation. [114]
“They will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days,
clothed in sackcloth.” When the Bible was forbidden and its testi-
mony perverted, when those who dared to proclaim its truths were
betrayed, tortured, martyred for their faith or compelled to run away
for safety—then the faithful “witnesses” prophesied “in sackcloth.”
In the darkest times God gave faithful Christians wisdom and au-
thority to declare His truth. (See Appendix.)
“And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their
mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them,
he must be killed in this manner” (Revelation 11:5). Trampling on
the Word of God has deadly consequences!
“When they finish [are finishing] their testimony.” As the two
witnesses were nearing the end of their work in obscurity, “the beast
that ascends out of the bottomless pit” was to make war on them.
Here we see a new display of satanic power.
While professing reverence for the Bible, it had been Rome’s
policy to keep the Bible locked up in an unknown language, hidden
from the people. Under her rule the witnesses prophesied “clothed
in sackcloth.” But “the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit”
was to make open, determined war on the Word of God.
“The great city” in whose streets the witnesses are killed and
where their dead bodies lie is “spiritually” Egypt. Of all nations in
Bible history, Egypt most boldly denied the existence of the living
God and resisted His commands. No ruler ever dared to rebel against
Heaven more arrogantly than did the king of Egypt, Pharaoh: “I do
not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). This is
atheism; and the nation represented by Egypt in the prophecy would
voice a similar denial of God and reveal a similar spirit of defiance.
“The great city” of the prophecy is also compared “spiritually”
to Sodom. The corruption of Sodom was especially evident in its
 156 Love Under Fire

open sexual impurity. This would also be a characteristic of the

nation that would fulfill this scripture.
So according to the prophet, a little before 1798 some power
of satanic character would rise to make war on the Bible. And in
the land where the testimony of God’s “two witnesses” would be
silenced, the atheism of Pharaoh and the sexual lust of Sodom would
be evident.

A Striking Fulfillment of Prophecy

This prophecy was remarkably fulfilled in the history of France
during the Revolution in 1793. “France stands apart in the world’s
history as the single state which, by the decree of her Legislative
Assembly, declared that there was no God. The entire population of
the capital, and a great majority elsewhere, women as well as men,
danced and sang with joy in accepting the announcement.”1
France also revealed the characteristics that distinguished Sodom.
The historian presents together the atheism and the loose sexuality
of France: “Closely connected with these laws affecting religion
[115] was the law that reduced the union of marriage—the most sacred
tie that human beings can form, and whose permanence contributes
most strongly to the stability of society—to nothing more than a
civil contract of a temporary character, which any two persons might
engage in and cast aside whenever they wished.... Sophie Arnoult,
an actress famous for saying witty things, described marriage in that
era as ‘the sacrament of adultery.’”2

Enmity Against Christ

“Where also our Lord was crucified.” This was also fulfilled by
France. In no other country did the truth have more cruel opposition.
In the persecution heaped on those who took their stand for the
gospel, France had crucified Christ in the person of His disciples.
Century after century the blood of the saints had been shed.
While the Waldenses laid down their lives on the mountains of Pied-
mont “for the testimony of Jesus Christ,” the Albigenses of France
1 Blackwood Magazine, November 1870.
2 Sir Walter Scott, Life of Napoleon, volume 1, chapter 17.
 France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause 157

had given a similar witness. The disciples of the Reformation had

been put to death with horrible tortures. King and nobles, highborn
women and delicate maidens had feasted their eyes on the dying
agonies of the martyrs of Jesus. The brave Huguenots had poured
out their blood on many a hard-fought battlefield. Protestants had
been hunted down like wild beasts.
The few descendants of the ancient Christians who remained
in France in the eighteenth century, hiding away in the mountains
of the south, still cherished the faith of their fathers. They were
dragged away to lifelong slavery in the galleys. The most refined
and intelligent of the French were chained, in horrible torture, among
robbers and assassins. Others were shot down in cold blood as they
fell on their knees in prayer. Their country, laid waste with the
sword, the axe, and the stake, “was converted into one vast, gloomy
wilderness.” “These atrocities took place ... in no dark age, but in
the brilliant era of Louis XIV. Science was then cultivated, literature
flourished, the clergy of the royal court and of the capital were
educated and eloquent men who made a great show of the graces of
meekness and charity.”3

The Most Horrible of Crimes

But most horrible among the terrible deeds of the dreadful cen-
turies was the St. Bartholomew Massacre. The king of France,
urged on by priests and church officials, gave his permission. A
bell, tolling in the middle of the night, was a signal for the slaughter.
Protestants by the thousands, sleeping in their homes, trusting the
honor of their king, were dragged out and murdered.
For seven days the massacre continued in Paris. By the king’s
order it was extended to all towns where Protestants were found.
Noble and peasant, old and young, mother and child, were cut down
together. Throughout France seventy thousand of the nation’s best
citizens died.
“When the news of the massacre reached Rome, the rejoicing
among the clergy knew no limits. The cardinal of Lorraine rewarded
the messenger with a thousand gold coins; the cannon of St. Angelo [116]
thundered out a joyous salute. Bells rang out from every steeple,
3 James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 22, chapter 7.
158 Love Under Fire

bonfires turned night into day, and Pope Gregory XIII, accompanied
by the cardinals and other church dignitaries, went in long procession
to the church of St. Louis, where the cardinal of Lorraine chanted a
Te Deum.... A medal was struck to commemorate the massacre....
A French priest ... spoke of ‘that day so full of happiness and joy,
when the most holy father received the news and went in solemn
state to render thanks to God and St. Louis.’”4
The same master spirit that urged on the St. Bartholomew Mas-
sacre led in the scenes of the Revolution. Jesus Christ was declared
an impostor, and the cry of the French infidels was “Crush the
Wretch,” meaning Christ. Blasphemy and wickedness went hand in
hand. In all this, France paid homage to Satan, while Christ, in His
characteristics of truth, purity, and unselfish love, was “crucified.”
“The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war
against them, overcome them, and kill them” (Revelation 11:7).
The atheistic power that ruled in France during the Revolution and
the Reign of Terror did wage this kind of war against God and His
Word. The National Assembly abolished the worship of God. Bibles
were collected and publicly burned. The government abolished the
institutions of the Bible. It set aside the weekly rest day, and in
its place the people devoted every tenth day to unholy celebrations.
Baptism and the Communion were prohibited. Announcements
posted over burial places declared that death was an eternal sleep.
All religious worship was prohibited except for worship of “lib-
erty” and the country. The “constitutional bishop of Paris was
brought forward ... to declare to the Convention that the religion
which he had taught so many years was, in every respect, a piece of
priestcraft that had no foundation either in history or sacred truth.
In solemn and explicit terms he denied the existence of the God to
whose worship he had been consecrated.”5
“And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make
merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets
tormented those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 11:10). Infidel
France had silenced the condemning voice of God’s two witnesses.
4 Henry White, The Massacre of St. Bartholomew, chapter 14, paragraph 34.
5 Scott, volume 1, chapter 17.
 France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause 159

The word of truth lay “dead” in her streets, and those who hated
God’s law were joyful. People defied the King of heaven publicly.

Blasphemous Boldness
One of the “priests” of the new order said: “God, if You exist,
avenge Your injured name. I defy You! You remain silent; You
dare not launch Your thunders. After this, who will believe in Your
existence?”6 What an echo this was of Pharaoh’s demand, “Who is
the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2).
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” And the
Lord declares, “Their folly will be manifest to all.” (Psalm 14:1;
2 Timothy 3:9.) After France had renounced the worship of the
living God, she descended into degrading idolatry by worshiping the
Goddess of Reason, an immoral woman. And this took place in the [117]
representative assembly of the nation! “One of the ceremonies of
this insane time has no equal for being absurd as well as insulting
to God. The doors of the Convention were thrown open.... The
members of the city’s governing body entered in solemn procession,
singing a hymn in praise of liberty, and escorting, as the object of
their future worship, a veiled female, whom they called the Goddess
of Reason. She was brought to the front, where she was unveiled
with great pageantry and placed at the right of the president. People
recognized her as a dancing girl of the opera.”

The Goddess of Reason

“Throughout the nation, wherever the inhabitants wanted to show
themselves as having fully embraced the Revolution, the people
imitated this installation of the Goddess of Reason.”7
When the “goddess” was brought into the Convention, the
speaker took her by the hand, turned to the assembly, and said:
“‘Mortals, cease to tremble before the powerless thunders of a God
whom your fears have created. From now on, acknowledge no god
6 Lacretelle, History, volume 11, page 309; in Sir Archibald Alison, History of Europe,

volume 1, chapter 10.

7 Scott, volume 1, chapter 17.
 160 Love Under Fire

but Reason. I offer you its noblest and purest image. If you must
have idols, sacrifice only to such as this....’
“The goddess, after being embraced by the president, was seated
on a magnificent vehicle and taken to the cathedral of Notre Dame,
to take the place of God. There she was raised up on a high altar and
received the adoration of all present.”8
The church had begun the work that atheism was completing,
hurrying France on to ruin. In referring to the horrors of the Revolu-
tion, writers say that these excesses are the fault of the kings and the
church. (See Appendix.) Strict justice requires them to be charged
upon the church. The papal system had poisoned the minds of kings
against the Reformation. The spirit of Rome inspired the cruelty and
oppression that came from the throne.
Wherever people received the gospel, their minds were awak-
ened. They began to throw off the chains that had kept them slaves
of ignorance and superstition. Kings saw it and trembled for their
power.
Rome was not slow to inflame their jealous fears. In 1525, the
pope said to the regent of France, “This mania [Protestantism] will
not only defeat and destroy religion, but all states, nobility, laws,
orders, and ranks besides.” A papal official warned the king: “The
Protestants will upset all civil as well as religious order.... The throne
is in as much danger as the altar.”9 Rome succeeded in turning France
against the Reformation.
The teaching of the Bible would have implanted in the hearts of
the people the principles of justice, temperance, and truth, which
are the cornerstone of a nation’s prosperity. “Righteousness exalts a
nation.” “A throne is established by righteousness.” (Proverbs 14:34;
16:12. See Isaiah 32:17.) The person who obeys God’s law is the
one who will most truly respect and obey the laws of the country.
But France prohibited the Bible. Century after century Christians
[118] of integrity, of intellectual and moral strength, who had the faith
to suffer for truth, worked as slaves in ships’ galleys, died at the
stake, or rotted in dungeon cells. For 250 years after the start of the
Reformation, thousands found safety only by leaving France.
8 M.
A. Thiers, History of the French Revolution, volume 2, pages 370, 371.
9 D’Aubigné,History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, book 2,
chapter 36.
 France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause 161

“Scarcely was there a generation of Frenchmen during that long

period that did not see the gospel’s disciples fleeing from the insane
fury of the persecutor, and taking with them the intelligence, the arts,
the industry, the order, in which they were typically their country’s
best, to enrich the lands in which they found a refuge.... If France had
kept all those who were driven away, what a ... great, prosperous, and
happy country—a pattern to the nations—she would have been! But
a blind and unrelenting bigotry chased from her soil every teacher
of virtue, every champion of order, every honest defender of the
throne.... At the end, the ruin of the state was complete.”10 The
Revolution, with all its horrors, was the result.

What Might Have Been

“With the escape of the Huguenots a general decline settled
on France. Flourishing manufacturing cities fell into decay.... It
is estimated that, at the time the Revolution began, two hundred
thousand poor people in Paris claimed charity from the hands of the
king. Only the Jesuits flourished in the decaying nation.”11
The gospel would have brought France the solution to those
problems that baffled her clergy, king, and legislators and that finally
plunged the nation into ruin. But under Rome the people had lost
the Savior’s lessons of self-sacrifice and unselfish love for the good
of others. The rich received no rebuke for oppressing the poor, and
the poor received no help for their pitiful condition. The selfishness
of the wealthy and powerful grew more and more oppressive. For
centuries, the rich wronged the poor, and the poor hated the rich.
In many provinces the working classes were at the mercy of
landlords and were forced to submit to exhorbitant demands. The
middle and lower classes were heavily taxed by the civil authorities
and clergy. “The farmers and the peasants might starve, for all their
oppressors cared.... The lives of the agricultural workers consisted
of unending work and unrelieved misery. Their complaints ... were
treated with insolent contempt.... Judges were notorious for accept-
ing bribes.... Less than half of the taxes ever found their way into the
royal or church treasury; the collectors kept the rest and squandered
10 Wylie, book 13, chapter 20.
11 Wylie, book 13, chapter 20.
 162 Love Under Fire

it in shameless self-indulgence. And the men who impoverished

their fellow-subjects in this way were not required to pay taxes and
were entitled by law or custom to all the privileges of the state.... So
that these could gratify their selfish desires, millions of people were
condemned to hopeless and degrading lives.” (See Appendix.)
For more than half a century before the Revolution, King Louis
XV occupied the throne. He was well known as a lazy, superficial,
and self-indulgent monarch. With the state financially embarrassed
[119] and the people exasperated, no one needed a prophet’s eye to foresee
a terrible outbreak. The king’s counselors urged the need for reform,
but he did not listen. The doom that was coming on France was
pictured in the king’s selfish answer, “After me, the deluge!”
Rome had influenced the kings and ruling classes to keep the
people in bondage, intending to fasten the souls of both the rulers and
the people in her shackles. The moral degradation was a thousand
times more terrible than the physical suffering that resulted from
her policy. Deprived of the Bible, and given fully to selfishness, the
people were shrouded in ignorance and sunken in vice, completely
unfit to govern themselves.

Results Reaped in Blood

Instead of keeping the common people in blind submission to
her teachings, Rome’s work resulted in making them infidels and
revolutionists. They despised Romanism as priestly deceptions. But
the only god they knew was the god of Rome. They believed Rome’s
greed and cruelty were the fruit of the Bible, and they would have
none of it.
Rome had misrepresented God’s character, and now people re-
jected both the Bible and its Author. In the reaction, Voltaire and
his associates threw God’s Word completely aside and spread their
anti-Christian teachings. Rome had ground the people down under
her iron heel, and now the people threw off all restraint. Enraged,
they rejected truth and falsehood together.
At the opening of the Revolution, the king reluctantly granted
the people more political representation than that of the nobles
and clergy combined. So the balance of power was in their hands,
but they were not prepared to use it wisely and with moderation.
 France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause 163

The angry citizens were determined to revenge themselves. The

oppressed carried out the lesson they had learned under tyranny and
became the oppressors of those who had oppressed them.
France reaped a harvest in blood from her submission to Rome.
Where France, under Romanism, had set up the first stake at the
opening of the Reformation, there the Revolution set up its first
guillotine. On the spot where the first martyrs of the Protestant
faith were burned in the sixteenth century, the first victims were
guillotined in the eighteenth. When the nation threw off the restraints
of God’s law, it swept on to revolt and anarchy. The war against
the Bible stands in world history as the Reign of Terror. Whoever
triumphed today was condemned tomorrow.
King, clergy, and nobles were forced to submit to the atrocities
of a maddened people. Those who decreed the death of the king
soon followed him to the scaffold. A general slaughter was decreed
against anyone suspected of hostility to the Revolution. France
became a vast field for rival masses of people, swayed by the fury of
their passions. “In Paris one riot followed another, and the citizens
were divided into an assortment of factions that seemed intent on
nothing but exterminating each other.... The country was nearly
bankrupt, the armies were clamoring for back pay, the people of [120]
Paris were starving, the provinces were laid waste by armed robbers,
and civilization was almost extinguished in anarchy and unrestrained
immorality.”
All too well the people had learned the lessons of cruelty and
torture that Rome had taught so diligently. This time it was not the
disciples of Jesus that were dragged to the stake. Long ago these
had died or been driven into exile. “The scaffolds ran red with the
blood of the priests. The galleys and the prisons, once crowded
with Huguenots, were now filled with their persecutors. Chained
to the bench and laboring at the oar, the Roman Catholic priests
experienced all the suffering that their church had inflicted so freely
on the gentle heretics.” (See Appendix.)
“Then came those days ... when spies lurked in every corner,
when the guillotine was at work long and hard every morning, when
the jails were packed as tightly as the holds of a slave ship, when
the gutters ran foaming with blood into the Seine River.... Long
rows of captives were mowed down with grapeshot from cannons.
 164 Love Under Fire

Holes were made in the bottom of crowded barges.... Hundreds of

young boys and of girls of seventeen were murdered by that repulsive
government. Soldiers tore babies from the breast and tossed them
from spear to spear along their ranks.” (See Appendix.)
All this was just as Satan wanted it. His policy is deception,
and his purpose is to bring wretchedness on humanity, to deface the
workmanship of God, and to mar the divine purpose of love, all to
cause grief in heaven. Then by his deceptive arts, he leads people to
throw the blame on God, as if all this misery were the result of the
Creator’s plan. When the people found Romanism to be a deception,
he urged them to regard all religion as a cheat and the Bible as a
fable.

The Fatal Error

The fatal error that brought such misery on France was that she
ignored this one great truth: true freedom lies within the limits of the
law of God. “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then
your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like
the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).
Those who refuse to read the lesson from the Book of God are
invited to read it in history.
When Satan used the Roman Church to lead people away from
obedience, he disguised his work. The Spirit of God prevented his
plans from reaching their full results. The people did not trace the
effect back to its cause and discover the source of their miseries. But
in the Revolution the National Council openly set aside the law of
God. And in the Reign of Terror which followed, everyone could
see the working of cause and effect.
Breaking a just and righteous law will result in ruin. The re-
straining Spirit of God, which puts a limit on the cruel power of
Satan, was mostly removed, and the one who delights in human
wretchedness was permitted to do what he wished. Those who had
chosen rebellion were left to reap its fruits. Crime filled the land.
[121] From devastated provinces and ruined cities came a terrible cry of
bitter anguish. France was shaken as if by an earthquake. Religion,
law, social order, the family, the state, and the church—all were
 France’s Reign of Terror: Its True Cause 165

struck down by the evil hand that had been lifted against the law of
God.
God’s two faithful witnesses, killed by the blasphemous power
that “ascends out of the bottomless pit,” were not to remain silent
for long. “After the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from
God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell
on those who saw them” (Revelation 11:11). In 1793, the decrees
that set aside the Bible passed the French Assembly. Three and a
half years later the same body adopted a resolution rescinding these
decrees. People recognized the need for faith in God and His Word
as the foundation of virtue and morality.
Concerning the “two witnesses” [the Old and New Testaments],
the prophet declares further: “And they heard a loud voice from
heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven
in a cloud, and their enemies saw them” (Revelation 11:12). “God’s
two witnesses” have been honored as never before. In 1804, the
British and Foreign Bible Society was organized, followed by similar
organizations on the European continent. In 1816, the American
Bible Society was founded. The Bible has since been translated into
many hundreds of languages and dialects. (See Appendix.)
Before 1792, foreign missions received little attention. But
toward the close of the eighteenth century a great change took place.
People became dissatisfied with rationalism and realized the need
for divine revelation and experiential religion. From then on, foreign
missions have seen unprecedented growth. (See Appendix.)
Improvements in printing have helped to circulate the Bible.
With old prejudices and national exclusiveness breaking down, and
the pope’s having lost secular power, the way has opened in many
places for the Word of God to enter. The Bible has now gone to
every part of the globe.
The infidel Voltaire said: “I am weary of hearing people repeat
that twelve men established the Christian religion. I will prove that
one man will be enough to overthrow it.” Millions have joined in the
war on the Bible. But it is far from being destroyed. Where there
were a hundred copies in Voltaire’s time, there are now a hundred
thousand copies of the Book of God. In the words of an early
Reformer, “The Bible is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”
166 Love Under Fire

Whatever is built on human authority will be overthrown; but

things that are founded on the rock of God’s Word will stand forever.
 Chapter 16—Seeking Freedom in a New World [122]
[123]
Though the Church of England rejected the authority and creed
of Rome, it welcomed into its worship many of her ceremonies. The
claim circulated that things the Bible did not forbid were not evil
in themselves. Observing these ceremonies tended to narrow the
gulf separating the reformed churches from Rome, and some people
claimed that doing so would help Catholics accept the Protestant
faith.
Others did not agree. They saw these customs as badges of
the slavery from which they had been delivered. They reasoned
that in His Word God has established the regulations governing His
worship, and that people are not free to add to these or to remove
any of them. Rome began by requiring what God had not forbidden,
and ended by forbidding what He had explicitly required.
Many viewed the customs of the English Church as obvious
idolatry, and they could not participate in her worship. But the
church, backed by civil authority, would permit no dissent. Unau-
thorized gatherings for worship were prohibited under penalty of
imprisonment, exile, or death.
The Puritans were hunted, persecuted, and imprisoned, and they
could not see any promise of better days. Some, while trying to go
to Holland for refuge, were betrayed into the hands of their enemies.
But their perseverance finally conquered, and they found shelter on
friendly Dutch shores.
They had left their houses and their jobs. They were strangers
in a strange land, forced to resort to unfamiliar occupations to earn
their living. But they lost no time in idleness or complaining. They
thanked God for the blessings they had and were happy that they
could worship without fear.

167
 168 Love Under Fire

God Overruled Events

When God’s hand seemed to point them across the sea to a land
where they could establish a government for themselves and leave
their children the heritage of religious liberty, they went forward in
the path where God was leading. Persecution and exile were opening
the way to freedom.
When they first had to separate from the English Church, the
Puritans made a covenant as the Lord’s free people “to walk together
in all His ways made known or to be made known to them.”1 This
was the vital principle of Protestantism. With this intent the Pilgrims
[124] left Holland to find a home in the New World. John Robinson, their
pastor, said this in his farewell address to the exiles:
“I charge you before God and His blessed angels to follow me
no farther than I have followed Christ. If God should reveal anything
to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as
you ever were to receive any truth from my ministry; for I am very
confident the Lord has more truth and light yet to break forth out of
His holy word.”2
“For my part, I cannot feel worse over the condition of the re-
formed churches, who ... now will go no farther than those who
brought reformation to them. The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go
beyond what Luther saw; ... and the Calvinists, you see, stay right
where they were left by that great man of God, who did not yet see
all things.... Though these leaders were burning and shining lights
in their time, yet they did not understand the whole counsel of God,
but if they were living now, they would be as willing to embrace
further light as the light they first received.”3
“Remember your promise and covenant with God and with one
another, to receive whatever light and truth shall come to you from
His written word. But along with this, be careful, I beg you, about
what you accept as truth, and compare it and weigh it with other
scriptures of truth before you accept it, for it is not possible the
Christian world would come so recently out of such thick anti-Chris-
1 [Link], The Pilgrim Fathers, page 74.
2 W. Carlos Martyn, The Life and Times of Martin Luther, volume 5, page 70.
3 D. Neal, History of Puritans, volume 1, page 269.
 Seeking Freedom in a New World 169

tian darkness, and that full perfection of knowledge would suddenly

be there.”4
The desire for freedom of conscience inspired the Pilgrims to
cross the sea, endure the hardships of the wilderness, and lay the
foundation of a mighty nation. Yet the Pilgrims did not yet un-
derstand the principle of religious liberty. The freedom that they
sacrificed so much to get for themselves, they were not ready to give
to others. The doctrine that God has given the church the right to
control the conscience and to define and punish heresy is one of
the papacy’s most deeply rooted errors. The Reformers were not
entirely free from Rome’s spirit of intolerance. The dense darkness
that had enveloped Christendom had not completely vanished yet.
The colonists formed a kind of state church and authorized the
government officials to suppress heresy. So secular power was in the
hands of the church. This led to the inevitable result—persecution.

Roger Williams
Like the early Pilgrims, Roger Williams came to the New World
for its religious freedom. But, unlike them, he saw what so few
had yet seen—that this freedom was the absolute right of everyone.
He was a devoted seeker for truth. Williams “was the first person
in modern Christendom to establish civil government based on the
doctrine of the liberty of conscience.”5 “The public or the govern-
ment officials may decide,” he said, “our responsibilities to each
other. But when they try to decree anyone’s duties to God, they
are out of place, and no one is safe, for it is clear that if the official
had the power, he could decree one set of opinions or beliefs today
and another tomorrow. This has been done in England by different [125]
kings and queens, and by different popes and councils in the Roman
Church.”6
People were required to attend the established church under
penalty of fine or imprisonment. Roger Williams believed that “to
compel anyone to unite with those who believed differently was an
4 Martyn, volume 5, pages 70, 71.
5 George Bancroft, History of the United States of America, part 1, chapter 15,
paragraph 16.
6 Martyn, volume 5, page 340.
170 Love Under Fire

open violation of that person’s natural rights. To drag the irreligious

and the unwilling to public worship seemed like simply requiring
them to be hypocrites.... ‘No one should be forced to worship, or,’
he added, ‘to support any kind of worship against his own will.’”7
People respected Roger Williams, yet they could not tolerate his
demand for religious liberty. To avoid arrest he was forced to escape
into the uninhabited forest during the cold and storms of winter.
“For fourteen weeks,” he says, “I was in serious trouble in the
bitter weather, without food or a bed.” But “the ravens fed me in
the wilderness,” and a hollow tree often provided a shelter.8 He
continued his painful escape through snow and trackless forest until
he found safety with an Indian tribe whose confidence and affection
he had won.
Roger Williams laid the foundation of the first modern state to
recognize the right “that all people should have liberty to worship
God according to the light of their own consciences.”9 His little
state, Rhode Island, increased and prospered until its foundation
principles—civil and religious liberty—became the cornerstones of
the American Republic.

Document of Freedom
The American Declaration of Independence stated, “We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The Constitution guarantees that the government may not violate
a person’s conscience: “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
“The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle
that a person’s relationship to God is above human legislation, and
the rights of conscience are not to be violated.... It is an inborn
principle that nothing can eradicate.”10
7 Bancroft,
part 1, chapter 15, paragraph 2.
8 Martyn,
volume 5, pages 349, 350.
9 Martyn, volume 5, page 354.
10 Congressional Documents (U.S.A.), serial number 200, document number 271.
 Seeking Freedom in a New World 171

The news spread through Europe about a land where all could
enjoy the fruits of their own labors and obey their own consciences.
Thousands flocked to the shores of the New World. Within twenty
years of the first landing at Plymouth (1620), twenty thousand Pil-
grims had settled in New England.
“They asked nothing from the soil but the reasonable returns
of their own labor.... They patiently endured the hardships of the
wilderness, watering the tree of liberty with their tears and with the
sweat of their brow, till it took deep root in the land.”

Surest Safeguard of National Greatness

The home, school, and church all taught Bible principles. The
Bible’s fruits showed clearly in thrift, intelligence, purity, and tem-
perance. For years one might “not see a drunkard, or hear a swear [126]
word, or meet a beggar.”11 Bible principles are what most surely
protect a nation’s greatness. The feeble colonies grew into powerful
states, and the world noticed the prosperity of “a church without a
pope, and a state without a king.”
But increasing numbers of people were attracted to America by
motives different from those of the Pilgrims. These were people
who were looking only for worldly advantage.
The early colonists permitted only members of the church to
vote or to hold office in the government. They accepted this measure
to preserve the purity of the state. It resulted, however, in corrupting
the church. Many people joined the church without a change of
heart. Even in the ministry there were people who knew nothing of
the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. From the days of Constantine
to the present, while attempting to build up the church by the aid
of the state may appear to bring the world nearer to the church, in
reality it brings the church nearer to the world.
The Protestant churches of America, and those in Europe as well,
failed to push forward in the path of reform. The majority, like the
Jews in Christ’s day or the Catholics in the time of Luther, were
content to believe as their ancestors had believed. They kept their
errors and superstitions. The Reformation gradually died out, until
there was almost as great a need for reform in the Protestant churches
11 Bancroft, part 1, chapter 19, paragraph 25.
172 Love Under Fire

as in the Roman Church in the time of Luther. The Protestant

churches had the same reverence for human opinions and substitution
of human theories for God’s Word. People neglected to search the
Scriptures, and so they continued to cling to doctrines that had no
foundation in the Bible.
Pride and extravagance were encouraged under the appearance of
religion, and the churches became corrupted. Traditions that would
ruin millions were taking deep root. The church was upholding these
traditions instead of contending earnestly for “the faith which was
once for all delivered to the saints.”
This is how the principles for which the Reformers had suffered
so much were eroded.
 Chapter 17—Promises of Christ’s Return [127]

The promise of Christ’s second coming to complete the great

work of redemption is the main theme of the Sacred Scriptures.
Since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, the children of faith
have waited for the coming of the Promised One to bring them to
the lost Paradise again.
Enoch, the seventh generation from those who lived in Eden,
who walked with God for three centuries, declared, “Behold, the
Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment
on all” (Jude 14, 15). In the night of his suffering Job exclaimed,
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the
earth; ... in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:25-27).
The poets and prophets of the Bible have written about the com-
ing of Christ in words glowing with fire. “Let the heavens rejoice,
and let the earth be glad ... before the LORD. For He is coming,
for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with
righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psalm 96:11-13).
Isaiah said: “It will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God;
we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we
have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation’”
(Isaiah 25:9).
The Savior comforted His disciples with the assurance that He
would come again: “In My Father’s house are many mansions.... I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go ..., I will come again and
receive you to Myself.” “When the Son of Man comes in His glory,
and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of
His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him.” (John 14:2,
3; Matthew 25:31, 32.)
Angels repeated to the disciples the promise of His return: “This
same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come
in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). And
Paul testified: “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
173
 174 Love Under Fire

shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God”
(1 Thessalonians 4:16). John, the prophet of Patmos, said: “Behold,
He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Revelation
1:7).
Then the age-long rule of evil will be broken: “The kingdoms
of this world” will become “the kingdoms of our Lord and of His
Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15).
[128] “The Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth
before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11).
Then the peaceful kingdom of the Messiah will be established:
“The LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden
of the LORD” (Isaiah 51:3).
In all ages the coming of the Lord has been the hope of His
true followers. In their suffering and persecution, the “appearing
of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” was the “blessed hope”
(Titus 2:13). Paul pointed to the resurrection that will happen at
the Savior’s advent, when the dead in Christ will rise and be caught
up together with the living to meet the Lord in the air. “And thus,”
he said, “we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one
another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, 18).
On Patmos John, the beloved disciple, heard the promise, “Surely
I am coming quickly,” and his response is the prayer of the church,
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
From the dungeon, the stake, the scaffold, where faithful believ-
ers and martyrs witnessed for the truth, comes down through the
centuries the expression of their faith and hope. Being “assured of
His personal resurrection, and consequently of their own resurrection
at His coming, for this reason,” says one of these Christians, “they
despised death, and were found to be above it.”1 The Waldenses
cherished the same faith. Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Ridley,
and Baxter looked in faith for the Lord’s coming. This was the hope
of the church in the apostles’ time, of the “church in the wilderness,”
and of the Reformers.
1 See
Daniel T. Taylor, The Reign of Christ on Earth: Or, The Voice of the Church in
All Ages, page 33.
 Promises of Christ’s Return 175

Prophecy not only foretells the manner and purpose of Christ’s

second coming, but tells us how we may know when that day is near.
“There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars” (Luke
21:25). “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will
be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds
with great power and glory” (Mark 13:24-26). This is how John the
revelator describes the first of the signs that come before the Second
Advent: “There was a great earthquake; and the sun became black
as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood” (Revelation
6:12).

The Earthquake That Shook the World

This prophecy was fulfilled in 1755 in the most terrible earth-
quake ever recorded. (See Appendix.) Known as the Lisbon earth-
quake, it reached to Europe, Africa, and America. People felt it in
Greenland, the West Indies, Madeira, Norway and Sweden, Great
Britain and Ireland. It covered an area of at least four million square
miles. In Africa the shock was almost as severe as in Europe. A
major part of Algiers was destroyed. A huge wave swept over the
coast of Spain and Africa, engulfing cities.
Mountains, “some of the largest in Portugal, were suddenly
shaken, it seemed, from their very foundations; and some of them
opened at their peaks, which were split and torn in an astonishing [129]
way, huge sections of them being thrown down into the nearby
valleys. Some people say they saw flames coming from these moun-
tains.”
At Lisbon there was “a sound of thunder underground, and im-
mediately afterwards a violent quake threw down most of that city.
In only about six minutes, sixty thousand people died. The sea first
drew back, and left the sandbar dry. Then it rolled in, rising fifty
feet or more above its usual level.”2
“The earthquake happened on a holy day, when the churches
and convents were full of people. Very few of them escaped.”3 “The
terror of the people was indescribable. No one wept; it was beyond
2 Sir Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, page 495.
3 Encyclopedia Americana, article “Lisbon” (edition 1831).
176 Love Under Fire

tears. They ran here and there, frantic with horror and astonishment,
beating their faces and chests, crying, ‘Mercy! The world’s at an
end!’ Mothers forgot their children and ran around loaded with
crucifixed images. Unfortunately, many ran to the churches for
protection; uselessly they sought to be near the bread and wine; in
vain did the poor creatures embrace the altars. Images, priests, and
people were buried in one common ruin.”

Darkening of the Sun and Moon

Twenty-five years later the next sign appeared that was men-
tioned in the prophecy—the darkening of the sun and moon. In
conversation with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus had
clearly pointed out the time for this prophecy’s fulfillment. “In those
days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light” (Mark 13:24). The 1,260 days, or years,
ended in 1798. A quarter of a century earlier, persecution had almost
completely died out. Following this persecution, the sun would be
darkened. On May 19, 1780, this prophecy was fulfilled.
An eyewitness in Massachusetts described the event this way:
“A heavy black cloud spread over the entire sky except a narrow rim
at the horizon, and it was as dark as it usually is at nine o’clock on a
summer evening....
“Fear, anxiety, and awe gradually filled the minds of the people.
Women stood at the door, looking out at the dark landscape. Men
returned from their work in the fields. The carpenter left his tools,
the blacksmith his shop, the tradesman his counter. Schools were
dismissed, and the children ran home in fear. Travelers asked for
shelter at the nearest farmhouse. ‘What is coming?’ was the question
on every lip and heart. It seemed as if a hurricane was about to sweep
across the land, or as if it was the judgment day, the end of all things.
“People lit candles, and hearth fires glowed as brightly as they
do on a moonless evening in autumn.... Birds flew to their roosts
and went to sleep, cattle gathered at the pasture gates and lowed,
frogs peeped, birds sang their evening songs, and bats flew around.
But the human knew that night had not come....
“Congregations came together in many ... places. The texts for
the impromptu sermons consistently were those that seemed to show
 Promises of Christ’s Return 177

that the darkness fulfilled Bible prophecy.... The darkness was the [130]
deepest shortly after eleven o’clock.”4
“In most parts of the country it was so dark in the daytime that
the people could not tell what time it was by either watch or clock,
nor eat, nor manage their home duties, without the light of candles.”5

Moon as Blood
“When night came, its darkness was just as odd and terrifying
as the day’s darkness had been. Though there was almost a full
moon, no object was visible without the help of some artificial
light. When people saw these lights from the neighboring houses
and other places at a distance, it was as though they were looking
through a kind of Egyptian darkness which seemed almost to let
no light through at all.”6 “If every shining body in the universe had
been wrapped in light-proof shades or struck out of existence, the
darkness could not have been more complete.”7 After midnight the
darkness disappeared, and the moon, when it first became visible,
had the appearance of blood.
May 19, 1780, stands in history as “The Dark Day.” Since the
time of Moses no darkness has ever been recorded that equaled its
density, extent, and duration. The description of eyewitnesses echoes
the prophet Joel’s words recorded twenty-five hundred years earlier:
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD” (Joel
2:31).
“When these things begin to happen,” Christ said, “look up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” He pointed
His followers to the springtime’s budding trees: “When they are
already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is
now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know
that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:28, 30, 31.)
4 The Essex Antiquarian, April 1899, volume 3, number 4, pages 53, 54.
5 William Gordon, History of the Rise, Progress and Establishment of the Indepen-
dence of the U.S.A., volume 3, page 57.
6 Isaiah Thomas, Massachusetts Spy; or, American Oracle of Liberty, volume 10,

number 472 (May 25, 1780).

7 Letter by Dr. Samuel Tenney, of Exeter, New Hampshire, December 1785, in

Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, 1792, 1st series, volume 1, page 97.
 178 Love Under Fire

But in the church love for Christ and faith in His coming had
grown cold. Those who claimed to be the people of God were
blind to the Savior’s instructions about the signs of His appearing.
They had neglected the doctrine of the Second Advent until, to a
great extent, it was ignored and forgotten, especially in America.
A consuming devotion to money-making, the rush for popularity
and power, led people to put off, far into the future, that solemn day
when this world as we know it would pass away.
The Savior predicted the low spiritual condition of believers that
would exist just before His second advent. Christ’s counsel to those
living at this time is: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be
weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and that Day come on you unexpectedly.... Watch therefore, and
pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these
things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man”
(Luke 21:34, 36).
It was important to alert people to prepare for the solemn events
connected with the close of probation. “The day of the LORD is
[131] great and very terrible; who can endure it?” Who can stand when
He appears who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil,” and “cannot
look on wickedness”? “I will punish the world for its evil, and the
wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and
will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” “Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them”; “their goods shall become
booty, and their houses a desolation.” (Joel 2:11; Habakkuk 1:13;
Isaiah 13:11; Zephaniah 1:18, 13.)

The Call to Prepare

With that great day approaching, the Word of God calls His
people to turn to Him with repentance:
“The day of the LORD is coming, for it is at hand.” “Consecrate
a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the con-
gregation, assemble the elders, gather the children.... Let the priests,
who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar.”
“‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and
with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to
 Promises of Christ’s Return 179

the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness.” (Joel 2:1, 15-17, 12, 13.)
To prepare a people to stand in the day of God, there was a great
work of reform to be done. In His mercy God was about to send a
message to awaken those who claimed to be His people and lead
them to get ready for the coming of the Lord.
We find this warning in Revelation 14. Here is a three-part
message represented as proclaimed by heavenly beings and followed
immediately by the Son of man’s coming to reap “the harvest of
the earth” (Revelation 14:15). The prophet saw an angel “flying
in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to
those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and
people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him,
for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made
heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6,
7).
This message is a part of “the everlasting gospel.” God has
entrusted the work of preaching to us. Holy angels direct, but the
servants of Christ on earth actually proclaim the gospel. Faithful men
and women, obeying the urgings of God’s Spirit and the teachings of
His Word, were to proclaim this warning. They had been seeking the
knowledge of God, regarding it as “better than the profits of silver,
and her gain than fine gold.” “The secret of the LORD is with those
who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” (Proverbs
3:14; Psalm 25:14.)

A Message Given by Humble Men

If scholarly theologians had been faithful watchmen, searching
the Scriptures diligently and prayerfully, they would have known the
time. The prophecies would have revealed to them the events about
to happen. But instead, humble people gave the message. Those
who neglect to seek the light when it is within their reach are left in
darkness. But the Savior says, “He who follows Me shall not walk
in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). God will send
some star of heavenly radiance to that person to guide him into all [132]
truth.
180 Love Under Fire

At the time of Christ’s first coming, the priests and scribes of

the Holy City could have recognized “the signs of the times” and
announced the coming of the Promised One. Micah identified His
birthplace, and Daniel, the time of His arrival (Micah 5:2; Daniel
9:25). The Jewish leaders had no valid excuse if they did not know.
Their ignorance was the result of sinful neglect.
With deepest interest the elders of Israel should have been study-
ing the place, the time, the circumstances, of the greatest event in
the world’s history—the coming of the Son of God. The people
should have been watching so that they could welcome the world’s
Redeemer. But at Bethlehem two weary travelers from Nazareth
walked the length of the narrow street to the eastern edge of town
without finding shelter for the night. No doors were open to receive
them. In a crude stall prepared for cattle, they finally found refuge,
and there the Savior of the world was born.
God appointed angels to carry the happy news to those who were
ready to receive it and who would joyfully tell others. Christ had
stooped to take human nature on Himself, to bear infinite agony as
He made Himself an offering for sin. Yet angels wanted the Son
of the Highest, even in His humiliation, to appear before the world
with a dignity and glory suitable for His character. Would the great
men of earth assemble at Israel’s capital to greet His coming? Would
angels present Him to those waiting for His arrival?
An angel visited the earth to see who were prepared to welcome
Jesus. But he heard no voice of praise that the time of Messiah’s
coming had arrived. The angel hovered over the chosen city and
temple where God’s presence had appeared for ages, but even there
he found the same indifference. In pomp and pride the priests offered
polluted sacrifices. With loud voices the Pharisees addressed the
people or made boastful prayers at the corners of the streets. Kings,
philosophers, rabbis, all were ignorant of the wonderful fact that the
Redeemer was about to appear.
In amazement the angel messenger was about to return to heaven
with the shameful news, when he discovered a group of shepherds
watching their flocks. As they gazed into the starry heavens, they
thought about the prophecy of a Messiah to come, and they longed
for the arrival of the world’s Redeemer. Here was a group prepared to
receive the heavenly message. Suddenly celestial glory flooded the
 Promises of Christ’s Return 181

entire plain, revealing an immeasurable company of angels. Then,

as if the joy were too great for one messenger to bring from heaven,
many voices broke out in the anthem that someday all the nations
of the saved will sing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14).
What a lesson this wonderful story of Bethlehem is! How it
rebukes our unbelief, our pride and self-sufficiency. How it warns
us to watch out, so that we will not also fail to recognize the signs
of the times and therefore not know our time of opportunity.
It was not just among lowly shepherds that angels found people [133]
watching for Messiah’s coming. In heathen lands there were also
those who looked for Him—rich, noble wise men—the philosophers
of the East. From the Hebrew Scriptures they had learned about the
Star that would rise out of Jacob. Eagerly they waited for the coming
of the One who would be not only the “Consolation of Israel,” but
“a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,” and “for salvation to the
ends of the earth” (Luke 2:25, 32; Acts 13:47). The Heaven-sent
star guided Gentile strangers to the birthplace of the newborn King.
It is “to those who eagerly wait for Him” that Christ will “appear
a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). Like
the news of the Savior’s birth, God did not commit the message of
the Second Advent to the religious leaders of the people. They had
refused light from heaven, and so they were not part of the group that
the apostle Paul described: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness,
so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the sons
of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness”
(1 Thessalonians 5:4, 5).
The religious leaders should have been the first to catch the news
of the Savior’s coming, the first to announce that He was near. But
they were careless and inattentive, while the people were asleep in
their sins. Jesus saw His church, like the barren fig tree, covered
with a show of leaves, yet without any precious fruit. They lacked
the spirit of true humility, penitence, and faith. In its place they had
pride, religious forms, selfishness, and oppression. A backsliding
church closed their eyes to the signs of the times. They left God and
separated themselves from His love. Because they refused to accept
the conditions, His promises were not fulfilled to them.
182 Love Under Fire

Many of those who said they were followers of Christ refused to

receive the light from heaven. Like the Jews of long ago, they did
not know their time of opportunity. The Lord passed them by and
revealed His truth to those who, like the shepherds of Bethlehem
and the Eastern Magi, had followed all the light they had received.
 Chapter 18—New Light in the New World [134]

An upright, honest farmer who sincerely desired to know the

truth was the man God chose to lead in proclaiming Christ’s second
coming. Like many other Reformers, William Miller had battled
poverty and learned the lessons of self-denial.
Even as a child Miller showed more than ordinary intellectual
strength. As he grew older, his mind was active and well developed,
and he had a deep thirst for knowledge. He loved to study and made
a habit of careful thought and keen analysis. These things made him
a man of sound judgment and broad views. His moral character was
excellent, and he had an enviable reputation. He performed well in
the various civil and military positions he held. Wealth and honor
seemed to be in his future.
In childhood he had been responsive to religious matters. In
early manhood, however, he began to associate with deists,* whose
influence was strong because they were mostly good citizens, hu-
mane, and benevolent. Living in the midst of a Christian society,
their characters had been molded to some extent by their surround-
ings. They were indebted to the Bible for the qualities that won them
respect, and yet they perverted these good gifts to influence people
against the Word of God. Miller adopted their views.
The interpretations of Scripture that people held then presented
difficulties that seemed unsolvable to him. Yet his new belief, which
set aside the Bible, offered nothing better, and he remained far from
satisfied. But when Miller was thirty-four, the Holy Spirit impressed
his heart that he was a sinner. He found no assurance of happiness
beyond the grave. The future was dark and gloomy. Referring to his
feelings at this time, he said:
“The heavens were like brass over my head, and the earth like
iron under my feet.... The more I thought, the more scattered were
* Deism: The belief that God exists and created the world, but thereafter assumed no
control over it nor concern for the lives of people; the belief that reason is sufficient for
the knowledge of truth, thus rejecting revelation.—Webster’s New World Dictionary.

183
 184 Love Under Fire

my conclusions. I tried to stop thinking, but my thoughts would not

be controlled. I was truly miserable, but I did not understand why. I
was unhappy and complaining, but didn’t know whom to blame. I
knew that there was a wrong, but I did not know how or where to
find the right.”

[135] Miller Finds a Friend

“Suddenly,” he says, “the character of a Savior came vividly
to my mind. It seemed that there might be a being so good and
compassionate that he would himself atone for our transgressions,
and so save us from suffering the penalty of sin.... But the question
arose, How can we prove that such a being does exist? Aside from
the Bible, I found that I could get no evidence of the existence of
such a Savior, or even of a future life....
“I saw that the Bible did tell about just the kind of Savior I
needed, and I was perplexed over how an uninspired book could
develop principles so perfectly adapted to the needs of a fallen world.
I was forced to admit that the Scriptures must be a revelation from
God. They became my delight, and in Jesus I found a friend. The
Savior became to me the Chief among ten thousand. The Scriptures,
which before seemed dark and contradictory, now became the lamp
to my feet and light to my path.... I found the Lord God to be a
Rock in the midst of the ocean of life. The Bible now became my
main study, and I can truly say, I searched it with great delight.... I
wondered why I had not seen its beauty and glory before, and I was
amazed that I could have ever rejected it.... I lost all desire for other
reading and applied my heart to get wisdom from God.”1
Miller publicly acknowledged his faith. But his unbelieving
friends brought up all the arguments that he himself had often used
against the Scriptures. He reasoned that if the Bible is a revelation
from God, it must be consistent with itself. He decided to study the
Scriptures and see whether every apparent contradiction could be
harmonized.
Setting commentaries aside, he compared scripture with scripture
by the aid of the marginal references and a concordance. Beginning
1 S. Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 65-67.
 New Light in the New World 185

with Genesis, reading verse by verse, when he found anything un-

clear he compared it with every other text that seemed to refer to the
topic. He allowed every word to have its influence on the text. So
whenever he came across a passage hard to understand, he found an
explanation in some other part of the Scriptures. As he studied, he
prayed earnestly for God to enlighten his mind, and he experienced
the truth of the psalmist’s words, “The entrance of Your words gives
light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).
With intense interest he studied Daniel and Revelation and found
that the prophetic symbols could be understood. He saw that all the
various symbols, metaphors, illustrations, etc., were either explained
in their immediate context or defined in other scriptures and should
then be understood literally. He found link after link in the chain of
truth, which rewarded his efforts. Step by step he found the meaning
of the great Bible prophecies. Angels of heaven were guiding his
mind.
He became satisfied that the Word of God did not teach the
popular view of an earthly millennium before the end of the world.
This doctrine, pointing to a thousand years of righteousness and
peace before the coming of the Lord, is the opposite of the teachings
of Christ and His apostles, who declared that the wheat and the tares [136]
are to grow together until the harvest, the end of the world, and that
“evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse” (2 Timothy
3:13).

Personal Coming of Christ

The church in the apostles’ time did not teach that the world
would be converted and that Christ would reign only spiritually.
Christians did not generally believe that way until about the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century. This doctrine taught people to look
far in the future for the coming of the Lord and prevented them from
noticing the signs announcing His approach. It led many to neglect
preparing to meet their Lord.
Miller found that the Bible plainly taught the literal, personal
coming of Christ. “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God.” “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven
186 Love Under Fire

with power and great glory.” “As the lightning comes from the east
and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man
be.” “The Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him.” “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they will gather together His elect.” (1 Thessalonians
4:16; Matthew 24:30, 27; 25:31; 24:31.)
When Jesus comes, the righteous dead will be raised and the
righteous living changed. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” “The
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Corinthians
15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.)
In our present condition we human beings are mortal and cor-
ruptible, but the kingdom of God will be incorruptible. Therefore
in our present condition we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
When Jesus comes, He gives immortality to His people, and then
He calls them to inherit the kingdom that has been theirs only by
promise up to then.

Scripture and Chronology

These and other scriptures clearly proved to Miller that the uni-
versal reign of peace and God’s setting up His kingdom on the earth
would come after Jesus’ second advent. Further, the condition of the
world around Miller matched the prophetic description of the last
days. He was forced to conclude that time was almost over for the
earth as we know it.
“Another kind of evidence that vitally affected my mind,” he
says, “was the chronology of the Scriptures.... I found that predicted
events that had been fulfilled in the past often happened within
a certain stated time.... Events ... that were once only a matter
of prophecy, ... were fulfilled in harmony with the predictions of
time.”2
2 S. Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 74, 75.
 New Light in the New World 187

When he found time periods in the Bible that extended to the [137]
second coming of Christ, he could not avoid seeing them as the
“preappointed times” (Acts 17:26), which God had shown to His
servants. “Those things which are revealed belong to us and to our
children forever.” The Lord declares that He “does nothing, unless
He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (Deuteronomy
29:29; Amos 3:7.) People who study God’s Word may confidently
expect to find the Bible clearly pointing out the greatest event in
human history.
“I was fully convinced,” says Miller, “that all Scripture given by
inspiration of God is profitable; that it ... was written as holy men
were moved by the Holy Spirit, and it was written ‘for our learning,
that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might
have hope.’ ... I therefore felt that in trying to understand what God
in His mercy had seen fit to reveal to us, I had no right to ignore the
prophetic periods.”3
The prophecy that seemed to reveal the time of the Second Ad-
vent most clearly was Daniel [Link] “For two thousand three hundred
days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Making Scripture its
own interpreter, Miller learned that a day in symbolic prophecy rep-
resents a year (see Appendix). He saw that the 2,300 prophetic days,
or literal years, would extend far beyond the close of the Jewish era,
and so it could not refer to the sanctuary of that time.
Miller accepted the widely held view that in the Christian age
the earth is the “sanctuary,” so he thought that the cleansing of the
sanctuary that Daniel 8:14 predicted represented the purifying of the
earth by fire at the second coming of Christ. He concluded that if
he could find the correct starting point for the 2,300 days, it would
reveal the time of the Second Advent.

Discovering the Prophetic Timetable

Miller continued to examine the prophecies, devoting whole
nights as well as days to studying what now seemed so greatly
important. In the eighth chapter of Daniel he could find no clue
to the starting point of the 2,300 days. The angel Gabriel, though
commanded to make Daniel understand the vision, gave him only
3 S. Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 74, 75.
 188 Love Under Fire

a partial explanation. As the terrible persecution to come on the

church was revealed to the prophet, he could not bear it all. Daniel
“fainted and was sick for days.” “I was astonished by the vision,” he
says, “but no one understood it.” (Daniel 8:27.)
Yet God had told the angel, “Make this man understand the
vision.” In obedience, the angel returned to Daniel, saying: “I have
now come forth to give you skill to understand ... therefore consider
the matter, and understand the vision.” He had left one important
point in chapter 8 unexplained, specifically, the 2,300 days. So when
the angel resumed his explanation, he dealt mainly with the time:
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your
holy city.... Know therefore and understand, that from the going
forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah
the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the
[138] street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not
for Himself.... Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one
week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice
and offering.” (Daniel 8:16; 9:22, 23, 24-27.)
God had sent the angel to Daniel to explain the point he had
failed to understand—“for two thousand three hundred days; then
the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” The first words of the angel are,
“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy
city.” The word translated determined literally means “cut off.” Sev-
enty weeks, 490 years, are to be cut off especially for the Jews.

Two Time Periods Begin Together

But from what were they cut off? Since the 2,300 days was
the only period of time mentioned in chapter 8, the seventy weeks
must be a part of the 2,300 days. The two periods must begin
together, with the seventy weeks starting from “the going forth of
the command to restore and build Jerusalem.” If the date of this
command could be found, then the starting point for the 2,300 days
would be known.
In the seventh chapter of Ezra we find the decree, issued by
Artaxerxes, king of Persia, in 457 B.C. Three kings had a part in
issuing and completing the decree, bringing it to the conclusion
 New Light in the New World 189

required by the prophecy to mark the beginning of the 2,300 years.

Taking 457 B.C., when the decree was completed, as the date of the
“commandment,” every point of the seventy-week prophecy clearly
had been fulfilled (see Appendix).
“From the going forth of the command to restore and build
Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and
sixty-two weeks”—sixty-nine weeks, or 483 years. The decree of
Artaxerxes went into effect in the autumn of 457 B.C. From this
date, 483 years extend to the autumn of A.D. 27. At that time
this prophecy was fulfilled. In the autumn of A.D. 27 Christ was
baptized by John and received the anointing of the Spirit. After His
baptism He went into Galilee, “preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled’” (Mark 1:14, 15).

The Gospel Given to the World

“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week”—
the last seven years of the period marked off for the Jews. During
this time, from A.D. 27 to A.D. 34, Christ and His disciples gave
the gospel invitation especially to the Jews. The Savior’s instruction
to the apostles was: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do
not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5, 6).
“In the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice
and offering.” In A.D. 31, three and a half years after His baptism,
our Lord was crucified. With the great sacrifice offered on Calvary,
symbol had met fulfillment. All the sacrifices and offerings of the
ceremonial system were to end.
The 490 years given to the Jews ended in A.D. 34. At that
time, through the action of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the nation sealed
its rejection of the gospel by killing Stephen and persecuting the [139]
followers of Christ. Then the message of salvation went beyond
the chosen people to the world. The disciples, forced to flee from
Jerusalem because of persecution, “went everywhere preaching the
word” (Acts 8:4).
So far every point of the prophecies was strikingly fulfilled. The
beginning of the seventy weeks is established beyond question at 457
B.C., and they ended in A.D. 34. Since the seventy weeks (490 days)
 190 Love Under Fire

were cut off from the 2,300, there were 1810 days remaining. After
the end of the 490 days, the 1810 days were still left to be fulfilled.
From A.D. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844. So the 2,300 days of
Daniel 8:14 end in 1844. At the end of this great prophetic period,
“the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” So the time of the cleansing of the
sanctuary—which almost everyone believed would happen at the
Second Advent—was pointed out. (See chart.)

Startling Conclusion
At the beginning Miller had no idea that he would reach the
conclusion at which he had now arrived. He himself could hardly
believe the results of his investigation. But the Scripture evidence
was too clear for him to ignore.
In 1818 he reached the solemn conviction that in about twenty-
five years Christ would appear to redeem His people. “I don’t need to
mention,” says Miller, “the joy that filled my heart at this delightful
prospect, nor how deeply I longed to participate in the joys of the
redeemed.... Oh, how bright and glorious the truth appeared! ...
“The question came home to me with mighty power about my
duty to the world, in view of the evidence that had stirred up my
own mind.”4 He could not help feeling that it was his duty to give
to others the light he had received. He expected opposition from
the ungodly, but he was confident that all Christians would rejoice
in the hope of meeting the Savior. Still, he hesitated to present the
hope of glorious deliverance, expected so soon, in case he might be
wrong and mislead others. This led him to review the evidence and
[140] to consider carefully every objection he could think of. Five years
of doing this left him convinced that his position was correct.

“Go and Tell It to the World”

“When I was going about my business,” he said, “‘Go and tell
the world of their danger’ was continually ringing in my ears. This
text constantly came to my mind: ‘When I say to the wicked, “O
wicked man, you shall surely die!” and you do not speak to warn the
wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but
4 S. Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 76, 77, 81.
 New Light in the New World 191

his blood I will require at your hand.’ I felt that if the wicked could
be warned effectively, large numbers of them would repent, but that
if they were not warned, their blood might be required at my hand.”5
The words kept on coming to his mind: “Go and tell it to the world;
their blood will I require at your hand.” For nine years he waited,
and the burden got heavier on his heart, until in 1831 for the first
time he publicly gave the reasons for his faith.
He was now fifty, not used to public speaking, but God blessed
his labors. His first lecture sparked a religious awakening. Thirteen
entire families, with the exception of two persons, were converted.
People urged him to speak in other places, and in nearly every place
sinners were converted. Christians were stirred to greater dedication,
and deists and scoffers were led to acknowledge the truth of the
Bible. His preaching awakened the public mind and obstructed the
growing worldliness and immorality of the age.
In many places Protestant churches of nearly all denominations
welcomed him, and invitations usually came from the ministers. It
was his rule not to work in any place where he had not been invited,
yet he soon found himself unable to accept half the requests that
poured in. Many were convinced that Christ’s coming was certain
and near, and that they needed to prepare for it.
In some of the large cities, liquor dealers turned their shops into
meeting rooms; gambling dens were broken up; scoffers and even
the most shamelessly immoral people were reformed. The various
denominations scheduled prayer meetings at almost every hour, with
businessmen assembling at noon for prayer and praise. There was
no extravagant excitement. Miller’s work, like that of the early
Reformers, tended instead to convince a person’s understanding and
awaken the conscience, rather than merely excite emotion.
In 1833, Miller received a license to preach from the Baptist
Church. A large number of the ministers of his denomination ap-
proved his work, and he carried on his efforts with their formal
endorsement. He traveled and preached without stopping, without
ever receiving enough to meet the expense of travel to the places
where he was invited. So his preaching put a heavy tax on his
personal finances.
5 Ezekiel 33:8, 9; Bliss, page 92.
 192 Love Under Fire

“The Stars Shall Fall”

In 1833, the last of the signs appeared that Jesus had promised
as indications that His second advent was near: “The stars will fall
from heaven.” And in the book of Revelation John declared, “The
[141] stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when
it is shaken by a mighty wind.” (Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:13.)
This prophecy was dramatically fulfilled in the great meteor shower
of November 13, 1833, the most extensive and awe-inspiring display
of falling stars ever recorded. “Rain never fell much thicker than
the meteors fell toward the earth; east, west, north, and south, it was
the same. In a word, the whole heavens seemed in motion.... From
two o’clock until broad daylight, with the sky perfectly serene and
cloudless, a constant play of dazzlingly brilliant lights continued in
the whole heavens.”6 “It seemed as if the whole starry sky had come
together at one point almost directly overhead, and was simultane-
ously shooting out, with the speed of lightning, to every part of the
horizon. And yet the stars were not used up—thousands quickly
followed in the tracks of thousands, as if created for the occasion.”7
“A more correct picture of a fig tree dropping its figs when blown by
a mighty wind, it was not possible to see.”8
In the New York Journal of Commerce of November 14, 1833,
a long article appeared regarding this event: “No philosopher or
scholar has told or recorded an event, I suppose, like that of yesterday
morning. A prophet eighteen hundred years ago foretold it exactly,
if we will take the trouble to understand stars falling to mean falling
stars ... in the only sense in which that can be literally true.”
So the last of those signs of His coming happened, about which
Jesus had told His disciples, “When you see all these things, know
that it is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:33). Many who witnessed
the falling of the stars understood it as an announcement of the
coming judgment.
In 1840, another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy drew
widespread interest. Two years before, Josiah Litch published an
6 R.
M. Devens, American Progress: Or, The Great Events of the Greatest Century,
chapter 28, pars. 1-5.
7 F. Reed, Christian Advocate and Journal, December 13, 1833.
8 “The Old Countryman,” Portland [Maine] Evening Advertiser, November 26, 1833.
 New Light in the New World 193

explanation of Revelation 9, predicting the fall of the Ottoman Em-

pire “in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August.” Only a few
days before it happened he wrote, “It will end on the 11th of August,
1840, when we may expect the Ottoman power in Constantinople to
be broken.”9

Prediction Fulfilled
At the very time specified, Turkey accepted the protection of
the allied powers of Europe and thus placed herself under the con-
trol of Christian nations. The event exactly fulfilled the prediction.
(See Appendix.) Great numbers of people were convinced that the
principles of prophetic interpretation that Miller and his associates
adopted were true. Men of learning and position united with Miller
in preaching and publishing his views. From 1840 to 1844 the work
grew rapidly.
William Miller had a strong, powerful mind, and he added to
that the wisdom of heaven by connecting himself with the Source
of wisdom. His life earned him respect wherever people valued
integrity and moral excellence. With Christian humility, he was
attentive and gracious to all, ready to listen to others and weigh their
arguments. He tested all theories by the Word of God, and his sound
reasoning and knowledge of Scripture made him able to refute error. [142]
Yet, as earlier Reformers also found, the popular religious teach-
ers did not accept the truths he presented. Since these men could
not prove their position by Scripture, they resorted to human doc-
trines—the traditions of the Fathers. But the Word of God was the
only testimony that the preachers of the advent truth would accept.
Their opponents used ridicule and scoffing to discredit those who
looked joyfully for the return of their Lord and were trying to live
holy lives and prepare others for His appearing. The detractors made
it seem like a sin to study the prophecies of the coming of Christ and
the end of the world. In this way the popular ministry undermined
faith in the Word of God. Their teaching made people reject God,
and many felt free to indulge in ungodly desires. Then the authors
of the evil charged it all upon Adventists.
9 Josiah Litch, Signs of the Times, August 1, 1840.
194 Love Under Fire

While Miller was drawing crowds of intelligent hearers, the

religious press seldom mentioned his name except to ridicule or con-
demn him. Emboldened by religious teachers, the ungodly resorted
to blasphemous jokes on Miller and his work. The gray-haired man
who had left a comfortable home to travel at his own expense to take
to the world the solemn warning that the judgment was near was
denounced as a fanatic.

Interest and Unbelief

Interest continued to increase. From dozens and hundreds, con-
gregations had grown to many thousands. But after a time, op-
position arose against these converts, and the churches started to
discipline those who had accepted Miller’s views. This led him to re-
spond: “If we are wrong, please show us where we are wrong. Show
us from the word of God that we are in error. We have had enough
ridicule—that can never convince us that we are in the wrong. The
word of God alone can change our views. We have formed our
conclusions carefully and prayerfully, as we have seen the evidence
in the Scriptures.”10
When the evils of the people moved God to bring a flood on
the earth, He first let them know His intentions. For 120 years they
heard the warning to repent, but they did not believe it. They made
fun of the messenger of God. If Noah’s message were true, why did
not all the world see and believe it? One man’s claims against the
wisdom of thousands! They would not believe the warning nor take
shelter in the ark.
Scoffers pointed to the unchanging sequence of the seasons, the
blue skies that had never poured out rain. In contempt they declared
that Noah was a wild fanatic. They went on, more set in their evil
ways than before. But at the appointed time God’s judgments came
down on those who rejected His mercy.

Skeptics and Unbelievers

Christ declared that as the people of Noah’s day “did not know
until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming
10 Bliss, pages 250, 252.
 New Light in the New World 195

of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:39). When the professed people
of God are uniting with the world, when the luxury of the world [143]
becomes the luxury of the church, when everyone looks forward to
many years of worldly prosperity—then, as suddenly as the lightning
flashes, will come the end of their misguided hopes. Just as God sent
Noah to warn the world of the coming Flood, He also sent chosen
messengers to proclaim that the final judgment was near. And as
Noah’s contemporaries laughed scornfully at the predictions of the
preacher of righteousness, so in Miller’s day many of the professed
people of God scoffed at the words of warning.
There can be no more convincing evidence that the churches
have wandered from God than their hatred against this Heaven-sent
message.
Those who accepted the advent doctrine felt that it was time to
take a stand. “The things of eternity became real to them.... Heaven
was brought near, and they felt that they were guilty before God.”11
Christians felt that time was short, that what they had to do for others
must be done quickly. Eternity seemed to open before them. The
Spirit of God gave power to their appeals to prepare for the day of
God. Their daily life was a rebuke to lukewarm church members.
These did not want to be disturbed in their pleasure, money-making,
and ambition for worldly honor. This is why they opposed the advent
faith.
Opposers tried to discourage investigation by teaching that the
prophecies were sealed. In this way, Protestants followed in the
steps of Catholics. Protestant churches claimed that an important
part of the Word, that part especially meant for our time, could not
be understood. Ministers declared that Daniel and the Revelation
were mysteries beyond comprehension.
But Christ had pointed His disciples to the words of the prophet
Daniel: “Whoever reads, let him understand” (Matthew 24:15). And
the Revelation is to be understood. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must
shortly take place.... Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in
it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1, 3, italics added).
11 Bliss, page 146.
 196 Love Under Fire

“Blessed is he who reads”—there are those who will not read;

“and those who hear”—there are some who refuse to hear anything
concerning the prophecies; “and keep those things which are written
in it”—many refuse to heed the instructions in the Revelation; none
of these can claim the blessing promised.
How dare anyone teach that the Revelation is beyond human
understanding? It is a mystery revealed, a book opened. Revelation
directs the mind to Daniel. Both present important instruction about
events at the close of world history.
John saw the dangers, conflicts, and final deliverance of the
people of God. He records the closing messages that are to ripen
the harvest of the earth, either for the heavenly storehouse or for the
fires of destruction, so that those who turn from error to truth may
learn about the dangers and conflicts ahead of them.
Why, then, is there this widespread ignorance concerning an
[144] important part of Holy Writ? It is the result of a deliberate effort by
the prince of darkness to conceal from people the parts of the Bible
that reveal his deceptions. For this reason, Christ the Revelator,
foreseeing the warfare against the Revelation, pronounced a blessing
on everyone who would read, hear, and observe the prophecy.
 Chapter 19—Why the Great Disappointment? [145]

From age to age, the work of God presents a striking similarity

in every great reformation or religious movement. The principles
of how God deals with people are always the same. The important
movements of the present have their parallel in those of the past, and
the church’s experience in previous ages has lessons for our own
time.
By His Holy Spirit God especially directs His servants on earth
in advancing the work of salvation. Human beings are instruments
in God’s hand. He gives each one enough light to perform the work
God gives him to do. But no one has ever had a full understanding of
God’s purpose in the work for his own time. God’s representatives
do not fully comprehend in all its aspects the message they speak in
His name. Even the prophets did not fully understand the revelations
God committed to them. He would unfold the meaning gradually,
from age to age.
Peter says concerning this salvation that “the prophets have
inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that
would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the
Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they
were ministering” (1 Peter 1:10-12, italics added). What a lesson
for the people of God in the Christian age! Those holy men of
God “inquired and searched carefully” concerning revelations God
gave for generations that were not yet born. What a rebuke to the
world-loving indifference that is content to declare that no one can
understand the prophecies.
At times the minds of even God’s servants are so blinded by
tradition and false teaching that they only partially grasp the things
revealed in His Word. Even when the Savior was with His disciples,
they had the popular concept of the Messiah as an earthly prince who

197
 198 Love Under Fire

would exalt Israel to a universal empire. They could not understand

His words predicting His suffering and death.

“The Time Is Fulfilled”

Christ had sent them out with the message: “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the
gospel” (Mark 1:15). That message was based on the prophecy of
Daniel 9. The sixty-nine weeks were to extend to “Messiah the
Prince,” and the disciples looked forward to the establishment of
[146] Messiah’s kingdom at Jerusalem to rule over the whole earth.
They preached the message Jesus gave them, though they mis-
understood its meaning. While their announcement was based on
Daniel 9:25, they did not see in the next verse that Messiah was
going to be “cut off.” They had set their hearts on the glory of an
earthly empire, and this blinded their understanding. At the very
time when they expected to see their Lord take the throne of David,
they saw Him arrested, whipped, mocked, condemned, and lifted up
on the cross. What despair and anguish wrung the hearts of those
disciples!
Christ had come at the exact time foretold. Scripture had been
fulfilled in every detail. The Word and the Spirit of God confirmed
the divine commission of His Son. And yet the disciples’ minds
were clouded with doubt. If Jesus had been the true Messiah, would
they have been plunged into such grief and disappointment? This
was the question that tortured their souls during the hopeless hours
of that Sabbath between His death and resurrection.
Yet God had not forsaken them. “When I sit in darkness, the
LORD will be a light to me.... He will bring me forth to the light; I
will see His righteousness.” “Unto the upright there arises light in
the darkness.” “I will make darkness light before them, and crooked
places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake
them.” (Micah 7:8, 9; Psalm 112:4; Isaiah 42:16.)
The announcement the disciples made was correct, “The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” When “the time”
expired—the sixty-nine weeks of Daniel 9 that would reach to the
Messiah, “the Anointed One”—Christ had received the anointing of
the Spirit after His baptism by John. The “kingdom of God” was
 Why the Great Disappointment? 199

not an earthly empire, as they had been taught to believe. Nor was it
that future, immortal kingdom in which “all dominions shall serve
and obey Him” (Daniel 7:27).
The expression “kingdom of God” refers to both the kingdom of
grace and the kingdom of glory. The apostle says, “Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and
find grace” (Hebrews 4:16). The existence of a throne implies the
existence of a kingdom. Christ uses the expression “the kingdom
of heaven” to designate the work of grace on human hearts. So the
throne of glory represents the kingdom of glory (Matthew 25:31,
32). This kingdom is still future. It will not be set up until the second
coming of Christ.
When the Savior gave up His life and cried out, “It is finished,”
He ratified the promise of salvation made to the sinful pair in Eden.
The kingdom of grace, which had existed before by the promise of
God, was then established.
In this way the death of Christ—the event the disciples saw as
destroying their hope—was what actually made it secure forever.
While it brought a cruel disappointment, it was the proof that their
belief had been correct. The event that had filled them with despair
opened the door of hope to all God’s faithful ones in all ages.
Mixed in with the pure gold of the disciples’ love for Jesus was
the cheap metal of selfish ambitions. Their attention was fastened on
the throne, the crown, and the glory. Their pride of heart, their thirst [147]
for worldly glory, had led them not to notice the Savior’s words
showing the true nature of His kingdom and pointing forward to His
death. These errors resulted in the ordeal that God permitted to cor-
rect them. God would entrust the disciples with the glorious gospel
of their risen Lord. To prepare them for this work, He permitted the
experience that seemed so bitter.
After His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples on the
road to Emmaus and “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the
things concerning Himself.” He wanted to fasten their faith on the
“prophetic word confirmed” (Luke 24:27; 2 Peter 1:19), not just by
His personal testimony, but by the prophecies of the Old Testament.
And as the very first step in giving them this knowledge, Jesus
directed the disciples to “Moses and all the Prophets” of the Old
Testament Scriptures.
200 Love Under Fire

Despair to Assurance
In a more complete sense than ever before the disciples had
“found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets,
wrote.” Assurance and unclouded faith replaced their uncertainty
and despair. They had passed through the deepest trial possible
for them to experience and had seen how God’s Word had been
fulfilled triumphantly. After this, what could shake their faith? In
the deepest sorrow they had “strong consolation,” a hope that was
like “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:18,
19).
The Lord says, “My people shall never be put to shame.” “Weep-
ing may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Joel
2:26; Psalm 30:5.) On His resurrection day these disciples met the
Savior, and their hearts burned within them as they listened to His
words. Before His ascension, Jesus instructed them, “Go into all the
world and preach the gospel,” adding, “Lo, I am with you always”
(Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:20). On the Day of Pentecost the promised
Comforter came down, and the hearts of the believers thrilled with
the vivid presence of their ascended Lord.

The Disciples’ Message Compared to the 1844 Message

The experience of the disciples at the first coming of Christ had
its counterpart in the experience of those who announced His second
coming. As the disciples preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand,” so Miller and his associates proclaimed
that the last prophetic period in the Bible was about to end, that the
judgment was about to take place, and that the everlasting kingdom
would soon be established. The disciples’ preaching about the
time was based on the seventy weeks of Daniel 9. The message
that Miller and his associates gave announced the end of the 2,300
days of Daniel 8:14, of which the seventy weeks form a part. The
preaching of each was based on the fulfillment of a different part of
the same prophetic period.
Like the first disciples, William Miller and his associates did
not fully understand the message they carried. Long established
errors in the church prevented them from correctly interpreting an
 Why the Great Disappointment? 201

important point in the prophecy. So although they gave the message [148]
God had committed to them, yet because of a misunderstanding of
its meaning they suffered disappointment.
Miller adopted the widely held view that the earth is the “sanc-
tuary,” and he believed that the “cleansing of the sanctuary” repre-
sented the purification of the earth by fire when Jesus would return.
Therefore, he concluded, the close of the 2,300 days revealed the
time of the Second Advent.
The cleansing of the sanctuary was the last service the high priest
performed in the yearly cycle of worship. It was the closing work of
the atonement—a removal or putting away of sin from Israel. It il-
lustrated beforehand the closing work of our High Priest in heaven in
removing or blotting out the sins of His people, which are registered
in the heavenly records. This service involves investigation, a work
of judgment, and it takes place just before the coming of Christ in the
clouds of heaven, for when He comes, every case has been decided.
Jesus says, “My reward is with Me, to give to every one according
to his work” (Revelation 22:12). This is the work of judgment that
the first angel’s message of Revelation 14:7 announces: “Fear God
and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.”
Those who proclaimed this warning gave the right message at the
right time. As the disciples were mistaken about the kingdom to be
set up at the end of the “seventy weeks,” so Adventists were mistaken
about the event to take place at the end of the “2,300 days.” In both
cases popular errors blinded the mind to truth. Both groups fulfilled
the will of God in delivering the message He wanted given, and
both experienced disappointment through misunderstanding their
message.
Yet God accomplished His will in permitting the judgment warn-
ing to be given as it was. In His plan the message was to test and
purify the church. Were their hearts set on this world or on Christ and
heaven? Were they ready to turn away from their worldly ambitions
and welcome the advent of their Lord?
The disappointment would also test the hearts of those who
had claimed to receive the warning. Would they rashly give up
their experience and throw away their confidence in God’s Word
when called to endure the scorn of the world and the test of delay
and disappointment? Because they did not immediately understand
202 Love Under Fire

God’s dealings, would they reject truths that the clear testimony of
His Word upheld?
This test would teach them the danger of accepting human inter-
pretations instead of making the Bible its own interpreter. It would
lead the children of faith to a closer study of the Word, to examine
the foundation of their faith more carefully and to reject everything,
no matter how widely accepted by the Christian world, that was not
based on Scripture.
The things that seemed dark in the hour of trial would later be
made plain. Despite the ordeal resulting from their errors, they would
learn by a blessed experience that the Lord is “very compassionate
and merciful,” and that all His paths “are mercy and truth, to such as
keep His covenant and His testimonies” (James 5:11; Psalm 25:10).
 Chapter 20—Love for Christ’s Coming [149]

The first angel’s message of Revelation 14 predicts a great reli-

gious awakening. It portrays an angel flying “in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the
earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” “With a loud
voice,” he proclaims, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour
of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and
earth, the sea and springs of water.” (Revelation 14:6, 7.)
An angel represents the high character of the work the message
was to accomplish and the power and glory that would accompany
it. The angel’s flight “in the midst of heaven,” the “loud voice,” and
its going “to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” show the rapid,
worldwide reach of the movement. As for the time when it is to
happen, it announces the opening of the judgment.
This message is a part of the gospel which could only be pro-
claimed in the last days, because only then would it be true that the
hour of judgment had come. Daniel was told to close up the part
of his prophecy that related to the last days and to seal it “until the
time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). Not until this time could a message
about the judgment be proclaimed, based on a fulfillment of these
prophecies.
Paul warned the church not to look for the coming of Christ in
his day. Only after the great apostasy and the long reign of the “man
of sin” can we look for the advent of our Lord. (See 2 Thessalonians
2:3.) The man of sin—also “the mystery of lawlessness,” “the son
of perdition,” and “the lawless one”—represents the papacy, which
was to maintain its supremacy for 1,260 years. This period ended in
1798. The coming of Christ could not take place before that time.
Paul’s caution covers the whole Christian era down to the year 1798.
The message of Christ’s second coming is to be proclaimed after
that time.
No such message has ever been given in past ages. As we have
seen, Paul did not preach it. He pointed into the then far-distant
203
 204 Love Under Fire

future for the coming of the Lord. The Reformers did not proclaim
it. Martin Luther put the judgment about three hundred years into
the future from his day. But since 1798 the book of Daniel has been
unsealed, and many have proclaimed the message that the judgment
is near.

In Different Countries Simultaneously

Like the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the Advent move-
[150] ment appeared in different countries at the same time. God led
people of faith to study the prophecies, and they saw convincing
evidence that the end was near. Isolated groups of Christians arrived
at the belief that the Savior’s coming was near, just by studying the
Scriptures.
Three years after Miller had arrived at his understanding of the
prophecies, Dr. Joseph Wolff, “the missionary to the world,” began
to proclaim the Lord’s soon coming. Born in Germany of Hebrew
parents, he was convinced while very young that the Christian re-
ligion was true. He had listened eagerly to conversations in his
father’s house as devout Hebrews came together to discuss the hopes
of their people, the glory of the coming Messiah, and the restoration
of Israel. One day, hearing Jesus of Nazareth mentioned, the boy
inquired who He was. “A Jew of the greatest talent,” was his father’s
answer; “but because He pretended to be the Messiah, the Jewish
tribunal sentenced Him to death.”
“Why,” the boy asked, “is Jerusalem destroyed, and why are we
in captivity?”
“Alas, alas!” answered his father, “because the Jews murdered
the prophets.” The thought immediately came to the child, “Perhaps
Jesus was also a prophet, and the Jews killed Him when He was
innocent.” Although he was forbidden to enter a Christian church,
he often lingered outside to listen to the preaching. When only seven
years old, he was boasting to a Christian neighbor of Israel’s future
triumph when the Messiah would come. The old man said kindly:
“Dear boy, I will tell you who the real Messiah was. He was Jesus
of Nazareth, ... whom your ancestors have crucified.... Go home and
 Love for Christ’s Coming 205

read the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, and you will be convinced that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”1
He went home and read the scripture, amazed to see how per-
fectly it had been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. Were the words of
the Christian true? The boy asked his father for an explanation of
the prophecy but was met with silence so stern that he never again
dared to refer to the subject.
When only eleven years old, he went out into the world to gain
an education, to choose his religion and his lifework. Alone and
with no money, he had to make his own way. He studied diligently,
supporting himself by teaching Hebrew. He came to accept the
Catholic faith and went to pursue his studies in the College of the
Propaganda at Rome. Here he openly attacked the abuses of the
church and urged reform. After a time, he was sent away from Rome.
It became clear that he could never be brought to submit to the rule
of Romanism. He was declared to be beyond hope and was allowed
to go where he pleased. He made his way to England and joined the
English Church. After two years’ study, in 1821 he set out on his
mission.
Wolff saw that the prophecies point to Christ’s second coming
with power and glory. While he tried to lead his people to Jesus of
Nazareth as the Promised One, to point them to His first coming as
a sacrifice for sin, he also taught them about His second coming.
Wolff believed the coming of the Lord was very near. His inter- [151]
pretation of the prophetic periods placed it within a few years of the
time that Miller pointed out. “Did our Lord ... not give us signs of
the times, so that we may know at least the approach of His coming,
as one knows the approach of the summer by the fig tree putting
forth its leaves? Enough ... shall be known by the signs of the times
to persuade us to prepare for His coming, as Noah prepared the
ark.”2

Against Popular Interpretations

Concerning the popular system of interpreting the Scriptures,
Wolff wrote: “Most of the Christian church have swerved from the
1 Travels and Adventures of the Rev. Joseph Wolff, volume 1, pages 6, 7.
2 Joseph Wolff, Researches and Missionary Labors, pages 404, 405.
206 Love Under Fire

plain sense of Scripture, and ... suppose that when they are reading
Jews, they must understand Gentiles; and when they read Jerusalem,
they must understand the church; and if it says earth, it means sky;
and for the coming of the Lord they must understand the progress of
the missionary societies; and going up to the mountain of the Lord’s
house, signifies a grand class meeting of Methodists.”3
From 1821 to 1845, Wolff traveled in Egypt, Ethiopia, Palestine,
Syria, Persia, Bokhara,* India, and the United States.

Power in the Book

Dr. Wolff traveled in the most uncivilized countries without pro-
tection, enduring hardships and surrounded with countless dangers.
He was starved, sold as a slave, condemned to death three times,
attacked by robbers, and sometimes nearly died of thirst. Once he
was stripped of all his possessions and left to travel hundreds of
miles on foot through mountains, snow beating in his face and his
bare feet numbed by the frozen ground.
When people warned him against going unarmed among savage,
hostile tribes, he said he was “provided with arms”—“prayer, zeal
for Christ, and confidence in His help.” “I am also provided with the
love of God and my neighbor in my heart, and the Bible is in my
hand.” “I felt my power was in the Book, and that its might would
sustain me.”4
He kept on working until the message had gone to a large part
of the populated world. Among Jews, Turks, Persians, Hindus,
and other nationalities and races he distributed the Word of God
in various languages, and everywhere he announced the Messiah’s
coming.
In Bokhara he found an isolated people who held the doctrine
of the Lord’s soon return. The Arabs of Yemen, he says, “are in
possession of a book called Seera, which predicts the second coming
of Christ and His reign in glory; and they expect great events to take
place in the year 1840.” “I found children of Israel, of the tribe of
3 Journalof the Rev. Joseph Wolff, page 96.
*A remote region of Turkistan, between Afghanistan and Russia.
4 W. H. D. Adams, In Perils Oft, pages 192, 201.
 Love for Christ’s Coming 207

Dan, ... who expect, with the children of Rechab, the speedy arrival
of the Messiah in the clouds of heaven.”5
Another missionary found a similar belief in Tatary, an area
in Eastern Europe. A Tatar priest asked him when Christ would [152]
come the second time. When the missionary answered that he knew
nothing about it, the priest seemed surprised to find such ignorance
in a Bible teacher. He stated his own belief, based on prophecy, that
Christ would come about 1844.

The Advent Message in England

As early as 1826 the advent message began to be preached in
England. This did not usually involve teaching the exact time of the
advent, but the truth of Christ’s soon coming in power and glory was
proclaimed extensively. An English writer states that about seven
hundred ministers of the Church of England were preaching “this
gospel of the kingdom.”
Great Britain received the message pointing to 1844 as the time
of the Lord’s coming, as well. Advent publications from the United
States circulated widely. In 1842, Robert Winter, an Englishman
who had accepted the advent faith in America, returned to his native
country to spread the news of the Lord’s coming. Many joined him
in the work in various parts of England.
In South America, Lacunza, a Jesuit from Spain, received the
truth of Christ’s speedy return. Wanting to avoid condemnation from
Rome, he published his version under the assumed name of Rabbi
Ben-Ezra, who claimed to be a converted Jew. About 1825 his book
was translated into English. It helped to deepen the interest already
awakening in England.

Revelation Unfolds to Bengel

In Germany Bengel, a Lutheran minister and Bible scholar, had
taught the doctrine of Christ’s soon return. While he was preparing
a sermon from Revelation 21, the light of Christ’s second coming
broke in on his mind, and the prophecies of the Revelation opened
to his understanding. The importance and glory of the prophetic
5 Journal of the Rev. Joseph Wolff, pages 377, 389.
 208 Love Under Fire

scenes overwhelmed him, and he had to turn away from the subject
for a time. In the pulpit it came to him again vividly. From that
time he devoted himself to studying the prophecies, and soon he
arrived at the belief that the coming of Christ was near. The date he
established as the time of the Second Advent was within a few years
of the one that Miller later held.
Bengel’s writings spread in his own state of Würtemberg and
to other parts of Germany. People in Germany heard the advent
message at the same time that it was attracting attention in other
lands.
At Geneva, Switzerland, Gaussen preached the Second Advent.
When he entered the ministry he was inclined to doubt. In his
youth he had become interested in prophecy. After reading Rollin’s
Ancient History, he read the second chapter of Daniel. He was
struck with how the prophecy had been fulfilled exactly. Here was
an indication that the Scriptures were inspired. He could not remain
satisfied with rationalism, and in studying the Bible he found a
positive faith.
He came to the belief that the coming of the Lord was near.
Impressed that this truth was important, he wanted to present it to
the people. But the popular belief that no one could understand the
[153] prophecies of Daniel was a serious obstacle. As Farel had done
before him in evangelizing Geneva, he finally decided to begin with
the children, and he hoped to interest the parents through them. He
said, “I gather an audience of children; if the group grows, and I
see that they listen, are pleased, interested, that they understand and
explain the subject, I am sure to have a second circle soon, and in a
while, grown people will see that it is worth their time to sit down
and study. When this happens, the cause has won.”6
As he spoke to the children, older people came to listen. The
seats of his church were filled with hearers, people of rank and
learning, and strangers and foreigners visiting Geneva. They, in turn,
carried the message to other parts.
Encouraged by this, Gaussen published his lessons with the hope
of promoting the study of the prophetic books. Later he became a
teacher in a theological school, while on Sunday he continued his
6 L. Gaussen, Daniel the Prophet, volume 2, preface.
 Love for Christ’s Coming 209

work of speaking to children and instructing them in the Scriptures.

From the professor’s chair, through the press, and as a teacher of
children, for many years he was instrumental in calling people’s
attention to the prophecies that showed that the Lord’s coming was
near.

Child Preachers of Scandinavia

The advent message was also proclaimed in Scandinavia. It
stirred many people to confess and forsake their sins and to ask for
forgiveness in the name of Christ. But the clergy of the state church
opposed the movement, and some who preached the message were
thrown into prison.
In many places where officials silenced the preachers of the
Lord’s soon coming, God chose to send the message through little
children. Since they were under age, the state could not stop them,
and they were allowed to speak without interference.
In the simple homes of workers the people gathered to hear the
warning. Some of the child preachers were not more than six or
eight years old. While their lives testified that they loved the Savior,
ordinarily they showed only the intelligence and ability that children
of that age usually had. But when they stood before the people, an
influence that was beyond their natural gifts moved them. Their tone
and manner changed, and with solemn power they gave the warning
of the judgment, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of
His judgment has come.”
The people heard with trembling. The Spirit of God spoke to
hearts. Many began to search the Scriptures, the drunken and im-
moral were reformed, and a change took place so remarkable that
even ministers of the state church had to admit that the hand of God
was in the movement.
It was God’s will to give the news of the Savior’s coming in
Scandinavia, and He put His Spirit on the children to accomplish
the work. When Jesus came near to Jerusalem, the people, intimi-
dated by the priests and rulers, stopped their joyful proclamation as
they entered the gates of Jerusalem. But the children in the temple
courtyard took up the chorus and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of
David!” (Matthew 21:8-16). As God worked through children at the [154]
210 Love Under Fire

time of Christ’s first advent, so He worked through them in giving

the message of His second advent.

The Message Spreads

America became the center of the great Advent movement. The
writings of Miller and his associates went from there to distant lands,
wherever missionaries had gone in all the world. The message of the
everlasting gospel spread far and wide: “Fear God and give glory to
Him, for the hour of His judgment has come.”
The prophecies that seemed to point to the coming of Christ
in the spring of 1844 took deep hold of the minds of the people.
Many were convinced that the arguments from the prophetic periods
were correct. Sacrificing pride of opinion, they received the truth
with joy. Some ministers left their salaries and churches and joined
in proclaiming the coming of Jesus. Comparatively few ministers,
however, would accept this message, and so God entrusted it mostly
to humble laymen. Farmers left their fields; mechanics, their tools;
traders, their merchandise; professional men, their positions. They
willingly endured hard work, poverty, and suffering, in order to call
people to repentance and salvation. Thousands accepted the advent
truth.

Simple Scripture Brings Conviction

Like John the Baptist, the preachers aimed the axe at the root of
the tree and urged everyone to bear “fruits worthy of repentance.” In
sharp contrast to assurances of peace and safety coming from popular
pulpits, the simple testimony of Scripture brought conviction few
were able to resist entirely. Many came to the Lord with repentance.
The affections they had set on earthly things for so long, they now
fixed on heaven. With softened and subdued hearts they joined to
proclaim the message, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the
hour of His judgment has come.”
Sinners asked with tears, “What must I do to be saved?” Those
who had been dishonest were anxious to make things right. Everyone
who found peace in Christ longed to see others share the blessing.
The hearts of parents turned to their children, and the hearts of
 Love for Christ’s Coming 211

children to their parents (Malachi 4:5, 6). Barriers of pride and

reluctance were swept away. People made heartfelt confessions.
Everywhere hearts were pleading with God. Many wrestled all night
in prayer for the assurance that their sins were forgiven or for the
conversion of relatives or neighbors.
All classes, rich and poor, high and low, were anxious to hear the
teaching of the Second Advent. The Spirit of God gave power to His
truth. People felt the presence of holy angels in these gatherings, and
many more joined the believers every day. Huge crowds listened in
silence to the solemn words. Heaven and earth seemed to approach
each other. People went home with praises on their lips, and the
glad sound rang out on the still night air. None who attended those
meetings could ever forget those scenes of deepest interest.

The Message Opposed

The message of a definite time for Christ’s coming stirred up [155]
great opposition from many people in all parts of society, from the
minister in the pulpit to the most Heaven-daring sinner. Many de-
clared that they were not against the doctrine of the Second Advent,
they just objected to the definite time. But God’s all-seeing eye read
their hearts. They did not want to hear that Christ would come to
judge the world in righteousness. Their works would not pass the
inspection of the heart-searching God, and they were afraid to meet
their Lord. Like the Jews at the time of Christ’s first advent, they
were not prepared to welcome Jesus. They not only refused to listen
to the clear arguments from the Bible but ridiculed those who were
looking for the Lord. Satan flung the taunt in the face of Christ that
His professed people had so little love for Him that they did not want
Him to return.
Those who rejected the advent faith most often used the argu-
ment, “No one knows the day nor the hour.” The scripture text is:
“Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,
but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Those who were looking for
the Lord gave a clear explanation of this text and showed plainly
how their opponents were using it wrongly.
One saying of the Savior must not be made to destroy another.
Though no one knows the day nor the hour of His coming, we are
 212 Love Under Fire

required to know when it is near. To refuse or neglect to know when

His advent is near will be as fatal for us as it was for people in the
days of Noah not to know when the Flood was coming. Christ says,
“Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief,
and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation
3:3).
Paul speaks of those who have accepted the Savior’s warning:
“You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake
you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day” (1
Thessalonians 5:4, 5).
But those who wanted an excuse to reject truth refused to listen
to this explanation, and the words “No one knows the day nor the
hour” continued to echo from the scoffer and even the professed
minister of Christ. As the people began to ask about the way of
salvation, religious teachers stepped in between them and the truth
by falsely interpreting the Word of God.
The most devoted in the churches were usually the first to accept
the message. Wherever the people were not controlled by the clergy,
wherever they would search the Word of God for themselves, they
only needed to compare the advent doctrine with Scripture to be
convinced of its divine authority.
Many were misled by husbands, wives, parents, or children and
were made to believe it was a sin even to listen to such “heresies” as
the Adventists taught. God sent His angels to keep faithful watch
over these people, for another light was going to shine on them from
His throne.
Those who had accepted the message watched for the coming of
their Savior. The time when they expected to meet Him had almost
[156] arrived. They approached this hour calmly and solemnly. None
who experienced this can forget those precious hours of waiting.
For some weeks before the time, for the most part they set worldly
business aside. Sincere believers carefully examined their hearts as
if in a few hours their earthly lives would end. There was no making
of “ascension robes” (see Appendix), but all of them felt the need
for inner assurance that they were prepared to meet the Savior. Their
white robes were purity of heart—characters cleansed by the atoning
blood of Christ. Oh, if only the people of God still had the same
heart searching, the same earnest faith!
 Love for Christ’s Coming 213

God intended to test His people. His hand covered a mistake in

computing the prophetic periods. The time of expectation [that is,
that Christ would come in the spring of 1844] passed, and Christ did
not appear. Those who had looked for their Savior experienced a
bitter disappointment. Yet God was testing the hearts of those who
claimed to be waiting for His appearing. Many had acted from fear.
These people declared that they had never believed that Christ would
come. They were among the first to ridicule the sorrow of the true
believers.
But Jesus and all of heaven looked with love and sympathy on
the faithful yet disappointed ones. If the veil separating the visible
from the invisible world could have been swept back, these loyal
believers would have seen angels drawing near to them and shielding
them from Satan’s arrows.
[157] Chapter 21—Reaping the Whirlwind

William Miller and his associates had tried to help people who
claimed to be religious see the true hope of the church and their need
of a deeper Christian experience. They also worked to help those
who were unconverted see their need to repent and be converted.
“They made no attempt to convert anyone to a sect. They worked
among all parties and sects.” Miller said: “I wanted to benefit every-
one. I thought that all Christians would rejoice that Christ’s coming
was near, and that those who could not see as I did would not love
any less those who did embrace this doctrine. I did not imagine there
would ever be any need for separate meetings.... The great majority
of those who were converted under my preaching joined the various
existing churches.”1
But as religious leaders decided against the advent doctrine, they
denied their members the privilege of going to hear preaching about
the Second Advent or even speaking of their hope in the church.
The believers loved their churches. But as they saw their right to
investigate the prophecies taken away, they felt that loyalty to God
would not allow them to submit. So they felt justified in separating.
In the summer of 1844, about fifty thousand left their churches.
In most of the churches, for years people had been gradually
but steadily conforming more and more to worldly practices and
declining in spiritual life. But in that year there were signs of a sharp
drop in nearly all the churches throughout the country. Both the
press and the pulpit commented widely on this fact.
Mr. Barnes, author of a commentary and pastor of one of the
leading churches in Philadelphia, “stated that ... now there are no
awakenings, no conversions, not much apparent growth in grace
among church members, and none come to his study to talk about
their salvation.... There is an increase of worldly-mindedness. It is
this way with all the denominations.”2
1 Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, page 328.
2 Congregational Journal, May 23, 1844.

214
 Reaping the Whirlwind 215

In February of the same year, Professor Finney of Oberlin Col-

lege said: “In general, the Protestant churches of our country were
either careless or hostile to nearly all the moral reforms of the age....
Spiritual apathy is almost everywhere, and is fearfully deep. The
religious press of the whole land testifies to this.... So many church
members are becoming worshipers of fashion, joining hands with
the ungodly in parties of pleasure, in dancing, in festivities, etc....
The churches generally are becoming sadly corrupted. They have [158]
gone very far from the Lord, and He has withdrawn Himself from
them.”

Rejection of Light
Spiritual darkness does not come from God’s arbitrarily with-
drawing His divine grace, but from men and women’s rejection of
light. By devotion to the world and forgetfulness of God, the Jewish
people had been ignorant about Messiah’s advent. In their unbelief
they rejected the Redeemer. Even then God did not cut off the Jew-
ish nation from the blessings of salvation. But those who rejected
the truth had “put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah
5:20).
After they rejected the gospel, the Jews continued their ancient
rites while they admitted that the presence of God was no longer
among them. The prophecy of Daniel pointed unmistakably to the
time of Messiah’s coming and plainly foretold His death. So they
discouraged its study, and finally the rabbis pronounced a curse on
anyone who would try to compute the time. In the centuries since
then, the people of Israel have stood in blindness and rebellion,
indifferent to God’s gracious offers of salvation, neglecting the
blessings of the gospel. They provide a solemn and fearful warning
of how dangerous it is to reject light from heaven.
All who stifle conviction of duty because it interferes with their
desires will finally lose the power to tell the difference between truth
and error. They become separated from God. Where people spurn
divine truth, the church will be in darkness, faith and love grow cold,
and conflicts enter. Church members focus their interests on worldly
ventures, and sinners become hardened in their rebellion.
 216 Love Under Fire

The First Angel’s Message

The first angel’s message of Revelation 14 was designed to
separate those who claimed to be people of God from corrupting
influences. In this message, God sent the church a warning which, if
the people had accepted it, would have corrected the evils that were
shutting them away from Him. If they had received the message,
humbling their hearts and preparing to stand in His presence, the
Spirit of God would have been poured out. The church would again
have reached that unity, faith, and love that it had in the apostles’
days, when the believers “were of one heart and one soul,” and when
“the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved”
(Acts 4:32; 2:47).
If God’s people would receive the light from His Word, they
would reach the unity that the apostle describes, “the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace. There is,” he says, “one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord,
one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:3-5).
Those who accepted the advent message came from different
denominations, and their denominational barriers fell to the ground.
Conflicting creeds shattered into atoms. The message corrected false
views of the Second Advent. People made wrongs right, and hearts
united in sweet fellowship. Love reigned supreme. This doctrine
would have done the same for all, if all had accepted it.
[159] As watchmen, ministers should have been the first to recognize
the indications of Jesus’ coming, but they had failed to learn the
truth from the prophets or from the signs of the times. Love for God
and faith in His Word had grown cold, and the advent doctrine only
awakened their unbelief. As in Christ’s time, people rejected the
testimony of God’s Word with the question, “Have any of the rulers
or the Pharisees believed?” (John 7:48). Many discouraged the study
of the prophecies, claiming that the prophetic books were sealed and
could not be understood. Many put their trust in their pastors and
refused to listen. Others were convinced of the truth, but they did
not dare to announce it for fear that they would be “put out of the
synagogue” (John 9:22). The message God sent to test the church
revealed how many there were who had set their affections on this
world rather than on Christ.
 Reaping the Whirlwind 217

Refusing the warning of the first angel was the cause of that
terrible condition of worldliness, backsliding, and spiritual death
that existed in the churches in 1844.

The Second Angel’s Message

In Revelation 14 a second angel follows the first, proclaiming,
“Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all
nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation
14:8). The term Babylon comes from “Babel,” and it indicates con-
fusion. In Scripture it designates various forms of false or apostate
religion. Revelation 17 portrays Babylon as a woman—a figure that
the Bible uses as the symbol of a church, a good woman representing
a pure church, and an immoral woman, an apostate church.
The Bible describes the relation between Christ and His church
as a marriage. The Lord declares: “I will betroth you to Me forever;
yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness.” “I am married to
you.” And Paul says: “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I
may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (Hosea 2:19; Jeremiah
3:14; 2 Corinthians 11:2.)

Spiritual Adultery
When the church is unfaithful to Christ by allowing worldly
things to fill the life, the Bible compares this to violation of the
marriage vow. It uses this figure to represent the sin of Israel in
straying from the Lord. “‘As a wife treacherously departs from
her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of
Israel,’ says the LORD”; “an adulterous wife, who takes strangers
instead of her husband” (Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:32).
The apostle James says: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you
not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Who-
ever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God” (James 4:4).
The woman (Babylon) is “arrayed in purple and scarlet, and
adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her
hand a golden cup full of abominations and ... filthiness.... And on
her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
 218 Love Under Fire

GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS.” The prophet says, “I saw

[160] the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus.” Babylon is “that great city which reigns over
the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:4-6, 18.)
The power that ruled over the monarchs of Christendom for cen-
turies is Rome. The purple and scarlet color, gold, precious stones,
and pearls, picture the magnificence that the haughty church of Rome
paraded. No other power could be so truly declared “drunk with the
blood of the saints” as the church that persecuted the followers of
Christ so cruelly.
Babylon is also charged with an unlawful connection with the
“kings of the earth.” By leaving the Lord behind and allying with
the heathen, the Jewish church became a harlot, and Rome, seeking
the support of worldly powers, receives the same condemnation.
Babylon is “the mother of harlots.” Her daughters must be
churches that cling to her teachings and follow her example of sacri-
ficing truth in order to form an alliance with the world. The message
announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious organizations
that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message
comes after the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the
last days. So it cannot refer to the Roman Catholic Church alone,
because that church has been in a fallen condition for centuries.
Furthermore, the people of God are called to come out of Baby-
lon. So according to this scripture, many of God’s people must still
be in Babylon. And in what religious organizations do we now find
the majority of the followers of Christ? In churches professing the
Protestant faith. When these churches began, they took a noble stand
for truth, and God’s blessing was with them. But they fell because of
the same desire that ruined Israel—the desire to imitate the practices
and court the friendship of the ungodly.

Union With the World

Many Protestant churches have followed Rome’s example of
connecting with “the kings of the earth.” The state churches have
done this by their relation to secular governments, and other denom-
inations have done it by seeking the approval of the world. The term
“Babylon”—confusion—applies to these groups that claim to get
 Reaping the Whirlwind 219

their doctrine from the Bible, yet are divided into nearly countless
sects with conflicting beliefs.
A Roman Catholic work argues that “if the Church of Rome
were ever guilty of idolatry in relation to the saints, her daughter, the
Church of England, stands guilty of the same, having ten churches
dedicated to Mary for one dedicated to Christ.”3
And Dr. Hopkins declares: “There is no reason to think that
the anti-Christian spirit and practices are found only in what is now
called the Church of Rome. The Protestant churches have much of
antichrist in them, and they are far from being completely reformed
from ... corruptions and wickedness.”4
Concerning the separation of the Presbyterian Church from
Rome, Dr. Guthrie writes: “Three hundred years ago, our church
marched out from the gates of Rome with an open Bible on her
banner and this motto, ‘Search the Scriptures,’ on her scroll.” Then
he asks the significant question: “Did they come clean out of Baby- [161]
lon?”5

First Departures From the Gospel

How did the church first move away from the simple gospel
message? By making itself like paganism, so that the heathen could
accept Christianity more easily. “Toward the end of the second
century most of the churches took on a new form.... As the old
disciples went to their graves, their children, along with new con-
verts, ... came forward and remodeled the faith.” “A pagan flood
flowed into the church, carrying its customs, practices, and idols
with it.”6 The Christian religion obtained the favor and support of
secular rulers. Thousands accepted the form of Christianity. But
many of them “remained basically pagans, especially worshiping
their idols in secret.”7
Has not the same process been repeated in nearly every church
that calls itself Protestant? As the founders who had the true spirit
3 Richard Challoner, The Catholic Christian Instructed, preface, pages 21, 22.
4 Samuel Hopkins, “A Treatise on the Millennium,” Works, volume 2, page 328.
5 Thomas Guthrie, The Gospel in Ezekiel, page 237.
6 Robert Robinson, Ecclesiastical Researches (edition 1792), chapter 6, paragraph

17, page 51.

7 Gavazzi, Lectures (edition 185467), page 278.
 220 Love Under Fire

of reform pass away, their descendants “remodel the faith.” Blindly

refusing to accept any truth beyond what their ancestors saw, the
Reformers’ children depart from their example of self-denial and of
turning away from the world.
It is sad how far the popular churches have strayed from the
Bible standard! Speaking of money, John Wesley said: “Do not
waste any part of so precious a talent ... by needless or expensive
clothing or by useless ornaments. Waste no part of it in beautifully
decorating your houses, in unneeded or expensive furniture, in costly
pictures, painting, gilding.... As long as you are ‘clothed in purple
and fine linen,’ and dine ‘sumptuously every day’ [Luke 16:19], no
doubt many will applaud your elegance of taste, your generosity and
hospitality. But you would do better to be content with the honor
that comes from God.”8
Rulers, politicians, lawyers, doctors, merchants, join the church
as a way to advance their worldly interests. The religious organiza-
tions, reenforced by the wealth of these baptized worldlings, make
an even higher bid for popularity. They build splendid, extravagant
churches. They pay a high salary for a talented minister to entertain
the people. His sermons must be smooth and pleasing for fashion-
able ears. And so they conceal fashionable sins under a show of
godliness.
A writer in the New York Independent speaks this way about
Methodism as it is: “The line of separation between the godly and
the irreligious fades out into a kind of shadow, and zealous men on
both sides are working to erase all difference between their varieties
of action and enjoyment.”
In this tide of pleasure-seeking, self-sacrifice for Christ’s sake is
almost entirely lost. “If funds are needed now, ... nobody must be
asked to give. Oh, no! Have a fair, a show, a mock trial, an old-time
supper, or something to eat—anything to amuse the people.”
Robert Atkins draws a picture of spiritual decline in England:
“Apostasy, apostasy, apostasy, is engraved on the very front of every
church; and if they only knew it, and if they felt it, there might be
hope. But, no! They cry, ‘We are rich, and increased in goods, and
[162] stand in need of nothing.’”9
8 Wesley, Works, Sermon 50, “The Use of Money.”
 Reaping the Whirlwind 221

Babylon’s great sin is that she “made all nations drink of the wine
of the wrath of her fornication.” This cup represents false teachings
that she has accepted as the result of her friendship with the world.
In return, she exerts a corrupting influence on the world by teaching
doctrines opposed to the plain statements of the Bible.
If the world were not so drunk with the wine of Babylon, large
numbers of people would be convicted and converted by the plain
truths of the Word of God. But religious faith appears so confused
and contradictory that people do not know what to believe. The sin
of the world’s lack of repentance lies at the door of the church.
The second angel’s message did not reach its complete fulfill-
ment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall by refusing
the light of the advent message, but that fall was not complete. As
they have continued to reject the special truths for this time, they
have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that
“Babylon is fallen, ... because she has made all nations drink of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Protestant churches are
included in the second angel’s solemn denunciation. But the work
of apostasy has not yet reached its height.
Before the coming of the Lord, Satan will work “with all power,
signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception”; and
they that “did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved” will be left to receive “strong delusion, that they should
believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11). Not until the church fully
unites with the world will the fall of Babylon be complete. The
change is progressive, and the ultimate fulfillment of Revelation
14:8 is still future.
In spite of the spiritual darkness in the churches that comprise
Babylon, the great majority of Christ’s true followers are still in
those churches. Many have never seen the special truths for this
time. Many are longing for clearer light. They look for the image of
Christ in their churches, but they don’t find it.
Revelation 18 points to the time when God will call His people
who are still in Babylon to separate from her fellowship. This
message, the last that the world will ever hear, will accomplish its
work. The light of truth will shine on all who have hearts that are
9 Second Advent Library, tract number 39.
222 Love Under Fire

open to receive it, and all the children of the Lord in Babylon will
obey the call, “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation 18:4).
 Chapter 22—Prophecies Fulfilled [163]

When the spring of 1844 passed—the time when people first

expected the Lord’s coming—those who had looked for His appear-
ing experienced doubt and uncertainty. Many continued to search
the Scriptures, examining again the evidence for their faith. The
prophecies, clear and certain, pointed to the coming of Christ as
near. The blessing of the Lord in converting and reviving Christians
had testified that the message was from Heaven. Interwoven with
prophecies that they thought applied to the time of the Second Ad-
vent was instruction encouraging them to wait patiently in faith that
what was now unclear to them would be made plain. Among these
prophecies was Habakkuk 2:1-4. No one, however, noticed that
an apparent delay—a tarrying time—is in the prophecy. After the
disappointment, this scripture seemed very significant: “The vision
is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will
not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it
will not tarry.... The just shall live by his faith.”
Ezekiel’s prophecy also comforted the believers: “Thus says the
Lord GOD: ... ‘The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every
vision.... I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass;
it will no more be postponed.’” “The word which I speak will be
done.” (Ezekiel 12:23, 25, 28.)
Those who were waiting rejoiced. God, who knows the end from
the beginning, had given them hope. Without Scriptures like these,
their faith would have failed.
The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 also illustrates the
experience of the Adventist people. Here we see the church in the
last days. Their experience is illustrated by the events of an Eastern
marriage:
“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five
of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish
took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil
223
 224 Love Under Fire

in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was
delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was
heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’”
(Matthew 25:1-6).
The coming of the bridegroom represented the coming of Christ,
as announced by the first angel’s message. The virgins’ going out to
[164] meet the bridegroom corresponded to the widespread reformation
that accompanied the message of Christ’s soon coming. In this
parable, all had taken their lamps, the Bible, and had gone “out to
meet the bridegroom.” But while the foolish “took no oil with them,”
“the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” They had studied
the Scriptures to learn the truth and had a personal experience, a
faith in God that disappointment and delay could not overthrow. The
others responded to emotion, to their fears that the message stirred
up. But they had depended on the faith of the “wise,” satisfied with
the flickering light of emotion, without a thorough understanding of
truth or a genuine work of grace in the heart. These had gone out
“to meet” the Lord, expecting an immediate reward, but they were
not prepared for delay and disappointment. Their faith failed.
“While the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and
slept.” This extended waiting for the bridegroom represents the
passing of the time, the disappointment, the seeming delay. Those
who based their faith on a personal knowledge of the Bible had a
rock to stand on, which the waves of disappointment could not wash
away. “They all slumbered and slept,” one class in abandoning their
faith, the other patiently waiting till clearer light would come. The
superficial ones could no longer lean on the faith of the others. Each
must stand or fall for himself.

Fanaticism Appears
About this time, fanaticism began to appear. Some who claimed
to be believers showed a bigoted zeal. Their fanatical ideas gained
no sympathy from the great majority of Adventists, yet they brought
disgrace on the cause of truth.
Satan was losing his servants, and in order give the cause of God
a bad reputation, he worked to deceive some who called themselves
believers and drive them to extremes. Then his followers stood ready
 Prophecies Fulfilled 225

to take hold of every error, every strange or questionable act, and

hold it up in the most exaggerated light to portray Adventists as a
disgrace. The more people he could crowd in to profess faith in the
Second Advent while his power controlled their hearts, the more
advantage he would gain.
Satan is “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). His
spirit inspires his followers to watch for defects in the Lord’s people
and hold them up to notice, while not mentioning their good deeds.
In all the history of the church no reformation has moved forward
without meeting serious obstacles. Wherever Paul raised up a church,
some who claimed to receive the faith brought in heresies. Luther
also experienced distress from fanatical persons who claimed that
God had spoken directly through them, who put their own ideas
above Scripture. Many were deceived by the new teachers and
joined Satan in tearing down what God had led Luther to build up.
The Wesleys saw Satan’s work in pushing unbalanced, unsanctified
people into fanaticism.
William Miller had no sympathy with fanaticism. “The devil,”
said Miller, “has great power over the minds of some today.” “I have [165]
often gotten more evidence of genuine devotion to God from an
animated eye, a wet cheek, and a choked response, than from all the
noise in Christendom.”1
In the Reformation its enemies blamed the evils of fanaticism
on the ones who were working most earnestly against it. Those
who opposed the Advent movement followed a similar course. Not
content with exaggerating the errors of fanatics, they spread reports
that had not a shred of truth. Their peace was disturbed by the
proclamation that Christ was almost here. They feared it might be
true, yet hoped it was not. This was the secret of their warfare against
Adventists.
The preaching of the first angel’s message tended directly to hold
fanaticism back. Those who participated in these solemn movements
were in harmony. Their hearts were filled with love for one another
and for Jesus, whom they expected soon to see. The one faith, the
one blessed hope, proved to be a shield against Satan’s assaults.

1 Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pages 236, 237.

226 Love Under Fire

Mistake Corrected
“While the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight a cry was heard, ‘Behold, the bridegroom is
coming; go out to meet him!’” In the summer of 1844 the believers
proclaimed this message in the very words of Scripture.
The event that led to this movement was the discovery that the
decree of Artaxerxes to restore Jerusalem, which was the starting
point for the 2,300 days, went into effect in the autumn of 457 B.C.
and not at the beginning of the year, as had been believed. Starting
the calculation from the autumn of 457, the 2,300 years end in the
autumn of 1844. The Old Testament symbols also pointed to the
autumn as the time when the “cleansing of the sanctuary” must take
place.
The killing of the Passover lamb was a shadow of the death of
Christ, a symbol fulfilled, not only in relation to the event, but also
to the time. On the fourteenth day of the first Jewish month, the
very day and month on which for centuries the Passover lamb had
been killed, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, the feast that was
to commemorate His own death as “the Lamb of God.” That same
night He was taken to be crucified and killed.
In the same way, the symbols that relate to the Second Advent
must be fulfilled at the time indicated in the symbolic service. The
cleansing of the sanctuary, or the Day of Atonement, happened
on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month. On that day the
high priest, after making an atonement for all Israel and in this way
removing their sins from the sanctuary, came out and blessed the
people. So it was believed that Christ would appear to purify the
earth by destroying sin and sinners and to bless His waiting people
with immortality. The tenth day of the seventh month—the great
Day of Atonement, the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, which
in 1844 fell on the twenty-second of October—was thought to be the
day the Lord would come. The 2,300 days would end in the autumn,
and the conclusion seemed irresistible.
 Prophecies Fulfilled 227

“Midnight Cry” [166]

The arguments carried strong conviction, and thousands of be-
lievers gave the “midnight cry.” Like a tidal wave the movement
swept from city to city, from village to village. Fanaticism disap-
peared like early frost in the rising sun. The work was like those
times when ancient Israel returned to the Lord following messages
of rebuke from His servants. There was little ecstatic joy, but in-
stead deep searching of heart, confession of sin, and forsaking of
the world. People showed full consecration to God, with nothing
held back.
Of all the great religious movements since the days of the apos-
tles, none have been more free from human imperfection and Satan’s
deceptions than was the Advent movement in the autumn of 1844.
In response to the call, “The bridegroom is coming,” the waiting
ones “arose and trimmed their lamps”; they studied the Word of
God with an intensity of interest unlike anything before. The first
to obey the call were not the most talented, but the most humble
and devoted. Farmers left their crops in the fields, mechanics laid
down their tools and happily went out to give the warning. The
churches in general closed their doors against this message, and a
large number of people who received it withdrew their membership.
Unbelievers who flocked to the Adventist meetings felt convincing
power supporting the message, “Behold, the bridegroom is coming!”
Faith brought answers to prayer. Like showers of rain on the thirsty
earth, the Spirit of grace descended on the earnest seekers. Those
who expected soon to stand face-to-face with their Redeemer felt a
solemn joy. The Holy Spirit melted their hearts.
Those who received the message came up to the time when they
hoped to meet their Lord. They prayed frequently with one another.
They often met in out-of-the-way places to talk with God, and the
voice of intercession went up to heaven from fields and wooded
groves. They wanted the assurance of the Savior’s approval more
than their daily food, and if a cloud darkened their minds, they did
not rest until they felt the assurance of pardoning grace.
 228 Love Under Fire

Disappointed Again
But again, the time that they expected Jesus to come passed, and
their Savior did not appear. Now they felt like Mary did when she
came to the Savior’s tomb and found it empty, and she exclaimed
with tears, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know
where they have laid Him” (John 20:13).
The fear that the message might be true had restrained the un-
believing world. But when they saw no signs of God’s anger, they
recovered from their fears and began their taunts and ridicule again.
A large number who had claimed to believe renounced their faith.
The scoffers persuaded the weak and cowardly to join them, and
they all united in declaring that the world might stay the same for
thousands of years.
The earnest, sincere believers had given up everything for Christ.
[167] They believed they had given their last warning to the world. With
intense desire they had prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus.” But now to pick
up the burden of life’s perplexities again and to endure the jeers of a
scoffing world was a terrible trial.
When Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, His followers
believed that He was about to take the throne of David and deliver
Israel from her oppressors. With high hopes, many spread their outer
garments as a carpet in His path or strewed leafy palm branches
before Him. The disciples were fulfilling God’s intentions, yet they
were doomed to a bitter disappointment. Only a few days passed
before they witnessed the Savior’s agonizing death and laid Him in
the tomb. Their hopes died with Jesus. Not till their Lord had come
out from the grave could they understand that prophecy had foretold
all of this.

Messages Given at the Right Time

Similarly, Miller and his associates fulfilled prophecy and gave a
message that Inspiration had foretold should go to the world. They
could not have given it if they had fully understood the prophecies
pointing out their disappointment and presenting another message
that would have to be preached to all nations before the Lord returns.
 Prophecies Fulfilled 229

The first and second angels’ messages were given at the right time
and accomplished the work that God intended them to accomplish.
The world had been expecting that if Christ did not appear, peo-
ple would give up their Adventism. Many did surrender their faith,
but there were some who stood firm. The fruits of the Advent move-
ment—the spirit of heart searching, of renouncing the world and of
reforming the life—testified that it was from God. They dared not
deny that the Holy Spirit had blessed the preaching of the Second
Advent. They could find no error in the prophetic periods. Their
opponents had not succeeded in disproving their prophetic interpre-
tation. They could not agree to renounce beliefs they had come to
through earnest, prayerful study of the Scriptures, by minds enlight-
ened by the Spirit of God and hearts burning with its living power,
and which had stood firm against the arguments of educated and
eloquent opponents.
Adventists believed that God had led them to give the warning
of the judgment. They declared, “It has tested the hearts of all who
heard it, ... so that those who will examine their own hearts may
know on which side ... they would have been found, if the Lord had
come then—whether they would have exclaimed, ‘Behold, this is
our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us;’ or whether
they would have called to the rocks and mountains to fall on them to
hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne!”2
William Miller expressed the feelings of those who still believed
that God had led them: “My hope in the coming of Christ is as strong
as ever. I have done only what I felt it my duty to do, after years of
solemn consideration.” “To all human appearance, many thousands
have been made to study the Scriptures by the preaching of the time;
and by that means they have been reconciled to God through faith [168]
and the sprinkling of the blood of Christ.”3

Belief Maintained
God’s Spirit still stayed with those who did not rashly deny
the light they had received and denounce the Advent movement.
2 The Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter, volume 8, number 14 (Novem-
ber 13, 1844).
3 Bliss, pages 256, 255, 277, 280, 281.
230 Love Under Fire

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will
of God, you may receive the promise: ‘For yet a little while, and He
who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live
by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’
But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those
who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:35-39).
This counsel is addressed to the church in the last days. It plainly
implies that the Lord would seem to delay His coming. The people
addressed here had done the will of God by following the guidance of
His Spirit and His Word, yet they could not understand His purpose
in their experience. They were tempted to doubt whether God had
indeed been leading them. The words, “Now the just shall live
by faith,” were applicable at this time. Crushed by disappointed
hopes, they could stand only by faith in God and His Word. To
renounce their faith and deny the power of the Holy Spirit that had
accompanied the message would be to go back toward being lost.
Their only safe course was to cherish the light they had already
received from God, continue to search the Scriptures, and patiently
wait and watch for further light.
 Chapter 23—The Open Mystery of the Sanctuary [169]

The scripture which above all others had been both the foun-
dation and the central pillar of the advent faith was the statement,
“For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be
cleansed” (Daniel 8:14). These had been familiar words to everyone
who believed in the Lord’s soon coming. But the Lord had not
come. The believers knew that God’s Word could not fail; their
interpretation of the prophecy must be at fault. But where was the
mistake?
God had led His people in the great Advent movement. He would
not permit it to end in darkness and disappointment, condemned as
false and fanatical. Though many abandoned their calculation of the
prophetic periods and denied the movement based on them, others
were unwilling to renounce points of faith and experience that the
Scriptures and the Spirit of God upheld. It was their duty to hold
securely the truths they had already gained. With earnest prayer they
studied the Scriptures to discover their mistake. Since they could see
no error in their calculations of the prophetic periods, they examined
more closely the subject of the sanctuary.
They learned that there is no Scripture evidence to support the
popular view that the earth is the sanctuary. But they found a full
Bible explanation of the sanctuary, its nature, location, and services:
“Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine
service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the
first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread,
which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part
of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the
golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with
gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod
that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the
cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat” (Hebrews 9:1-5).
The “sanctuary” was the tabernacle that Moses built at God’s
command as the earthly dwelling place of the Most High. “Let
231
 232 Love Under Fire

them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus

25:8), was the direction God gave to Moses. The tabernacle was a
magnificent structure. Besides the outer court, the tabernacle itself
consisted of two rooms or apartments called the Holy and the Most
[170] Holy Place, separated by a beautiful curtain, or veil. A similar veil
closed the entrance to the first room.

Holy and Most Holy Places

In the Holy Place was the lampstand on the south with its seven
lamps giving light both day and night. On the north side stood the
table of showbread. In front of the veil separating the Holy from the
Most Holy was the golden altar of incense, from which the cloud of
fragrance, with the prayers of Israel, ascended daily before God.
In the Most Holy Place stood the ark, a chest overlaid with gold,
which held the Ten Commandments. Above the ark was the mercy
seat holding two angels made of solid gold. In this apartment the
divine presence appeared in the cloud of glory between the cherubim.
After the Hebrews settled in Canaan, the tabernacle was replaced
by the temple of Solomon. Though it was a permanent structure and
built on a larger scale, it had the same proportions and was furnished
in the same way. The sanctuary existed in this form—except while
it lay in ruins in Daniel’s time—until the Romans destroyed it in
A.D. 70. This is the only sanctuary on earth about which the Bible
gives any information, the sanctuary of the first covenant. But does
the new covenant have no sanctuary?
Turning again to the book of Hebrews, the seekers for truth
found that a second or new covenant sanctuary was implied in the
words already quoted: “Then indeed, even the first covenant had
ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.” Turning back
to the beginning of the previous chapter, they read: “Now this is the
main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest,
who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the
heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which
the Lord erected, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1, 2).
Here the Bible reveals the sanctuary of the new covenant. Moses
made the sanctuary of the first covenant; this one is made by the
Lord. In that sanctuary earthly priests performed their service; in
 Open Mystery of the Sanctuary 233

this, Christ, our great High Priest, ministers at God’s right hand.
One sanctuary was on earth, the other is in heaven.
The tabernacle Moses built was made according to a pattern.
The Lord directed, “According to all that I show you, that is, the
pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just
so you shall make it.” “And see to it that you make them according
to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” The first
tabernacle “was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts
and sacrifices are [were] offered,” its Holy Places “copies of the
things in the heavens.” The priests served “the copy and shadow of
the heavenly things.” “Christ has not entered the holy places made
with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Exodus 25:9, 40; Hebrews
9:9, 23; 8:5; 9:24.)
The sanctuary in heaven is the great original. The sanctuary that
Moses built was a copy of it. The splendor of the earthly tabernacle
reflected the glories of that heavenly temple where Christ ministers [171]
for us before the throne of God. The earthly sanctuary and its
services taught important truths about the heavenly sanctuary and
our redemption.

The Two Apartments

The Holy Places of the sanctuary in heaven are represented by
the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth. John received a view
of the temple of God in heaven. He saw there “seven lamps of fire
... burning before the throne.” He saw an angel “having a golden
censer.... He was given much incense, that he should offer it with
the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before
the throne.” (Revelation 4:5; 8:3.) Here the prophet saw the first
apartment of the sanctuary in heaven, and he saw there the “seven
lamps of fire” and the “golden altar,” which the golden lampstand
and the altar of incense represented in the sanctuary on earth.
Again, “The temple of God was opened,” and he looked past
the inner veil into the Holy of Holies. Here he saw “the ark of
His covenant,” represented by the chest that Moses constructed to
contain the law of God. (Revelation 11:19.)
 234 Love Under Fire

And so the believers studying the subject found proof that a

sanctuary existed in heaven. John testifies that he saw it in heaven.
In the temple in heaven, in the Most Holy Place, is God’s law.
The ark that holds the law is covered with the mercy seat, in front of
which Christ pleads His blood for sinners. These things represent
the union of justice and mercy in the plan of redemption, a union
that fills all heaven with amazement. This is the mystery of mercy
that the angels would like to understand—that God can be just while
He justifies the repenting sinner, that Christ could stoop to raise
great numbers of people from ruin and clothe them with the spotless
robes of His own righteousness.
Zechariah presents the work of Christ as our intercessor: “He
shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and
shall sit and rule on His [the Father’s] throne; so He shall be a priest
on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both”
(Zechariah 6:13).
“He shall build the temple of the LORD.” By His sacrifice and
mediation Christ is the foundation and builder of the church of God,
“the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:20,
21).
“He shall bear the glory.” The song of those who are saved will
be, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His
own blood, ... to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever”
(Revelation 1:5, 6).
He “shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on
His throne.” The kingdom of glory has not yet arrived. Not until His
work as a mediator is over will God give Him a kingdom of which
“there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). As priest, Christ has now sat
down with the Father in His throne. Upon the throne is the One
who “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,” “in all points
[172] tempted as we are, yet without sin,” that He might be “able to aid
those who are tempted” (Isaiah 53:4; Hebrews 4:15; 2:18). The
wounded hands, the pierced side, the marred feet, plead for fallen
humanity whose redemption Jesus purchased at such cost.
“And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” The love
of the Father is the fountain of salvation for the lost race. Jesus said
to His disciples, “The Father Himself loves you.” God was “in Christ
 Open Mystery of the Sanctuary 235

reconciling the world to Himself.” “God so loved the world that He

gave His only begotten Son.” (John 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:19; John
3:16.)

The Sanctuary Mystery Solved

The “true tabernacle” in heaven is the sanctuary of the new
covenant. When Christ died, the symbolic service of the earthly sanc-
tuary ended. Since Daniel 8:14 extends down to our era, the sanc-
tuary to which it refers must be the sanctuary of the new covenant.
So the prophecy, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the
sanctuary shall be cleansed,” points to the sanctuary in heaven.
But what is the cleansing of the sanctuary? Can there be anything
in heaven that needs to be cleansed? Hebrews 9 plainly teaches the
cleansing of both the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary: “According
to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without
shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary
that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with
these [the blood of animals], but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:22, 23), even the precious
blood of Christ.

The Cleansing of the Sanctuary

The cleansing in the real service in heaven must be accomplished
with the blood of Christ. “Without shedding of blood there is no
remission.” Remission, or putting away of sin, is the work to be
accomplished.
But how could there be sin connected with the sanctuary in
heaven? We can find the answer by looking at the symbolic service,
since the priests on earth served in “the copy and shadow of the
heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5).
The ministry of the earthly sanctuary consisted of two parts. The
priests ministered each day in the Holy Place, while once a year the
high priest performed a special work of atonement in the Most Holy,
to cleanse the sanctuary. Day by day repentant sinners brought their
offerings. They placed their hands on the victim’s head, confessed
their sins, symbolically transferring the sins from themselves to the
 236 Love Under Fire

innocent sacrifices. The animals were then killed. “The life of the
flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). The broken law of God
demanded the life of the transgressor. The priest carried the blood,
representing the life of the sinner whose guilt the victim bore, into
the Holy Place and sprinkled it in front of the veil, behind which was
the law that the sinner had broken. This ceremony transferred the
sin symbolically to the sanctuary. In some cases the priest did not
take the blood into the Holy Place, but then he ate the flesh. Both
[173] ceremonies symbolized the transfer of sin from the repentant sinner
to the sanctuary.
This was the work that went on throughout the year. The sins
of Israel were transferred in this way to the sanctuary, and a special
work became necessary to remove them.

The Great Day of Atonement

Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest
entered the Most Holy Place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Two
young goats were brought and lots were cast, “one lot for the LORD
and the other lot for the scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:8). The goat for the
Lord was killed as a sin offering for the people, and the priest was
to take his blood past the veil and sprinkle it in front of the mercy
seat and also on the altar of incense just in front of the veil.
“Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat,
confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of
the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a
suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an
uninhabited land” (Leviticus 16:21, 22). The scapegoat would never
again come into the camp of Israel.
The ceremony was designed to impress the Israelites with the
holiness of God and His hatred of sin. Every Israelite was required
to examine his own heart while this work of atonement was going
on. All business was laid aside, and Israel spent the day in prayer,
fasting, and searching of heart.
God accepted a substitute in the sinner’s place, but the blood
of the victim did not cancel the sin; rather, the sin was transferred
to the sanctuary. By offering the blood the sinner acknowledged
 Open Mystery of the Sanctuary 237

the authority of the law, confessed his sin, and expressed his faith
in a Redeemer to come, but he was not yet completely free from
the law’s condemnation. On the Day of Atonement the high priest
took an offering from the congregation and went into the Most Holy
Place. He sprinkled the blood of this offering on the mercy seat,
directly over the law, to satisfy its claims. Then, as mediator, he took
the sins on himself and brought them out of the sanctuary. Placing
his hands on the scapegoat’s head, he symbolically transferred all
these sins from himself to the goat. The goat then carried them away,
and they were considered forever separated from the people.

Heavenly Reality
What happened symbolically in the services of the earthly sanctu-
ary happens in reality in the heavenly sanctuary. After His ascension
our Savior began His work as our High Priest: “Christ has not en-
tered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”
(Hebrews 9:24).
The service of the priest in the first apartment, “behind the veil”
which separated the Holy Place from the outer court, represents the
work that Christ began when He ascended. In the daily service the
priest presented before God the blood of the sin offering and also
the incense that went up with the prayers of Israel. Likewise, Christ [174]
pleaded His blood before the Father for sinners and presented to
Him the prayers of repentant believers with the fragrance of His own
righteousness. This was the ministry in the first apartment of the
sanctuary in heaven.
The faith of Christ’s disciples followed Him to that first apart-
ment when He ascended. This is where their hopes centered. “This
hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and
which enters the Presence behind the veil; where the forerunner has
entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever.” “He
entered once for all into the Holy Place ... with His own blood, thus
obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 6:19, 20; Hebrews 9:12,
NRSV.)
For eighteen centuries this work continued in the first apartment
of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ obtained pardon and acceptance
238 Love Under Fire

with the Father for repentant believers, but their sins still remained
on the books of record. As in the symbolic service there was a work
of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for
humanity is done there is a work of atonement to remove sin from
the sanctuary. This began when the 2,300 days ended. At that time
our High Priest entered the Most Holy Place to cleanse the sanctuary.

A Work of Judgment
In the new covenant the sins of the repentant believers are by
faith placed on Christ and transferred in fact to the heavenly sanc-
tuary. And as the symbolic cleansing of the earthly sanctuary was
accomplished by removing the sins that had polluted it, so the actual
cleansing of the heavenly is accomplished by removing, or blotting
out, the sins recorded there. But before this can happen, there must
be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through
repentance and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His
atonement. So the cleansing of the sanctuary involves a work of
investigation—a work of judgment—before the coming of Christ,
because when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every
one according to his works. (See Revelation 22:12).
So those who followed the light of the prophetic word saw that,
instead of coming to the earth at the end of the 2,300 days in 1844,
Christ entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to per-
form the closing work of atonement in preparation for His coming.
When Christ, by the power of His blood, removes the sins of His
people from the heavenly sanctuary at the close of His ministry, He
will put them on Satan, who must bear the final penalty. The scape-
goat was sent away into an uninhabited land, never to come again
into the congregation of Israel. Likewise, Satan will be banished
forever from the presence of God and His people, and he will be
blotted out of existence in the final destruction of sin and sinners.
 Chapter 24—What Is Christ Doing Now? [175]

The subject of the sanctuary unlocked the mystery of the disap-

pointment of 1844. It revealed a complete system of truth, connected
and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great
Advent movement. Those who had looked in faith for His second
coming expected Him to appear in glory, but when their hopes were
disappointed, they had lost sight of Jesus. Now in the Holy of Holies
they again saw their High Priest, soon to appear as king and deliverer.
Light from the sanctuary lit up the past, the present, and the future.
Though they had failed to understand the message they had given, it
had been correct.
The mistake had not been in calculating the prophetic periods,
but in the event that was to take place at the end of the 2,300 days.
Yet everything that the prophecy foretold had happened.
Christ had come, not to the earth, but to the Most Holy Place
of the temple in heaven: “I was watching in the night visions, and
behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came”—not to the earth, but—“to the Ancient of Days, and they
brought Him near before Him” (Daniel 7:13).
Malachi also foretold this coming: “‘The Lord, whom you
seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of
the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says
the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1). The coming of the Lord to His
temple was “sudden,” unexpected, to His people. They were not
looking for Him there.
The people were not yet ready to meet their Lord. They still
needed a work of preparation. As by faith they would follow their
High Priest in His ministry, they would find new duties revealed.
There was another message of warning and instruction to be given
to the church.

239
 240 Love Under Fire

Who Can Stand?

The prophet wrote: “Who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears? ... He will sit as a refiner
and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering
in righteousness” (Malachi 3:2, 3). Those living on earth when the
intercession of Christ ends will stand in the sight of God without
a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters purified
[176] from sin by the sprinkled blood. Through the grace of God and their
own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil.
While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while
the sins of repentant believers are being removed from the sanctuary,
God’s people on earth are to engage in a special work of putting
away sin. This work is presented in the message of Revelation 14.
When this work has been accomplished, the followers of Christ will
be ready for His appearing. Then the church which our Lord is to
receive at His coming will be “a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27).

“Behold, the Bridegroom Is Coming”

The coming of Christ as High Priest to the Most Holy Place for
the cleansing of the sanctuary (Daniel 8:14), the coming of the Son
of man to the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13), and the coming of
the Lord to His temple (Malachi 3:1) are the same event. This is
also represented by the bridegroom’s coming to the marriage in the
parable of the ten virgins of Matthew 25.
In the parable, when the bridegroom came, “those who were
ready went in with him to the wedding.” This coming of the
bridegroom takes place before the marriage. The marriage rep-
resents Christ’s receiving of His kingdom. The Holy City, the New
Jerusalem, the capital and symbol of the kingdom, is called “the
bride, the Lamb’s wife.” The angel said to John, “Come, I will show
you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” “He carried me away in the Spirit,”
says the prophet, “and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:9, 10).
 What Is Christ Doing Now? 241

The bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out
to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the book of
Revelation the people of God are described as guests at the marriage
supper. If guests, they cannot be the bride. Christ will receive from
the Ancient of Days in heaven “dominion and glory and a kingdom,”
the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, “prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband” (Daniel 7:14; Revelation 21:2). When He
has received the kingdom, He will come as King of kings and Lord
of lords to redeem His people who are to eat of the marriage supper
of the Lamb.

Waiting for Their Lord

The proclamation “Behold, the bridegroom is coming” led thou-
sands to expect the Lord to come immediately. At the appointed
time the Bridegroom came—not to the earth, but to the Ancient
of Days in heaven, to the marriage, the reception of His kingdom.
“Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding.” They
were not to be present in person, since they are on the earth. The
followers of Christ are to “wait for their master, when he will return
from the wedding” (Luke 12:36). But they are to understand His
work and follow Him by faith. In this sense they are said to go in to
the marriage.
In the parable, those who had oil in their lamps went in to the
marriage. Those who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently
waited, searching the Bible for clearer light—these saw the truth con- [177]
cerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Savior’s change of priestly
service. By faith they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary
above. And all who accept the same truths, following Christ by faith
as He performs the last work of mediation, go in to the marriage.

Closing Work in the Sanctuary

Similarly, in the parable of Matthew 22 the judgment takes place
before the marriage. Previous to the wedding the king comes in to
see if all the guests are wearing the wedding garment, the spotless
robe of character washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation
7:14). In God’s examination, all who have the wedding garment
242 Love Under Fire

on are accepted and judged worthy of a share in God’s kingdom

and a seat on His throne. This work of character examination is the
investigative judgment, the closing work in the sanctuary above.
When the cases of those who in all ages have professed Christ
have been examined and decided, then probation will close and
the door of mercy will be shut. So in one short sentence, “Those
who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was
shut,” we are carried down to the time when the great work for our
salvation will be completed.
In the earthly sanctuary, when the high priest entered the Most
Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, the service in the first apart-
ment ended. Likewise, when Christ entered the Holy of Holies to
perform the closing work of the atonement, He ended His ministry in
the first apartment. Then the ministry in the second apartment began.
Christ had completed only one part of His work as our intercessor,
in order to begin another portion of the work. He still pleaded His
blood before the Father in behalf of sinners.
While it is true that that door of hope and mercy was closed
by which for eighteen hundred years sinners had found access to
God, another door had opened. God still offered forgiveness of sins
through the intercession of Christ in the Most Holy. There was
still an “open door” to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ was
ministering for sinners.
Now people could see the meaning of those words of Christ in
the Revelation, meant for this very time: “These things says He who
is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens
and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens’: ... See, I have set
before you an open door, and no one can shut it” (Revelation 3:7, 8).
Those who by faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atone-
ment receive the benefits of His mediation, while those who reject
the light get no benefit from it. The Jews who refused to believe on
Christ as Savior could not receive forgiveness through Him. When
Jesus ascended and entered the heavenly sanctuary to pour out on
His disciples the blessings of His mediation, those Jews were left
in darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The
door that before had given people access to God was no longer open.
The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only way He could then be
found, through the sanctuary in heaven.
 What Is Christ Doing Now? 243

The unbelieving Jews illustrate the condition of the careless and [178]
unbelieving among professed Christians who are willingly ignorant
of the work of our High Priest. In the symbolic service, when the
high priest went into the Most Holy Place, all of the Israelites were
required to gather around the sanctuary and humble their hearts
before God, so that they could receive pardon of sins and not be “cut
off” from the congregation. How much more essential in this final
Day of Atonement that we understand the work of our High Priest
and know what duties are required of us.
Heaven sent a message to the world in Noah’s day, and their
salvation depended on how they treated that message (Genesis 6:6-9;
Hebrews 11:7). In the time of Sodom, all but Lot with his wife
and two daughters were consumed by fire sent down from heaven
(Genesis 19). It was the same in the days of Christ. The Son of God
declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation, “Your house is
left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:38). Looking down to the last
days, the same Infinite Power declares concerning those who “did
not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved”: “For this
reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe
the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11). As they reject the teachings
of His Word, God withdraws His Spirit and leaves them to the
deceptions that they love. But Christ still intercedes for humanity,
and God will give light those who seek it.
The passing of the time in 1844 brought great trial to those who
held the advent faith. Their only relief was the light that pointed
their minds to the sanctuary above. As they waited and prayed, they
saw that their great High Priest had begun another work of ministry.
As they followed Him by faith, He led them to see also the closing
work of the church. They had a clearer understanding of the first and
second angels’ messages, and were prepared to receive the solemn
warning of the third angel of Revelation 14 and give it to the world.
[179] Chapter 25—God’s Law Unchangeable

“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His
covenant was seen in His temple” (Revelation 11:19). The ark of
God’s covenant is in the Holy of Holies, the second apartment of
the sanctuary. In the services of the earthly tabernacle, which served
as “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things,” this section was
opened only on the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of
the sanctuary. So the announcement that the temple of God was
opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the
opening of the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844
as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement.
Those who followed their great High Priest by faith as He began
His ministry in the Most Holy Place took notice of the ark of His
covenant. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary, they had
come to understand the Savior’s change of ministry, and they saw
that He was now officiating before the ark of God.
The ark in the tabernacle on earth contained the two tablets of
stone on which God had inscribed His law. When the temple of God
was opened in heaven, the ark of His covenant was seen. Within the
Holy of Holies in heaven, the divine law is enshrined—the law that
God Himself spoke and also wrote with His finger on the tablets of
stone.
Those who came to understand this point saw, as never before,
the importance of the Savior’s words, “Till heaven and earth pass
away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law”
(Matthew 5:18). As a revelation of His will, a transcript of His
character, the law of God must endure forever.
In the heart of the Ten Commandments is the Sabbath command-
ment. The Spirit of God impressed those students of His Word that
they had ignorantly broken this law by disregarding the Creator’s
rest day. They began to examine the reasons for keeping the first day
of the week. They could find no evidence that God had abolished
the fourth commandment or changed the Sabbath. They had been
244
 God’s Law Unchangeable 245

honestly seeking to know and to do God’s will. Now they showed

their loyalty to God by keeping His Sabbath holy.
Many people tried to overthrow the faith of the believers. None
could fail to see that accepting the truth about the heavenly sanctuary
involved the claims of God’s law and the Sabbath of the fourth com- [180]
mandment. Here was the secret behind the determined opposition
to the harmonious explanation of Scriptures that revealed Christ’s
ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. People tried to close the door
that God had opened and to open the door that He had closed. But
Christ had opened the door to the ministry of the Most Holy Place.
The fourth commandment was included in the law enshrined there.
Those who accepted the light about Christ’s mediation and the
law of God found that these were the truths of Revelation 14, a
three-part warning to prepare the earth’s inhabitants for the Lord’s
second coming. (See Appendix.) The announcement “The hour of
His judgment has come” highlights a truth that must be proclaimed
until the Savior’s intercession ends and He returns to take His people
to Himself. The judgment that began in 1844 must continue until
the cases of all are decided, both of the living and the dead; so it will
extend to the close of human probation.*
So that we may be ready to stand in the judgment, the message
commands us to “fear God and give glory to Him, ... and worship
Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
The Bible tells us the result of accepting these messages: “Here are
those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
(Revelation 14:7, 12.)
To be prepared for the judgment, we should keep the law of
God, the standard of character in the judgment. Paul declares: “As
many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law ... in the
day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” “The
doers of the law will be justified.” Faith is essential in order to keep
the law of God, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”
“Whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 2:12, 16, 13; Hebrews
11:6; Romans 14:23.)
The first angel calls us to “fear God and give glory to Him” and
to worship Him as the Creator of heaven and earth. To do this, we
* That is, the end of the opportunity God extends to people to be saved.
 246 Love Under Fire

must obey His law. Without obedience no worship can be pleasing

to God. “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments”
(1 John 5:3; see Proverbs 28:9).

A Call to Worship the Creator

The duty to worship God is based on the fact that He is the
Creator. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel
before the LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:6; see Psalm 96:5; Psalm
100:3; Isaiah 40:25, 26; 45:18).
Revelation 14 calls people to worship the Creator and keep the
commandments of God. One of these commandments points to God
as the Creator: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your
God.... For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,
the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore
the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:10,
11). The Sabbath, the Lord says, is a “sign ... that you may know that
[181] I am the LORD your God” (Ezekiel 20:20). If everyone had kept the
Sabbath, it would have led them to the Creator as the object of their
worship. There would never have been an idol worshiper, atheist, or
unbeliever. Keeping the Sabbath is a sign of loyalty to “Him who
made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” The message
that commands people to worship God and keep His commandments
will especially call them to keep the fourth commandment.
In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God and
the faith of Jesus, the third angel points to another group: “If anyone
worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his
forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of
the wrath of God” (Revelation 14:9, 10). What do the beast, the
image, and the mark represent?

The Identity of the Dragon

The prophecy where these symbols are found begins with Rev-
elation 12. The dragon who tried to destroy Christ at His birth is
Satan (Revelation 12:9), who stirred up Herod to put the Savior to
death. But the Roman Empire was the agent Satan used to make war
on Christ and His people during the first centuries, and paganism
 God’s Law Unchangeable 247

was its prevailing religion. So in a secondary sense, the dragon is a

symbol of pagan Rome.
Revelation 13 presents another beast, “like a leopard,” to which
the dragon gave “his power, his throne, and great authority.” This
symbol, as historically most Protestants have believed, represents the
papacy, which took over the power and seat and authority that the Ro-
man Empire once held. The Bible says about this leopardlike beast:
“He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies....
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme
His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was
granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.
And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation”
(Revelation 13:2, 5-7). This prophecy, nearly identical with the
description of the little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to
the papacy.
“He was given authority to continue for forty-two months”—the
three years and a half, or 1,260 days, of Daniel 7—during which
the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated
in earlier chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A.D.
538, and ended in 1798. At that time the papal power received its
“deadly wound,” and the prediction was fulfilled, “He who leads
into captivity shall go into captivity.”

The Rise of a New Power

At this point the prophecy introduces another symbol: “I saw
another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like
a lamb” (Revelation 13:11). This nation is unlike those presented
by the preceding symbols. The great kingdoms that have ruled the
world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising
when “the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea”
(Daniel 7:2).
But John saw the beast with lamblike horns “coming up out of [182]
the earth.” Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself,
the nation represented this way must arise in territory previously
unoccupied and grow up peacefully. So it could not appear among
the crowded and struggling nations of the Old World. We must look
for it in the Western Continent.
248 Love Under Fire

What nation of the New World was rising into power in 1798,
giving promise of strength, and attracting the attention of the world?
One nation, and only one, meets this prophecy—the United States
of America. In describing the rise of this nation, the historian un-
consciously used almost the exact words of the Bible. A prominent
writer speaks of “the mystery of her coming forth from vacancy,”
and says, “Like a silent seed we grew into empire.”1 A European
journal in 1850 spoke of the United States as “emerging” and “amid
the silence of the earth daily adding to its power and pride.”2
“And he had two horns like a lamb.” The lamblike horns indicate
youth, innocence, and gentleness. Among the Christian exiles who
first fled to America from royal oppression and religious intolerance
were many who determined to establish civil and religious liberty.
The Declaration of Independence proclaims the truth that “all men
are created equal” and are endowed with the inalienable right to “life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Constitution guarantees
the people the right of self-government, requiring that representatives
elected by popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. It
also granted freedom of religion. Republicanism and Protestantism
became the fundamental principles of the nation, the secret of its
power and prosperity. Millions have flocked to its shores, and the
United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations
of the earth.

A Striking Contradiction
But the beast with lamblike horns “spoke like a dragon. And
he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and
causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast,
whose deadly wound was healed.... Telling those who dwell on the
earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword
and lived” (Revelation 13:11, 12, 14).
The lamblike horns and dragon voice point to a contradiction.
The prediction that it will speak “like a dragon” and exercise “all
the authority of the first beast” foretells that it will develop a spirit
of intolerance and persecution like those of the dragon and the
1 G. A. Townsend, The New World Compared With the Old, page 462.
2 Dublin Nation.
 God’s Law Unchangeable 249

leopardlike beast. And the statement that the beast with two horns
“causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first
beast” indicates that the authority of this nation will enforce giving
allegiance to the papacy.
Such action would be against the basic principles of its free
institutions, against the solemn statements of the Declaration of
Independence, and against the Constitution. The Constitution pro-
vides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and that “no
religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office [183]
or public trust under the United States.” Yet the symbol points to
flagrant violation of these safeguards to liberty. The beast with lam-
blike horns—professing to be pure, gentle, and harmless—speaks
like a dragon.
“Telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the
beast.” Here the prophecy presents a form of government in which
the legislative power rests with the people, a most striking evidence
that the United States is the nation indicated here.
But what is the “image to the beast”? How is it to be formed?
When the early church became corrupted, she set out to get the
support of secular power. The result: the papacy, a church that
controlled the state, especially for the punishment of “heresy.” In
order for the United States to form an “image to the beast,” the
religious power must so control the civil government that the church
will use the state to accomplish her own ends.
Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome
have shown a similar desire to restrict freedom of conscience. An
example is the Church of England’s long-running persecution of
dissenters. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, noncon-
formist pastors and people faced fines, imprisonment, torture, and
martyrdom.
Apostasy led the early church to seek the help of civil govern-
ment, and this prepared the way for the papacy—the beast. Said
Paul: “The falling away comes ..., and the man of sin is revealed” (2
Thessalonians 2:3).
The Bible declares: “In the last days perilous times will come:
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
 250 Love Under Fire

unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, de-

spisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying
its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). “Now the Spirit expressly says that in
latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving
spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).
All who do “not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved” will accept “strong delusion, that they should believe the lie”
(2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11). When this happens, the same results
will follow as in the first centuries.
Many think that the wide diversity of belief among Protestant
churches is proof that no forced uniformity can ever happen. But for
years in Protestant churches there has been a growing desire to unite.
To bring about such union, they must avoid discussing subjects on
which they do not all agree. In the effort to have complete uniformity,
it will be only a step to resort to force.
When the leading churches of the United States unite on the
points of doctrine that they hold in common and influence the state to
enforce their decrees and to support their institutions, then Protestant
America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and
civil penalties on dissenters will inevitably follow.

[184] The Beast and His Image

The beast with two horns “causes all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or
on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who
has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name”
(Revelation 13:16, 17). The third angel warns, “If anyone worships
the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or
on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of
God.”
“The beast” whose worship is enforced is the first, or leopard-
like, beast of Revelation 13—the papacy. The “image to the beast”
represents the form of apostate Protestantism that will develop when
the Protestant churches seek the help of civil power to enforce their
beliefs. The “mark of the beast” still remains to be defined.
 God’s Law Unchangeable 251

Those who keep God’s commandments are contrasted with those

who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark. The
keeping of God’s law, on the one hand, and its violation, on the
other, will be what distinguishes between the worshipers of God and
the worshipers of the beast.
The special characteristic of the beast and of his image is the
breaking of God’s commandments. Daniel says that the little horn,
the papacy, “shall intend to change times and law” (Daniel 7:25).
Paul called the same power the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3),
who would exalt himself above God. Only by changing God’s law
could the papacy exalt itself above God. Whoever would knowingly
keep the law in its changed form would be giving supreme honor to
papal laws, a mark of allegiance to the pope in place of God.
The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. It has
changed the fourth commandment in an attempt to authorize observ-
ing the first day instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. The Bible
presents this as an intentional, deliberate change: he “shall intend
to change times and law.” The change in the fourth commandment
exactly fulfills the prophecy. Here the papal power openly sets itself
above God.
The worshipers of God will be especially known for keeping
the fourth commandment, the sign of His creative power. The wor-
shipers of the beast will be noted for their efforts to tear down the
Creator’s memorial, to exalt the sabbath of Rome. It was in behalf of
Sunday as “the Lord’s day” that the Church of Rome first asserted its
arrogant claims. (See Appendix.) But the Bible points to the seventh
day as the Lord’s day. Christ said, “The Son of Man is also Lord
of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28; see also Isaiah 58:13, 14; Matthew
5:17-19). His own words disprove the frequent claim that Christ
changed the Sabbath.

Complete Silence of New Testament

Protestants admit that “the New Testament is completely silent
about any explicit command for the Sabbath [referring here to Sun-
day, the first day of the week] or definite rules for its observance.”3
3 George Elliott, The Abiding Sabbath, page 184.
 252 Love Under Fire

“Up to the time of Christ’s death, there had been no change in

[185] the day”; and, “so far as the record shows, they [the apostles] did not
... give any explicit command to abandon the seventh day Sabbath,
and observe it on the first day of the week.”4
Roman Catholics acknowledge that their church made the change
of the Sabbath, and they declare that Protestants recognize her power
by observing Sunday. They claim, “During the old law, Saturday
was the day sanctified; but the Church, instructed by Jesus Christ and
directed by the Spirit of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday;
so now we sanctify the first day, not the seventh day. Sunday means,
and now is, the day of the Lord.”5
As the sign of the Roman Church’s authority, Catholic writ-
ers cite “the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which
Protestants accept; ... because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge
the church’s power to authorize feasts, and to command them as
something that it is sinful to ignore.”6
What then is the change of the Sabbath, but the sign, or mark, of
the authority of the Roman Church—“the mark of the beast”?
The Roman Church has not given up her claim to supremacy.
When the world and the Protestant churches accept a sabbath that
she created while they reject the Bible Sabbath, they virtually admit
her claim. In doing so they ignore the principle that separates them
from Rome—that “the Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of
Protestants.” As the movement to enforce Sunday gains favor, it
will eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of
Rome.
Catholic spokesmen declare that “the observance of Sunday by
the Protestants is a tribute they pay, in spite of themselves, to the
authority of the [Catholic] Church.”7 If a church enforced a religious
duty by secular power, this would form an image to the beast; so
the enforcement of Sunday keeping in the United States would be
enforcing the worship of the beast and his image.
Christians of past generations observed Sunday while thinking
they were keeping the Bible Sabbath, and there are now true Chris-
4 A.E. Waffle, The Lord’s Day, pages 186-188.
5 CatholicCatechism of Christian Religion.
6 Henry Tuberville, An Abridgement of the Christian Doctrine, page 58.
7 Monsignor Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, page 213.
 God’s Law Unchangeable 253

tians in every church who honestly believe that God established

Sunday as the day for worship. God accepts their sincerity and
integrity. But when Sunday observance is enforced by law and the
world is enlightened about the true Sabbath, then whoever trans-
gresses the command of God in order to obey a teaching of Rome
will, in doing so, honor the papacy above God. Such people are pay-
ing tribute to Rome. They are worshiping the beast and his image. In
doing this, people will accept the sign of allegiance to Rome—“the
mark of the beast.” Not until the issue is plainly explained to the
people and they have to choose between the commandments of God
and the commandments of men, will those who continue to violate
God’s law receive “the mark of the beast.”

The Warning of the Third Angel

The third angel’s message contains the most fearful warning ever
addressed to mortals. People will not be left in darkness about this
important matter. The warning will be given to the world before [186]
God’s judgments come, so that all may have opportunity to escape
them. The first angel makes his announcement to “every nation,
tribe, tongue, and people.” The warning of the third angel will not
be less extensive than that. It will be proclaimed with a loud voice
and will command the attention of the world.
The message will divide the world’s population into two great
classes—those who keep the commandments of God and the faith
of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image and receive
his mark. Church and state will unite to compel “all” to receive “the
mark of the beast,” yet the people of God will not receive it. The
prophet saw “those who have the victory over the beast, over his
image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing
on the sea of glass, having harps of God” (Revelation 15:2).
[187] Chapter 26—Champions for Truth

Isaiah predicted Sabbath reform in the last days: “Thus says

the LORD, ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation
is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is
the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who
keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any
evil.’ ... ‘Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the
LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His
servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds
fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and
make them joyful in My house of prayer’” (Isaiah 56:1, 2, 6, 7).
These words apply in the Christian age, as the context shows:
“The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I
will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him’”
(verse 8). This passage foreshadows the gospel’s gathering in of the
Gentiles, when His servants preach the good news to all nations.
The Lord commands, “Seal the law among my disciples” (Isaiah
8:16). The fourth commandment contains the seal of God’s law.
Only this commandment, of all the ten, includes both the name and
the title of the Lawgiver. When the papal power tried to change
the Sabbath, this seal was removed from the law. God calls for
the disciples of Jesus to restore it by exalting the Sabbath as the
Creator’s memorial and sign of His authority.
God commands, “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like
a trumpet; tell My people their transgression” (Isaiah 58:1). Those
whom the Lord calls “My people” need to be told that they are
breaking His law, even though they think that they are doing what
is right in the service of God. But the solemn rebuke of the One
who searches hearts shows that they are trampling on the divine
commandments.
Here is how the prophet points out the law they have forsaken:
“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you
shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to
254
 Champions for Truth 255

Dwell In. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing
your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the
holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing
your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your
own words, then you shall delight yourself in the LORD” (Isaiah
58:12-14).
The “breach” in the law of God was made when the Roman [188]
power changed the Sabbath. But the time has come to repair the
breach.
Adam kept the Sabbath in his innocence in Eden; he still kept
it when, fallen yet repentant, he was driven from the Garden. All
the patriarchs from Abel to Noah, to Abraham, to Jacob kept the
Sabbath. When the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt, He proclaimed
His law to the emerging nation.

True Sabbath Always Kept

From that day to now the Sabbath has been kept. Though the
“man of sin” succeeded in trampling God’s holy day underfoot, yet
faithful believers hidden in secret places paid it honor. Since the
Reformation, some in every generation have kept it.
These truths found in Revelation 14 in connection with “the
everlasting gospel” will distinguish the church of Christ at the time
of His appearing. “Here are those who keep the commandments of
God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
Those who received the light about the sanctuary and the law of
God were filled with joy as they saw the harmony of truth. They
wanted all Christians to have the light. But many who claimed to
follow Christ did not welcome truths that were out of step with the
world.
When they heard the claims of the Sabbath, many said: “We have
always kept Sunday, our fathers kept it, and many good Christians
have died happy while keeping it. The keeping of a new Sabbath
would throw us out of harmony with the world. What can a little
group keeping the seventh day accomplish against all the world who
are keeping Sunday?” By arguments like these the Jews justified
rejecting Christ. Similarly, in the time of Luther, Romanists reasoned
that true Christians had died in the Catholic faith, so that religion
 256 Love Under Fire

was sufficient. Reasoning like this would stand in the way of every
move forward in faith.
Many argued that Sunday keeping had been a widespread custom
of the church for centuries. Against this argument others showed
that the Sabbath and its observance were older still, even as old as
the world itself—established by the Ancient of Days.
When they could find no Bible support, many urged: “Why don’t
our great men understand this Sabbath question? Few believe as you
do. It cannot be that you are right and all the educated people are
wrong.”
To refute arguments like these, it was enough just to quote the
Scriptures and show how the Lord had dealt with His people in
all ages. The reason why He does not more often choose people
of learning and position to lead out in reform is that they trust to
their creeds and theological systems and feel no need for God to
teach them. God sometimes calls people to preach the truth who
have little formal education. He chooses them, not because they are
uneducated, but because they are not too self-sufficient for God to
teach them. Their humility and obedience make them great.
The history of ancient Israel is a striking illustration of the Ad-
ventist believers’ past experience. God led His people in the Advent
[189] movement, just as He led the people of Israel from Egypt. If all
who had worked so closely together in 1844 had accepted the third
angel’s message and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit,
years ago the earth would have been warned and Christ would have
come to redeem His people.

Faith and Courage

It was not God’s will for Israel to wander forty years in the
wilderness. He wanted to lead them directly to Canaan and establish
them there as a holy, happy people. But “they could not enter
in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:19). In the same way, it was
not God’s will to delay the coming of Christ so long and to have
His people remain so many years in this world of sin and sorrow.
Unbelief separated them from God. In mercy to the world, Jesus
delays His coming so that sinners may hear the warning and find
shelter before God pours out His wrath.
 Champions for Truth 257

Now as in earlier ages, presenting the truth will stir up opposition.

With evil intent, many attack the character and motives of those
who defend unpopular truth. Elijah was called a troubler in Israel,
Jeremiah a traitor, Paul a polluter of the temple. From then until
now, those who want to be loyal to truth have been denounced as
rebellious, heretical, or divisive.
The confession of faith made by true believers and martyrs, those
examples of holiness and firm integrity, inspires courage in those
who are now called to stand as witnesses for God. The command
comes to the servant of God today, “Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
“I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you
shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.” (Isaiah
58:1; Ezekiel 33:7.)
The great obstacle to accepting truth is that it involves incon-
venience and criticism. This is the only argument against the truth
that those who defend truth have never been able to refute. But true
followers of Christ do not wait for truth to become popular. They
accept the cross, agreeing with Paul that “our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory”; and with Moses, “esteeming the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (2 Corinthians
4:17; Hebrews 11:26).
We should choose the right because it is right, and leave con-
sequences with God. The world is indebted to people of principle,
faith, and daring for its great reforms. The work of reform for this
time must be carried forward by people like that.
[190] Chapter 27—How Successful Are Modern Revivals?

Wherever the Word of God has been faithfully preached, the

results that followed demonstrated that it was from God. Sinners
felt their consciences awaken. Deep conviction took hold of their
minds and hearts. They had a sense of God’s righteousness, and they
cried out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans
7:24). As the cross of Jesus was revealed, they saw that nothing
but the merits of Christ could atone for their sins. Through the
blood of Jesus, “God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed” (Romans 3:25).
These people believed and were baptized and rose to walk in
newness of life. By the faith of the Son of God they would follow
in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves even as
He is pure. Things they once hated they now loved, and things
they once loved they hated. The proud became meek, the vain and
haughty became serious and meek. The drunken became sober, the
immoral pure. Christians did not seek the outward decoration of
“arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel,” but
“the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very
precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3, 4).
Revivals brought solemn appeals to the sinner. They bore fruit
in people who did not draw back from self-denial but rejoiced that
they were counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ. Onlookers
could see a transformation in those who decided to follow Jesus.
Effects like these used to follow times of religious awakening.
But many modern revivals are very different from these. It is
true that many people claim to be converted, and large numbers join
the churches. But the results do not support the belief that there has
been an increase of real spiritual life in those who responded. The
light that flames up for a while soon dies out.
Popular revivals too often excite the emotions, appealing to the
love for something new and startling. People converted in this way

258
 How Successful Are Modern Revivals? 259

have little desire to listen to Bible truth. Unless a religious service

has something sensational in it, it does not attract them.
With every truly converted person, relating to God and to eternal
things will be the great topic of life. Where in the popular churches
of today is the spirit of consecration to God? Converts do not turn
their backs on pride and love of the world. They are no more willing
to deny self and follow the meek and lowly Jesus than they were [191]
before their conversion. Godliness has almost completely gone away
from many of the churches.

True Followers of Christ

Despite the widespread decline in faith, there are true followers
of Christ in these churches. Before God finally brings His judgments,
among the people of the Lord there will be a revival of authentic
godliness not seen since the time of the apostles. The Spirit of God
will be poured out. Many will separate from those churches in which
love of this world has replaced love for God and His Word. Many
ministers and people will gladly accept the great truths that prepare
a people for the Lord’s second coming.
Satan wants to interfere with this work, and before the time for
such a movement arrives, he will try to prevent it by bringing in a
counterfeit. In churches that he can bring under his power, he will
make it appear that God is pouring out His special blessing. Many
will boast, “God is working marvelously,” when the work belongs
to another spirit. Under a religious disguise, Satan will try to extend
his influence over the Christian world. In such revivals there is an
emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, well
designed to mislead.
Yet in the light of God’s Word it is not difficult to recognize the
nature of these movements. Wherever people neglect the instruction
of the Bible, turning away from those plain, heart-testing truths that
require them to deny self and renounce the world, there we may be
sure that God is not bestowing His blessing. And by the rule, “You
will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16), it is clear that these
movements are not the work of the Spirit of God.
The truths of God’s Word are a shield against Satan’s deceptions.
Neglecting these truths has opened the door to the evils that are now
 260 Love Under Fire

widespread in the world. To a great extent people have lost sight of

the importance of God’s law. A wrong idea about the divine law has
led to errors in conversion and sanctification, lowering the standard
of godly living. Here we find the reason why the Spirit of God is
missing in the revivals of today.

The Law of Liberty

Many religious teachers claim that Christ abolished the law by
His death. Some say it is a heavy yoke, and in contrast to the
“bondage” of the law they present the “liberty” that the gospel sup-
posedly grants us to enjoy.
But this is not the way the prophets and apostles thought of
the holy law of God. David said, “I will walk at liberty, for I seek
Your precepts” (Psalm 119:45). The apostle James refers to the
Ten Commandments as “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25).
John the revelator pronounces a blessing on those “who do His
commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and
may enter through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).
If it had been possible to change the law or set it aside, Christ
would not have needed to die to save us from the penalty of sin. The
[192] Son of God came to “exalt the law and make it honorable” (Isaiah
42:21). He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law”; “till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law.” Concerning Himself Jesus declared, “I delight to
do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” (Matthew
5:17, 18; Psalm 40:8.)
The law of God is unchangeable, a revelation of its Author’s
character. God is love, and His law is love. “Love is the fulfillment
of the law.” The psalmist says, “Your law is truth”; “all Your com-
mandments are righteousness.” Paul declares, “The law is holy, and
the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 13:10; Psalm
119:142, 172; Romans 7:12.) A law like this must be as long-lasting
as its Author.
It is the work of conversion and sanctification to restore people
to God by leading them to obey the principles of His law. In the
beginning, human beings were in perfect harmony with the law of
God. But sin alienated them from their Maker. Their hearts were at
 How Successful Are Modern Revivals? 261

war with God’s law. “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it
is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).
But “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,”
so that sinners could be reconciled to God and be brought again into
harmony with their Maker. This change is the new birth, without
which the sinner “cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:16, 3.)

Conviction of Sin
The first step in becoming right with God is the conviction of
sin. “Sin is lawlessness.” “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” (1
John 3:4; Romans 3:20.) In order to see their guilt, sinners must test
their character by God’s law—a mirror that shows what a perfect
righteous character looks like and enables them to recognize the
defects in their own.
The law shows us our sin, but it provides no remedy. It declares
that death is the reward of the transgressor. Only the gospel of Christ
can free us from the condemnation or the defilement of sin. We must
have repentance toward God, whose law we have broken, and faith in
Christ, our atoning sacrifice. In this way we receive forgiveness for
“sins that were previously committed” (Romans 3:25) and become
children of God.
Are we now free to disobey God’s law? Paul says: “Do we then
make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we
establish the law.” “How shall we who died to sin live any longer
in it?” John declares: “This is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” In
the new birth the heart comes into harmony with God and His law.
When this change has taken place, the sinner has passed from death
into life, from law-breaking and rebellion to obedience and loyalty.
The old life has ended; the new life of forgiveness, faith, and love
has begun. Then “the righteous requirement of the law” will “be
fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according
to the Spirit.” The language of the heart will be: “Oh, how I love
Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” (Romans 3:31; 6:2; 1 [193]
John 5:3; Romans 8:4; Psalm 119:97.)
Without the law, people have no true conviction of sin and feel
no need to repent. They do not realize how much they need the
262 Love Under Fire

atoning blood of Christ. They accept the hope of salvation without

a radical change of heart or reformation of life. So there are many
superficial conversions, and many people join the church who have
never been united to Christ.

What Is Sanctification?
Wrong ideas of sanctification also spring from neglecting or
rejecting the divine law. These theories, involving false teachings
and dangerous practical results, are often popular.
Paul wrote, “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” The
Bible clearly teaches what sanctification is and how we can attain
it. The Savior prayed for His disciples: “Sanctify them by Your
truth. Your word is truth.” And Paul taught that believers are to be
“sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3; John 17:17;
Romans 15:16.)
What is the work of the Holy Spirit? Jesus told His disciples,
“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into
all truth” (John 16:13). And the psalmist says, “Your law is truth.”
Since the law of God is “holy and just and good,” a character formed
by obeying that law will be holy. Christ is a perfect example of a
character like this. He says: “I have kept My Father’s command-
ments.” “I always do those things that please Him.” (John 15:10;
8:29.) The followers of Christ are to become like Him—by the grace
of God to form characters in harmony with the principles of His holy
law. This is biblical sanctification.

Only Through Faith

We can accomplish this work only through faith in Christ, by
the power of the Spirit of God living within us. Christians will feel
sin tempting them, but they will keep up a constant warfare against
it. They need Christ’s help to do this. Human weakness unites with
divine strength, and faith exclaims, “Thanks be to God, who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
The work of sanctification is progressive. When the sinner finds
peace with God at conversion, the Christian life has just begun.
Now he is to “go on to perfection,” to grow up “to the measure of
 How Successful Are Modern Revivals? 263

the stature of the fullness of Christ.” “I press toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Hebrews 6:1;
Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:14.)
Those who experience the sanctification of the Bible will be
humble. They see how unworthy they are in contrast with the purity
and perfection of God. The prophet Daniel was an example of
true sanctification. Instead of claiming to be pure and holy, this
honored prophet identified himself with the really sinful of Israel as
he pleaded before God for his people. (See Daniel 9:15, 18, 20.)
Those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s cross will not exalt
themselves or make boastful claims that they are free from sin. They
feel that it was their sin that caused the agony that broke the heart of [194]
the Son of God, and this thought leads them to deep humility. Those
who live closest to Jesus understand most clearly how frail and sinful
humanity is, and their only hope is in the merit of a crucified and
risen Savior.
The sanctification now gaining notice in the religious world
carries a spirit of self-exaltation and a disregard for the law of God
that identify it as foreign to the Bible. Those who teach it claim that
sanctification happens instantly, and by this means, through “faith
alone,” they reach perfect holiness. “Only believe,” they say, “and
the blessing is yours.” No further effort is supposed to be required
from the receiver. At the same time they deny the authority of God’s
law, claiming that they are released from any obligation to keep the
commandments. But is it possible to be holy without coming into
harmony with the principles that express God’s nature and will?
The Word of God testifies against this traplike doctrine of faith
without works. It is not faith that claims God’s favor without comply-
ing with the conditions on which He grants mercy. It is presumption.
(See James 2:14-24.)
Let none deceive themselves that they can become holy while
they willfully violate one of God’s requirements. Known sin silences
the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the heart from God.
Though John dwells so much on love, he does not hesitate to reveal
the true character of those who claim to be sanctified while living in
violation of God’s law. “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not
keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But
whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him”
 264 Love Under Fire

(1 John 2:4, 5). Here is the test of everyone’s profession. If people

belittle and make light of God’s law, if they break “one of the least
of these commandments” and teach others to do the same (Matthew
5:19), we may know that their claims have no foundation.
The claim to be without sin is evidence that the person who
makes this claim is far from holy. Such a one has no true concept of
God’s infinite purity and holiness, and of how hateful and evil sin is.
The greater the distance between us and Christ, the more righteous
we appear in our own eyes.

Biblical Sanctification
Sanctification includes the entire being—spirit, soul, and body
(see 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Christians are called to present their
bodies “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1).
Every practice that weakens physical or mental strength unfits us for
the service of our Creator. Those who love God with all their heart
will constantly try to bring every power of their being into harmony
with the laws that make them better able to do His will. They will not
weaken or defile the offering they present to their heavenly Father
by indulging their appetites or passions.
Every sinful practice tends to numb and deaden the mental and
spiritual understanding; the Word or Spirit of God can make only a
[195] feeble impression on the heart. “Let us cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
How many professed Christians are degrading their godlike man-
hood or womanhood by gluttony, by wine drinking, by forbidden
pleasure! And the church too often encourages the evil, to fill her
treasury when love for Christ is too feeble to do it. If Jesus were to
enter the churches of today and see the feasting that goes on there in
the name of religion, would He not drive out those who desecrate
His house that way, as He banished the moneychangers from the
temple?
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your
own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).
 How Successful Are Modern Revivals? 265

Christians whose bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit will not
be enslaved by an evil habit. Their powers belong to Christ. Their
property is the Lord’s. How could they squander this treasure that
He has entrusted to them?
Every year professed Christians spend an immense amount of
money on harmful pleasures. They rob God in tithes and offerings,
while they consume on the altar of destroying lust more than they
give to relieve the poor or support the gospel. If all who claim
Christ’s name were truly sanctified, they would give their money
generously into the Lord’s treasury instead of spending it for need-
less and hurtful indulgences. Christians would set an example of
temperance and self-sacrifice. Then they would be the light of the
world.
“The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”
(1 John 2:16) control most people. But Christ’s followers have a
holier calling. “Come out from among them and be separate, says
the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean.” To those who comply
with the conditions, God promises, “‘I will receive you.’ ‘I will be
a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the
LORD Almighty’” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).

Direct Access to God

Every step of faith and obedience brings the believer into closer
connection with the Light of the World. The bright beams of the
Sun of Righteousness shine on the servants of God, and they are to
reflect His rays. The stars tell us that there is a light in heaven whose
glory makes them bright. In the same way, Christians reveal to the
world that there is a God on the throne whose character is worthy of
praise and imitation. The holiness of His character will be visible in
His witnesses.
Through the merits of Christ we have access to the throne of
Infinite Power. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?” Jesus says: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” “If you ask anything
 266 Love Under Fire

in My name, I will do it.” “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy
may be full.” (Romans 8:32; Luke 11:13; John 14:14; 16:24.)
[196] It is the privilege of all to live in such a way that God will approve
and bless them. It is not the will of our heavenly Father for us always
to live in condemnation and darkness. It is not true humility if we
go around with our heads bowed down and our hearts filled with
thoughts of self. We may go to Jesus and be cleansed and stand
before the law without shame and remorse.
Through Jesus the fallen sons of Adam become “sons of God.”
“He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” The Christian’s life should
be one of faith, victory, and joy in God. “The joy of the LORD is
your strength.” “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything
give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
(Hebrews 2:11; Nehemiah 8:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.)
These things are the fruits of Bible conversion and sanctification.
It is only because people treat the great principles of righteousness
shown in the law with such indifference that these fruits are so rare.
This is why we see so little of that deep, lasting work of the Spirit
that used to accompany revivals.
It is by beholding that we become changed. As people have
neglected those sacred commandments in which God has revealed
the perfection and holiness of His character, and their minds have
been attracted to human teachings and theories, a decline of holy
living in the church has followed. Only when the law of God is
restored to its rightful position can a revival of authentic faith and
godliness take place among His professed people.
 Chapter 28—Facing Our Life Record [197]

“I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of

Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His
head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a
burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books
were opened” (Daniel 7:9, 10).
This is how Daniel saw the great day when the lives of all hu-
manity pass in review before the Judge of all the earth. The Ancient
of Days is God the Father. He is the source of all being, the origin of
all law, and He will preside in the judgment. And holy angels will
be there as ministers and witnesses.
“And behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds
of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him
near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away”
(Daniel 7:13, 14).
The coming of Christ described here is not His second coming
to the earth. He comes to the Ancient of Days in heaven to receive a
kingdom, which will be given Him when His work as mediator is
done. It is this coming, and not His second advent to the earth, that
was to take place at the end of the 2,300 days in 1844. Our great
High Priest enters the Holy of Holies to carry out His last priestly
service on our behalf.
In the earthly, symbolic service, only those whose sins were
transferred to the sanctuary had a part in the Day of Atonement. So in
the great final atonement and investigative judgment, the only cases
considered are of those who profess to be the people of God. The
judgment of the wicked is a separate work at a later time. Judgment
must “begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

267
 268 Love Under Fire

The record books in heaven will determine the judgment’s de-

cisions. The book of life contains the names of all who have ever
entered the service of God. Jesus told His disciples, “Rejoice be-
cause your names are written in heaven.” Paul speaks of his fellow
workers “whose names are in the Book of Life.” Daniel declares that
God’s people will be delivered, “every one who is found written in
[198] the book.” And John the revelator says that only those whose names
“are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” will enter the City of God.
(Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Daniel 12:1; Revelation 21:27.)
In “a book of remembrance” God has recorded the good deeds
of “those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.”
Every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word of pity
expressed, every act of sacrifice, every sorrow endured for Christ’s
sake is recorded. “You number my wanderings; put my tears into
Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Malachi 3:16; Psalm 56:8.)

Secret Motives
There is a record also of people’s sins. “God will bring every
work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good
evil.” “For every idle word men may speak, they will give account
of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned.” Secret motives appear
in the record, for God “will both bring to light the hidden things of
darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14;
Matthew 12:36, 37; 1 Corinthians 4:5.) Next to each name in the
books of heaven is entered every wrong word, every selfish act,
every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin. Heaven-sent warnings
or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, the influence exerted for
good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, are all listed by the
recording angel.

The Standard of Judgment

The law of God is the standard in the judgment. “Fear God and
keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring
every work into judgment.” “So speak and so do as those who will be
judged by the law of liberty.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; James 2:12.)
 Facing Our Life Record 269

Those “considered worthy” will have part in the resurrection of

the just. Jesus said: “Those who are considered worthy of a place
in that age and in the resurrection from the dead ... are children
of God, being children of the resurrection.” “Those who have done
good” will come out from the grave “to the resurrection of life.”
(Luke 20:35, 36, NRSV; John 5:29.) The righteous dead will not be
raised until after the judgment that accounts them worthy of “the
resurrection of life.” So they will not be present in person when God
examines their records and decides their cases.
Jesus will stand as their lawyer, to plead their cases before God.
“If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous.” “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with
hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us.” “Therefore He is also able to
save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He
always lives to make intercession for them.” (1 John 2:1; Hebrews
9:24; 7:25.)
As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all
who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning
with those who first lived on the earth, our Advocate presents the
cases of each generation after the other. Every name is mentioned,
every case investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When [199]
any have sins remaining on the books of record, unrepented of and
unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life. The
Lord declared to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will
blot him out of My book” (Exodus 32:33).
All who have truly repented and by faith have claimed the blood
of Christ as their atoning sacrifice have had pardon entered in the
books of heaven. Since they have become partakers of the righ-
teousness of Christ and their characters are found to be in harmony
with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they will be
accounted worthy of eternal life. The Lord declares: “I, even I, am
He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will
not remember your sins.” “He who overcomes shall be clothed in
white garments, and I will ... confess his name before My Father
and before His angels.” “Therefore whoever confesses Me before
men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My
270 Love Under Fire

Father who is in heaven.” (Isaiah 43:25; Revelation 3:5; Matthew

10:32, 33.)
Jesus, the divine Intercessor, asks that all who have overcome
through faith in His blood be restored to their Eden home and
crowned as joint heirs with Himself to “the former dominion” (Micah
4:8). Christ now asks that God’s plan in our creation be carried into
effect as if we had never fallen. He asks not only for pardon and
justification for His people, but for a share in His glory and a seat
with Him on His throne.
While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of His grace, Satan
accuses them before God. He points to the record of their lives, their
defects of character, their unlikeness to Christ, and to all the sins he
has tempted them to commit. Because of these he claims them as
his subjects.
Jesus does not excuse their sins, but He shows their repentance
and faith. Claiming forgiveness for them, He lifts His wounded
hands before the Father, saying, I have graven them on the palms of
My hands. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a
contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

The Lord Rebukes Satan

And to the accuser He says: “The LORD rebuke you, Satan!
The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a
brand plucked from the fire?” (Zechariah 3:2). Christ will clothe His
faithful ones with His own righteousness, that He may present them
to His Father “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any
such thing” (Ephesians 5:27).
This is how they will experience the complete fulfillment of the
new-covenant promise: “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I
will remember no more.” “‘In those days and in that time,’ says the
LORD, ‘the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found.’” “And it shall
come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem
will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in
Jerusalem.” (Jeremiah 31:34; 50:20; Isaiah 4:3.)
 Facing Our Life Record 271

The Blotting Out of Sins [200]

The work of the investigative judgment and blotting out of sins
will take place before the second coming of Jesus. In the symbolic
service the high priest came out and blessed the congregation. In the
same way, when His work as mediator is over, Christ will appear
“apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).
In removing the sins from the sanctuary, the priest confessed
them on the head of the scapegoat. Christ will place all these sins on
Satan, the instigator of sin. The scapegoat was sent away into “the
wilderness” (Leviticus 16:22). Satan, bearing the guilt of sins he
has caused God’s people to commit, will be confined to the ruined
earth for a thousand years and then will suffer the penalty of fire that
will destroy the wicked. In this way the plan of redemption will be
complete when sin is finally eradicated.

At the Appointed Time

At the appointed time—the close of the 2,300 days in 1844—the
work of investigation and blotting out of sins began, and continues
now. Sins that we do not repent of and forsake will not be blotted
out of the books of record. Angels of God witnessed each sin and
registered it. We may deny our sin, hide it from father, mother, wife,
children, and associates, but it is laid bare before heaven. God is not
deceived by appearances. He makes no mistakes. Those who are
corrupt in heart may deceive others, but God reads the inner life.
What a solemn thought! The mightiest conquerer on earth cannot
call back the record of a single day. Our acts, our words, even our
secret motives, though forgotten by us, will bear their testimony to
justify or condemn.
The judgment will examine the use we have made of every talent.
How have we used our time, our pen, our voice, our money, our
influence? What have we done for Christ in the person of the poor,
the afflicted, the orphan, or the widow? What have we done with the
light and truth God has given us? Only the love shown by our deeds
is counted genuine. In the sight of Heaven, love alone gives value to
any act.
 272 Love Under Fire

Hidden Selfishness Revealed

Hidden selfishness stands revealed in the books of heaven. How
often people have given to Satan the time, thought, and strength
that belonged to Christ. Professed followers of Christ are absorbed
in getting worldly possessions or enjoying earthly pleasures. They
sacrifice money, time, and strength for display and self-indulgence,
devoting only a few moments to prayer, to searching the Scriptures,
and to confessing sin.
Satan invents countless schemes to occupy our minds. The
archdeceiver hates the great truths that call attention to an aton-
ing sacrifice and an all-powerful Mediator. For Satan, everything
depends on diverting minds from Jesus.
Those who want to share the benefits of the Savior’s mediation
for us should allow nothing to interfere with their duty to develop ho-
liness in the fear of God. Instead of giving precious hours to pleasure
[201] or to money-making, they should devote time to the prayerful study
of the Word of Truth. They should clearly understand the sanctuary
and the investigative judgment. Everyone needs a knowledge of
the position and work of our great High Priest. Otherwise it will be
impossible to exercise the faith that is essential at this time.
The sanctuary in heaven is the center of Christ’s work for hu-
manity. It concerns every person living on earth. It opens the plan of
redemption to our view, bringing us down to the close of the conflict
between righteousness and sin.

The Intercession of Christ

Christ’s intercession for us in the sanctuary above is as essential
to the plan of salvation as was His death on the cross. By His
death He began that work that He ascended to complete in heaven.
We must enter by faith into the sanctuary, “where the forerunner
has entered for us” (Hebrews 6:20). There the light from the cross
is reflected. There we gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of
redemption.
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses
and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). If those who
excuse their faults could see how Satan taunts Christ with their
 Facing Our Life Record 273

behavior, they would confess their sins and put them away. Through
defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole
mind. He knows that if we cherish any of our defects, he will
succeed. Therefore he constantly seeks to deceive the followers of
Christ with his fatal lie that it is impossible for them to overcome.
But Jesus declared to all who would follow Him: “My grace is
sufficient for you.” “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (2
Corinthians 12:9; Matthew 11:30.) None should think their character
defects are incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome
them.
We are now living in the great day of atonement. While the
high priest was making atonement for Israel, all were required to
afflict their souls by repentance for sin. Likewise, all who want
their names to be kept in the book of life should now afflict their
souls before God by true repentance. There must be deep, faithful
heart-searching. The frivolous spirit that so many indulge must be
put away. There is earnest warfare ahead for all who want to subdue
the evil tendencies that try to control the life. Every one must be
found without “spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27).
At this time above all others it is important for every person to
heed the Savior’s counsel, “Watch and pray; for you do not know
when the time is” (Mark 13:33).

The Destiny of All Decided

Probation closes a short time before the Lord appears in the
clouds of heaven. Looking forward to that time, Christ declares:
“‘He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him
be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who
is holy, let him be holy still.’ ‘And behold, I am coming quickly, and
My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work’”
(Revelation 22:11, 12.)
People will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all [202]
unaware that God has pronounced the final decision in the sanctuary
above. Before the Flood, after Noah entered the ark, God shut him
in and shut the ungodly out; but for seven days the people continued
their pleasure-loving life and mocked the warnings of judgment. The
Savior says, “So also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Silently,
274 Love Under Fire

as unnoticed as the midnight thief, the hour will come that marks
the settling of everyone’s destiny. “Watch therefore, ... lest, coming
suddenly, he find you sleeping.” (Matthew 24:39; Mark 13:35, 36.)
Those who grow weary of watching and turn to the attractions
of the world are in a dangerous condition. While the businessman is
absorbed in pursuing profit, while the pleasure-lover is seeking indul-
gence, while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments—it
may be in that hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sen-
tence, “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting”
(Daniel 5:27).
 Chapter 29—Why Was Sin Permitted? [203]

Many see the work of evil, with its pain and loss, and question
how this can exist under the rulership of One who is infinite in
wisdom, power, and love. Those who are inclined to doubt quickly
take this as an excuse for rejecting the words of the Bible. Tradition
and wrong interpretations have clouded the Bible’s teaching about
God’s character, the nature of His government, and the principles of
how He deals with sin.
It is impossible to explain the origin of sin in a way that gives
a reason for its existence. Yet we can understand enough about
sin’s beginning and final end to show clearly God’s justice and
goodness. In no way was God responsible for sin. He did not just
remove His divine grace, nor was there anything lacking in the
divine government, that provided a cause for the rebellion. Sin is an
intruder for whose presence no one can give a reason. To excuse it
is to defend it. If we could find an excuse for it, it would no longer
be sin. Sin is the expression of a principle that is at war with the law
of love, which is the foundation of God’s government.
Before sin began, there was peace and joy everywhere in the
universe. Love for God was supreme, love for one another unselfish.
Christ the Only Begotten of God was one with the eternal Father
in nature, in character, and in purpose—the only being who could
enter into all the counsels and plans of God. “By Him all things
were created that are in heaven .. , whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers” (Colossians 1:16).
Since the law of love is the foundation of God’s government, the
happiness of all created beings depended on their willing harmony
with its principles of righteousness. God takes no pleasure in forced
allegiance, and He grants everyone freedom of will, so that they can
choose to serve Him voluntarily.
But one of God’s created beings chose to misuse this freedom.
Sin originated with an angel who, next to Christ, had been the being
God honored the most. Before his fall, Lucifer was chief of the
275
 276 Love Under Fire

covering cherubs, holy and pure. “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘You
were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your
covering.... You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established
you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and
[204] forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways
from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you....
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your
wisdom for the sake of your splendor.’” “You have set your heart as
the heart of a god.” “You have said ..., ‘I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation ...;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most
High.’” (Ezekiel 28:12-15, 17; 28:6; Isaiah 14:13, 14.)
Coveting the honor that the Father had given His Son, this prince
of angels wanted the power that was Christ’s alone to use. A note
of discord now marred heaven’s harmonies. Seeing someone exalt
himself gave the other angels, who hold God’s glory as supreme,
a strange dread of something evil. The heavenly councils pleaded
with Lucifer. The Son of God showed him the goodness and justice
of the Creator and the sacred nature of His law. In rejecting it,
Lucifer would dishonor his Maker and bring ruin on himself. But
the warning only stirred his resistance. Lucifer allowed his jealousy
of Christ to control him.
Pride fed his desire for supremacy. The high honors God had
given Lucifer did not make him grateful to the Creator. He wanted
to be equal with God. Yet everyone recognized that the Son of God
was the Ruler of heaven, one with the Father in power and authority.
Christ participated in all the councils of God, but Lucifer was not
allowed to enter into the divine plans. This mighty angel questioned,
“Why should Christ have the supremacy? Why is He honored like
this above Lucifer?”

Discontent Among the Angels

Leaving his place in God’s presence, Lucifer went out to spread
discontent among the angels. With mysterious secrecy, hiding his
real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God, he tried to
make the angels dissatisfied with the laws that governed heavenly
 Why Was Sin Permitted? 277

beings. He suggested that these laws were unnecessary and held

them back. Since their natures were holy, he urged that angels should
follow their own wills. He held that God had dealt unfairly with him
by giving supreme honor to Christ. He claimed he was not trying
to exalt himself but was seeking to win liberty for every being in
heaven, so that each one could reach a higher level of existence.
God was patient with Lucifer. He did not remove him from his
honored position even when he began to make false claims to the
angels. Again and again God offered him pardon if he would repent
and submit. God made efforts that only infinite love could devise to
convince him of his error. Discontent had never before been known
in heaven. At first, Lucifer himself did not understand the real nature
of his feelings. As God showed that there was no reason for his
dissatisfaction, Lucifer was convinced that the divine claims were
right and that he ought to acknowledge them to all heaven. If he
had done this, he would have saved himself and many angels. If he
had been willing to return to God, satisfied to fill the place God had
given him, God would have reinstated him to his position. But pride [205]
would not let him submit. He claimed that he did not need to repent,
and he fully committed himself to the great controversy against his
Maker.
He now applied all the powers of his master mind to deception, to
gain the sympathy of the angels. Satan claimed that God had judged
him wrongly and had restricted his liberty. After misrepresenting
Christ’s words he moved on to telling actual lies, accusing the Son
of God of plotting to humiliate him before the inhabitants of heaven.
All whom he could not win to his side he accused of being
indifferent to the concerns of heavenly beings. He resorted to mis-
representing the Creator. He tried to perplex the angels with subtle
arguments about God’s plans. Everything simple he shrouded in
mystery, and by clever perversion he made the plainest statements
of God appear doubtful. His high position gave greater credibility to
his claims. He persuaded many to join him in rebellion.

Disaffection Ripens Into Active Revolt

God in His wisdom allowed Satan to carry on his work, until
the spirit of dissent ripened into revolt. It was necessary for God to
 278 Love Under Fire

allow him to develop his plans fully, so that anyone could see their
true nature. Lucifer was greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and
his influence over them was strong. God’s government included not
only the inhabitants of heaven, but of all the worlds He had created.
Satan thought that if he could bring the angels with him in rebellion,
he could also bring the other worlds. Using false reasoning and
fraud, he had great power to deceive. Even the loyal angels could
not fully discern his character or see where his work was leading.
Satan had been so highly honored, and he had cloaked all his
actions with so much mystery, that it was difficult to show the angels
the true nature of his work. Sin would not appear to be the evil thing
it was until it was fully developed. Holy beings could not recognize
what would be the results of setting aside God’s law. At first Satan
claimed to be trying to promote God’s honor and the good of all of
heaven’s inhabitants.
In His response to sin, God could use only righteousness and
truth. Satan could use what God could not—flattery and deceit.
Everyone needed to understand the true character of this angel who
wanted God’s position. He must have time to reveal himself by his
evil works.
Satan blamed God for the discord that his own actions had caused
in heaven. He declared that all evil was the result of God’s govern-
ment. So it was necessary that he demonstrate how his proposed
changes in God’s law would work out. His own acts must condemn
him. The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked.
Even after deciding that Satan could no longer remain in heaven,
Infinite Wisdom did not destroy him. The loyalty of God’s creatures
must rest on the conviction that He is just and fair. The inhabitants
of heaven and of other worlds were not prepared to understand the
[206] consequences of sin, so they could not then have seen the justice
and mercy of God if He had destroyed Satan at that time. If God
had blotted him out of existence immediately, they would have
served God from fear rather than from love. God would not have
fully destroyed the deceiver’s influence nor wiped out the spirit of
rebellion. For the good of the universe through eternal ages, Satan
must develop his principles more fully. Then all created beings
would be able to see his charges against the divine government in
their true light.
 Why Was Sin Permitted? 279

Satan’s rebellion was to be a testimony to the universe about the

terrible results of sin. His rule would show the fruit of setting aside
God’s authority. The history of this terrible experiment of rebellion
would be a safeguard forever to all holy beings to save them from
sin and its punishment.
When the announcement came that the great usurper must be
expelled from heaven with all his sympathizers, the rebel leader
boldly swore his contempt for the Creator’s law. He denounced the
divine statutes as a restriction of liberty and declared his intention to
abolish all law. Freed from this restraint, he claimed, the inhabitants
of heaven could achieve a higher state of existence.

Banished From Heaven

Satan and his followers threw the blame for their rebellion on
Christ. They declared that if they had not been rebuked, they would
never have rebelled. Stubborn and defiant, yet blasphemously claim-
ing to be innocent victims of oppressive power, the chief rebel and
his sympathizers were banished from heaven (see Revelation 12:7-
9).
Satan’s spirit still inspires rebellion on earth in unrepentant peo-
ple. Like him they promise liberty through violating God’s law.
Condemning sin still stirs up hatred. Satan leads people to justify
themselves and to try to get the sympathy of others in their sin.
Instead of correcting their errors, they spread resentment of the one
who points out their sin, as if he were the cause of the difficulty.
Satan persuaded Adam and Eve to sin by using the same mis-
representation of God’s character as he had practiced in heaven.
He made them think that God was severe and tyrannical. Then he
claimed that God’s unjust restrictions had led to our first parents’
fall, as they had led to his own rebellion.
In banishing Satan from heaven, God declared His justice and
honor. But when humanity sinned, God gave evidence of His love
by offering up His Son to die for the fallen race. In the atonement we
see the character of God revealed. The mighty argument of the cross
demonstrates that sin was in no way the fault of God’s government.
During the Savior’s earthly ministry, the great deceiver’s character
was unmasked. The daring blasphemy of his demand that Christ
 280 Love Under Fire

worship him, the unsleeping evil intent that hunted Jesus from place
to place, inspiring the hearts of priests and people to reject His
love and to cry, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”—all this drew the
amazement and indignation of the universe. The prince of evil
[207] exerted all his power and crafty skills to destroy Jesus. Satan used
human beings as his agents to fill the Savior’s life with suffering and
sorrow. And on Calvary the pent-up fires of envy and spite, hatred
and revenge, burst out against the Son of God.
Now Satan’s guilt stood out plainly, without excuse. He had
revealed his true character. Satan’s lying charges against God’s
character appeared as they truly were. He had accused God of
seeking to exalt Himself by requiring obedience from His creatures.
He had declared that while the Creator demanded self-denial from
all others, He Himself practiced no self-denial and made no sacrifice.
Now it was clear that the Ruler of the universe had made the greatest
sacrifice that love could make, for “God was in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). In order to destroy sin,
Christ had humbled Himself and become obedient to the point of
death.

An Argument in Our Behalf

All heaven saw God’s justice revealed. Lucifer had claimed that
the sinful race was beyond redemption. But the penalty of the law
fell on Him who was equal with God. Sinners were now free to
accept the righteousness of Christ and by repentance and humility
triumph over Satan’s power.
But Christ did not come to earth to die just so that He could
redeem humanity. He came to demonstrate to all the worlds that
God’s law is unchangeable. The death of Christ proves that the law
is permanent and demonstrates that justice and mercy are the foun-
dation of God’s government. In the final judgment it will be clear
that no cause for sin exists. When the Judge of all the earth demands
of Satan, “Why have you rebelled against Me?” the originator of
evil will have no excuse to offer.
The Savior’s dying cry, “It is finished,” rang the death knell
for Satan. The long-standing great controversy was then decided,
the final eradication of evil made certain. When the day comes,
 Why Was Sin Permitted? 281

“‘burning like an oven, ... all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly
will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them
up,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘that will leave them neither root nor
branch’” (Malachi 4:1).
Evil will never arise again. The law of God will be honored as
the law of liberty. A tested and proved creation will never again
turn from loyalty to Him who has demonstrated that His character is
fathomless love and infinite wisdom.
[208] Chapter 30—Satan and Humanity at War

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise
His heel” (Genesis 3:15). This enmity, or hostility, is not natural.
When Adam and Eve broke the divine law, their natures became
evil, in harmony with Satan. Fallen angels and wicked people united
in desperate companionship. If God had not intervened, Satan and
mankind would have formed an alliance against Heaven, and the
whole human family would have been united in opposition to God.
When Satan heard that enmity would exist between himself and
the woman, and between his seed and her seed, he knew that by
some means human beings were going to be enabled to resist his
power.

Grace from Christ

Christ implants in us resistance against Satan. Without this
converting grace and renewing power, we would continue as Satan’s
servants, always ready to obey him. But the new principle in the
heart creates conflict; the power that Christ gives enables us to resist
the tyrant. To hate sin instead of loving it displays a principle that is
entirely from above.
The world’s reception of Jesus strikingly displayed the antago-
nism between Christ and Satan. The purity and holiness of Christ
stirred up the hatred of the ungodly against Him. His self-denial
was a constant rebuke to a proud, sensual people. Satan and evil
angels joined with evil human beings against the Champion of truth.
They show the same enmity toward Christ’s followers. Whoever
resists temptation will ignite Satan’s anger. Christ and Satan cannot
harmonize. “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Satan’s representatives try to deceive Christ’s followers and draw
them away from their loyalty. They twist Scripture to achieve their

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 Satan and Humanity at War 283

goal. The spirit that put Christ to death moves the wicked to destroy
His followers. All this is foreshadowed in that first prophecy: “I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and
her Seed.”
Why is it that Satan meets no more resistance than he does?
Because the soldiers of Christ have so little real connection with
Christ. Sin is not repulsive to them like it was to their Master. They
do not go against it with determined resistance. They are blind to the
character of the prince of darkness. So many do not know that their [209]
enemy is a mighty general, warring against Christ. Even ministers
of the gospel overlook the evidences of Satan’s activity. They seem
to ignore the fact that he even exists.

An Alert Enemy
This alert enemy is intruding his presence into every household,
every street, in the churches, in national councils, in courts of justice.
He is busy perplexing, deceiving, seducing, everywhere ruining
the souls and bodies of men, women, and children. He breaks up
families, planting seeds of hatred, strife, rebellion, and murder. And
the world seems to think that God has decreed these things and so
they must exist. All who are not committed followers of Christ are
servants of Satan. When Christians choose to associate with the
ungodly, they expose themselves to temptation. Satan hides himself
from view and draws his deceptive covering over their eyes.
Following worldly customs converts the church to the world,
never the world to Christ. Familiarity with sin will cause it to seem
less repulsive. When we encounter trials because we are doing what
God wants, we may be sure that He will protect us. But if we place
ourselves where we will be tempted, sooner or later we will fall.
The tempter often works most successfully through those whom
we least suspect of being under his control. Talent and culture are
gifts of God, but when these lead away from Him, they become a
trap. Many people with cultured intellects and pleasant manners are
polished instruments in the hands of Satan.
Never forget the inspired warning ringing down the centuries to
our time: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil
walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” “Put
284 Love Under Fire

on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil.” (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11.) Our great enemy
is preparing for his last campaign. All who follow Jesus will have
conflicts with this enemy. The more nearly Christians imitate the
divine Pattern, the more surely they will make themselves a target
for the attacks of Satan.
Satan attacked Christ with fierce and subtle temptations, but
Jesus repulsed him in every conflict. Those victories make it possible
for us to conquer. Christ will give strength to all who seek it. Satan
cannot overcome any without their own consent. The tempter has
no power to control the will or force the person to sin. He can cause
distress, but not defilement. The fact that Christ conquered should
inspire His followers with courage to fight the battle against sin and
Satan.
 Chapter 31—Evil Spirits [210]

Angels of God and evil spirits are plainly revealed in Scripture

and are interwoven with human history. Many think that the holy
angels who “minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews
1:14) are actually the spirits of the dead. But the Scriptures present
proof that they are not disembodied spirits of the dead.
Before God created human beings, angels were in existence, for
when the foundations of the earth were laid, “the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). After
the fall of Adam and Eve but before any human being had died, God
sent angels to guard the tree of life. Angels are superior to humans,
for man was made “a little lower than the angels” (Psalm 8:5).
Says the prophet, “I heard the voice of many angels around the
throne.” In the presence of the King of kings they wait—“ministers
of His, who do His pleasure,” “heeding the voice of His word,”
“an innumerable company.” (Revelation 5:11; Psalm 103:21, 20;
Hebrews 12:22.) They go out as God’s messengers, “in appearance
like a flash of lightning,” their flight is so swift. The angel that
appeared at the Savior’s tomb, with his face “like lightning,” caused
the soldiers to quake with fear of him, and they “became like dead
men.” When Sennacherib blasphemed God and threatened Israel,
“the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the
Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand.” (Ezekiel 1:14;
Matthew 28:3, 4; 2 Kings 19:35.)
God sends angels on missions of mercy to His children. To
Abraham, with promises of blessing; to Lot, to rescue him from
Sodom’s doom; to Elijah, about to die in the desert; to Elisha,
with chariots and horses of fire when he was surrounded by his
enemies; to Daniel, when he was abandoned to become the lion’s
prey; to Peter, doomed to death in Herod’s dungeon; to the apostles
in Philippi’s jail; to Paul in the stormy night on the sea; to open
the mind of Cornelius to receive the gospel; to send Peter with the

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message of salvation to the Gentile stranger—in all these ways holy

angels have ministered to God’s people.

Guardian Angels
God has appointed a guardian angel to every follower of Christ.
“The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
[211] and delivers them.” Speaking of those who believe in Him, Jesus said,
“In heaven their angels always see the face of My Father.” (Psalm
34:7; Matthew 18:10.) God’s people are exposed to the unsleeping
hatred of the prince of darkness, but God assures them that the angels
never stop guarding them. God gives them this assurance because
they will have to face mighty agencies of evil—agencies that are
numerous, determined, and untiring.

Evil Angels Oppose God’s Plans

Evil spirits were originally created sinless. They were equal in
nature, power, and glory with the holy beings that are now God’s
messengers. But now they are fallen because of sin, and they have
joined together to dishonor God and destroy humanity. United with
Satan in rebellion, they cooperate with him in warfare against divine
authority.
Old Testament history mentions their existence, but during the
time when Christ was on earth evil spirits showed their power in
the most striking ways. Christ had come to redeem humanity, and
Satan was determined to control the world. He had succeeded in
establishing idol worship in every part of the earth except Pales-
tine. Christ came to the only land not fully yielded to the tempter,
stretched out His arms of love, and invited all to find pardon and
peace in Him. The angels of darkness understood that if Christ’s
mission were successful, their rule would end soon.
The New Testament clearly states that people have been pos-
sessed with demons. Such people were not simply suffering with
disease from natural causes. Christ recognized the direct presence
and influence of evil spirits. The demon-possessed men at Gadara
were wretched maniacs, writhing, foaming, and raging, and they
were doing violence to themselves and putting everyone else in
 Evil Spirits 287

danger who came near them. Their bleeding, disfigured bodies and
deranged minds made a spectacle that pleased the prince of dark-
ness. One of the demons controlling the sufferers said, “My name is
Legion; for we are many” (Mark 5:9). In the Roman army a legion
consisted of from three to five thousand men. At the command of
Jesus the evil spirits fled from their victims, leaving them subdued,
intelligent, and gentle. But the demons swept a herd of pigs into
the sea. To the people living in Gadara, the loss outweighed the
blessing Christ had brought, and so they asked the divine Healer to
leave. (See Matthew 8:23-34.) By blaming Jesus for their loss, Satan
stirred up the selfish fears of the people and prevented them from
listening to His words.
Christ allowed the evil spirits to destroy the pigs as a rebuke to
Jews who were raising unclean animals for profit. If Christ had not
restrained the demons, they would have plunged not only the pigs,
but also their keepers and owners into the sea.
Furthermore, God permitted this event so that the disciples could
witness the cruel power of Satan on both people and animals and
would not be deceived by his delusions. Jesus also wanted the people
to see His power to break Satan’s hold and release his captives.
Though Jesus Himself went away, the men He had delivered so [212]
amazingly remained there to tell about the mercy of their Benefactor.
The Bible records other examples: The daughter of the Syro-
Phoenician woman, severely afflicted with a devil whom Jesus cast
out by His word (Mark 7:25-30); a youth who had a spirit who had
often “thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy
him” (Mark 9:17-27); the maniac, tormented by a spirit of an unclean
devil who disturbed the Sabbath quiet at Capernaum (Luke 4:33-
36)—the Savior healed them all. In nearly every instance, Christ
addressed the demon as an intelligent being, commanding him not to
torment his victim ever again. The worshipers at Capernaum “were
all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, ‘What a word this
is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out’” (Luke 4:36).
In order to get supernatural power, some welcomed the satanic
influence. Of course, these people had no conflict with the demons.
Included in this group were those who had the spirit of divination—
288 Love Under Fire

Simon Magus, Elymas the sorcerer, and the slave girl who followed
Paul and Silas at Philippi (see Acts 8:9, 18; 13:8; 16:16-18).

Danger
None are in greater danger than those who deny that the devil
and his angels exist. Many accept their suggestions while they think
they are following their own wisdom. As we approach the end of
time, when Satan will work with his greatest power to deceive, he
spreads everywhere the belief that he does not exist. It is his policy
to conceal himself and his way of working.
The great deceiver is afraid that we will become acquainted with
his deceptions. To disguise his real character he has influenced
people to portray him as something to ridicule or despise. He is
pleased to be painted as comical, misshapen, half animal and half
human. He is pleased to hear his name used in jokes and mockery.
Because he has masked himself with superb skill, many people ask,
“Does such a being really exist?” Because Satan can easily control
the minds of those who are unaware of his influence, the Word of
God reveals to us his secret forces, and this puts us on guard.

Safety With Jesus

We may find shelter and deliverance in our Redeemer’s superior
power. We carefully make our houses secure with bolts and locks
to protect our property and lives from evil people. But seldom do
we think of the evil angels and that, in our own strength, we have no
defense against their attacks. If they are allowed, they can confuse
our minds, torment our bodies, and destroy our possessions and our
lives. But those who follow Christ are safe under His watchful care.
Angels that excel in strength are sent to protect them. The wicked
one cannot break through the guard that God has stationed around
His people.
 Chapter 32—How to Defeat Satan [213]

The great controversy between Christ and Satan will close soon,
and the wicked one is increasing his efforts to defeat the work of
Christ for humanity. His aim is to hold people in darkness and
rebellion until the Savior’s sanctuary ministry is over. When people
in the church are indifferent, Satan is not concerned. But when hearts
inquire, “What must I do to be saved?” he is there to match his power
against Christ and to counteract the Holy Spirit’s influence.
On one occasion, when the angels came to present themselves
before the Lord, Satan also came among them, not to bow before
the Eternal King, but to carry forward his evil plans against the
righteous (see Job 1:6). He is present when Christians gather for
worship, working diligently to control the minds of the worshipers.
As he sees the messenger of God studying the Scriptures, he notices
the subject to be presented. Then he uses his subtle skills and
shrewdness so that the message may not reach those whom he is
deceiving on that very point. The one who most needs the warning
will be urged into some business transaction or will be prevented in
some other way from hearing the word.
Satan sees the Lord’s servants burdened because of the darkness
that surrounds the people. He hears their prayers for divine grace
and power to break the spell of indifference and laziness. Then with
renewed zeal Satan tempts people to indulge their appetites or gratify
themselves, and in this way he dulls their perceptions so that they
fail to hear the very things they most need to learn.
Satan knows that all who neglect to pray and read the Bible will
be overcome by his attacks. So he invents every possible diversion to
occupy the mind. His right-hand helpers are always active when God
is at work. They will describe the most earnest, self-denying servants
of Christ as deceived or deceivers. Their work is to misrepresent the
motives of every noble deed, to spread doubts, and arouse suspicion
in the minds of the inexperienced. But we can easily see whose
children they are, whose example they follow, and whose work they
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do. “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16; also see
Revelation 12:10).

The Truth Sanctifies

The great deceiver has many heresies prepared to fit the differ-
ent tastes of those he wants to ruin. His plan is to bring into the
[214] church insincere, unconverted people who will encourage doubt
and unbelief. Many who have no real faith in God agree to a few
principles of truth and pass as Christians, and in this way they are
able to introduce error as Bible doctrine. Satan knows that the truth,
received in love, sanctifies the life. So he tries to substitute false
theories, fables, another gospel. From the beginning, servants of
God have opposed false teachers, not because they considered them
vicious people, but because they taught falsehoods that were fatal to
the spiritual life. Elijah, Jeremiah, Paul, firmly opposed those who
were turning others from the Word of God. The liberal mind-set that
thinks correct faith is not important found no welcome with these
holy defenders of truth.
The vague and inventive interpretations of Scripture and the
conflicting religious theories in the Christian world are the work
of our great adversary to confuse minds. The discord and division
among the churches come mostly from twisting the Scriptures to
support a favorite theory.
In order to prove false doctrines, some take hold of passages
of Scripture separated from the context. They quote half a verse
as proving their point, when the remaining portion shows that the
meaning is the opposite. With the wily deceit of the serpent they
take their position behind unrelated statements intended to please
carnal desires. Others turn to figures and symbols, interpret them
to suit their ideas with little care for the testimony of Scripture as
its own interpreter, and then present their erratic thoughts as the
teachings of the Bible.

The Whole Bible a Guide

Whenever people begin to study the Scriptures without a prayer-
ful, teachable spirit, they will twist the plainest passages away from
 How to Defeat Satan 291

their true meaning. The whole Bible should be given to the people
just as it reads.
God gave the sure word of prophecy. Angels and even Christ
Himself came to make known to Daniel and John the things that
“must shortly take place” (Revelation 1:1). God did not reveal
important matters about our salvation in a way to perplex and mislead
the person who is honestly seeking for truth. The Word of God is
plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart.
By the cry “Open-mindedness” people are blinded to Satan’s
deceptions. He succeeds in displacing the Bible with human spec-
ulations. People set aside the law of God, and the churches are in
slavery to sin while they claim to be free.
God has permitted a flood of light to pour over the world in
scientific discoveries. But, if the Word of God is not their guide,
even the greatest minds become bewildered in trying to investigate
how science and revelation fit together.
Human knowledge is partial and imperfect. This is why many
are unable to harmonize their ideas of science with Scripture. Many
accept things that are only theories as scientific facts, and they
think that they should test God’s Word by “what is falsely called
knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20). Because they cannot explain the [215]
Creator and His works by natural laws, they consider Bible history
as unreliable. Those who doubt the Old and New Testaments too
often go a step further and doubt the existence of God. Once they
let go of their anchor, they beat about on the rocks of unbelief.
It is a masterpiece of Satan’s deceptions to keep people specu-
lating about things that God has not made known. Lucifer became
dissatisfied because God did not share with him all the secrets of
God’s purposes, and he turned his back on the things God had re-
vealed. Now he tries to fill people with the same spirit and lead them
also to ignore the direct commands of God.

Truth Rejected Because It Involves a Cross

The less spiritual and self-denying the doctrines presented, the
greater the favor with which people receive them. Satan is ready
to supply what people want, and he palms off deception in the
place of truth. This is how the papacy gained its power over the
 292 Love Under Fire

minds of so many. And by rejecting the truth because it involves

a cross, Protestants are following the same path. All who study
convenience and popular opinion, so that they will not be out of step
with the world, will be left to receive “destructive heresies” in place
of truth (2 Peter 2:1). Those who look with horror on one deception
will eagerly receive another. “For this reason God will send them
strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may
be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12).

Dangerous Errors
The lying wonders of spiritualism are among Satan’s most suc-
cessful agencies. When people reject the truth, they become easy
targets for deception.
Another error is the doctrine that denies the deity of Christ,
claiming that He had no existence before He was born into this
world. This theory contradicts Jesus’ own statements about His
relationship with the Father and His preexistence. It undermines
faith in the Bible as a revelation from God. If people reject the
testimony of Scripture about the deity of Christ, it is useless to argue
with them. No argument, however strong, could convince them.
None who hold this error can have a true understanding of Christ or
of God’s plan for our redemption.
Still another error is the belief that Satan does not exist as a
personal being, that the Bible uses that name simply to represent
people’s evil thoughts and desires.
Some teach that the second advent of Christ is His coming to each
individual at death. This is a deception to divert minds from Jesus’
personal coming in the clouds of heaven. By this means, Satan has
been saying, “Behold, he is in the secret chambers” (Matthew 24:23-
26, KJV), and many have been lost by accepting this deception.
Again, many scientists claim that there can be no real answer
to prayer, because this would be a violation of law—a miracle, and
[216] miracles have no existence. The universe, they say, is governed by
fixed laws, and God Himself does nothing against these laws. So
they represent God as limited by His own laws—as if divine laws
could exclude divine freedom.
 How to Defeat Satan 293

Did not Christ and His apostles work miracles? The same Savior
is as willing to listen to the prayer of faith today as when He walked
visibly on the earth. The natural cooperates with the supernatural. It
is a part of God’s plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith,
what He would not give if we did not ask in faith.

The Landmarks of the Word

False doctrines among the churches remove landmarks that the
Word of God has established. Few people stop when they have
rejected just one truth. The majority set aside one after another of
the principles of truth, until they reject the Christian faith altogether.
The errors of popular theology have driven many people to skep-
ticism. It is impossible for them to accept doctrines that outrage
their sense of justice, mercy, and kindness. Since the churches
say that these are the teachings of the Bible, such people refuse to
acknowledge it as the Word of God.
Many people look distrustfully at the Word of God because it
rebukes and condemns sin. Those who are unwilling to obey try
to overthrow its authority. Many reject religion in order to justify
their neglect of duty. Others, who love ease too much to accomplish
anything that requires self-denial, acquire a reputation for superior
wisdom by criticizing the Bible.
Many feel it is a virtue to stand on the side of unbelief, skep-
ticism, and irreligion. But underneath an appearance of honesty
they act from self-confidence and pride. Many delight in finding
something in the Scriptures to puzzle the minds of others. Some at
first reason on the wrong side just because they love a controversy.
But once they have openly expressed unbelief, they then join with
the ungodly.

Enough Evidence
In His Word God has given enough evidence of its divine char-
acter. Yet finite minds are inadequate to comprehend fully the inten-
tions of the Infinite One. “How unsearchable are His judgments and
His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). We can understand His
actions and motives enough to see unlimited love and mercy united
 294 Love Under Fire

to infinite power. Our Father in heaven will reveal to us as much as

it is good for us to know. Beyond that we must trust the Hand that is
all-powerful, the Heart that is full of love.
God will never remove all excuse for unbelief. All who look for
hooks to hang their doubts on will find them. And those who refuse
to obey until every objection is gone will never come to the light.
The unrenewed heart is in conflict with God. But faith is inspired by
the Holy Spirit and will flourish as we cherish it. No one can become
strong in faith without persistent effort. If people allow themselves
to raise trivial objections, they will find doubt becoming stronger.
But those who doubt and distrust the assurance of His grace
[217] dishonor Christ. They are unproductive trees that block the sunlight
from other plants, causing them to droop and die under their chilling
shadow. The lifework of these people will always stand as a witness
against them.
For those who honestly want to be freed from doubts, there is
only one course to pursue. Instead of questioning the things they do
not understand, they should pay attention to the light that already
shines on them, and they will receive greater light.
Satan can produce a counterfeit that so closely resembles the
truth that it deceives those who are willing to be deceived, who want
to avoid the sacrifice that the truth demands. But it is impossible for
him to hold even one person under his power who honestly desires
to know the truth, no matter what the cost. Christ is the truth, the
“Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” “If
anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine.”
(John 1:9; 7:17.)
The Lord permits His people to go through the fiery ordeal of
temptation, not because He enjoys their distress, but because this
is essential to their final victory. It would be inconsistent with His
own glory to shield them from temptation, because the purpose of
the trial is to prepare them to resist all the attractions of evil. Neither
wicked people nor devils can shut God’s presence away from His
people if they will confess their sins, put them away, and claim His
promises. Every temptation, open or secret, they may successfully
resist, “‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the
LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
 How to Defeat Satan 295

“Who is he who will harm you if you become followers of

what is good?” (1 Peter 3:13). Satan is well aware that the weakest
Christian who abides in Christ is more than a match for all the armies
of darkness. For this reason, he tries to draw the soldiers of the cross
away from their strong defenses, while he waits in ambush, ready to
destroy all who step onto his ground. Only when we rely on God
and obey all His commandments can we be secure.
No one is safe for a day or an hour without prayer. Plead with
the Lord for wisdom to understand His Word. Satan is an expert
in quoting Scripture, placing his own interpretation on passages in
hopes of causing us to stumble. We should study with humility of
heart. While we must constantly guard against Satan’s deceptions,
we should pray in faith continually, “Do not lead us into temptation”
(Matthew 6:13).
[218] Chapter 33—What Happens After Death?

Satan, who had stirred up rebellion in heaven, wanted to bring

those living on the earth to join him in his warfare against God.
Adam and Eve had been perfectly happy in obeying God’s law—a
constant testimony against the claim Satan had made in heaven that
God’s law was oppressive. Satan was determined to cause their fall
so that he could possess the earth and establish his kingdom here in
opposition to the Most High.
God had warned Adam and Eve about this dangerous enemy,
but Satan worked in the dark, hiding his intentions. Using the snake
as his medium, whose appearance then was fascinating, he said to
Eve, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the
garden’?” Eve dared to talk with him and became a victim of his
deceptive skill: “The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the
fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in
the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall
you touch it, lest you die.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman,
‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil’” (Genesis 3:1-5).
Eve yielded to temptation, and through her influence Adam
sinned. They accepted the words of the serpent. They distrusted
their Creator and imagined that He was restricting their liberty.
But what did Adam find to be the meaning of the words, “In
the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”? Was he going to be
ushered into a higher existence? Adam did not find this to be the
meaning of the divine sentence. God declared that as a penalty for
his sin, he and his descendants would return to the ground: “Dust
you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Satan’s words,
“Your eyes will be opened,” proved to be true only in this sense:
their eyes were opened to see how foolish they had been. They did
know evil, and they tasted the bitter fruit of transgression.

296
 What Happens After Death? 297

The fruit of the tree of life had the power to sustain life forever.
Adam would have continued to enjoy free access to this tree and
would never have died, but when he sinned he was cut off from the
tree of life and became subject to death. He had lost immortality by
his sin. There could have been no hope for the fallen race if God
had not brought immortality within their reach by the sacrifice of
His Son. While “death spread to all men, because all sinned,” Christ [219]
has “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” We
can only receive immortality through Christ. “He who believes in
the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son
shall not see life.” (Romans 5:12; 2 Timothy 1:10; John 3:36.)

The Great Lie

The one who promised Adam life in disobedience was the great
deceiver. And the serpent’s claim in Eden—“You will not surely
die”—was the first sermon ever preached on the immortality of the
soul. Yet this claim, resting only on Satan’s authority, echoes from
pulpits today, and most people accept it as readily as our first parents
did. The divine sentence, “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel
18:20), is made to mean, The soul who sins shall not die, but live
eternally. If God had allowed Adam and Eve free access to the
tree of life after their fall, sin would have been immortalized. But
God has not permitted even one of the family of Adam to eat of the
life-giving fruit. As a result, there is no immortal sinner.
After the Fall, Satan instructed his angels to instill in people the
belief that they are naturally immortal. After persuading the people
to accept this error, evil angels were to lead them to conclude that
sinners would live in eternal misery. Now the prince of darkness
presents God as a revengeful tyrant who plunges into hell all who
do not please Him and looks down on them with satisfaction while
they writhe in eternal flames. In this way the one who started all evil
paints the Benefactor of the human race with his own characteristics.
Cruelty is satanic. God is love. Satan is the enemy who tempts us
to sin and then destroys us if he can. How offensive it is to love,
mercy, and justice to teach that God torments the wicked dead in an
eternally burning hell, that for the sins of a brief life on earth they
suffer torture as long as God shall live! A well-educated minister
 298 Love Under Fire

said, “The sight of hell’s torments will increase the happiness of

the redeemed forever by making them conscious of how happy they
are.”
Where can anyone find such teaching in God’s Word? Will the
redeemed exchange feelings of common humanity for the cruelty
of the savage? No, such things are not the teaching of the Book of
God. “‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.
Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die?’” (Ezekiel
33:11).
Does God delight in witnessing unending tortures? Is He pleased
with the groans and shrieks of suffering creatures whom He holds in
the flames? Can these horrid sounds be music to the ear of Infinite
Love? What a terrible blasphemy! God’s glory is not increased by
keeping sin alive through ages without end.

The Heresy of Eternal Torment

Untold evil has come from the heresy of eternal torment. It takes
the religion of the Bible, so full of love and goodness, darkens it
[220] by superstition, and clothes it with terror. Satan has painted the
character of God in false colors, making people fear, dread, and even
hate our merciful Creator. The repulsive views of God that have
spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit have made
millions of people skeptics and unbelievers.
Eternal torment is one of the false doctrines, the wine of abom-
ination (Revelation 14:8; 17:2), which Babylon makes all nations
drink. Ministers of Christ accepted this heresy from Rome, just as
they received the false sabbath. If we turn from God’s Word and
accept false doctrines because our ancestors taught them, we come
under the condemnation that the Bible pronounces on Babylon. We
are drinking from the wine of her abomination.
Many people are driven to the opposite error. They see that
Scripture presents God as a being of love and compassion, and they
cannot believe that He will condemn His creatures to an eternally
burning hell. Since they hold the idea that the soul is naturally
immortal, they conclude that all mankind will be saved. So the sinner
can live in selfish pleasure, ignoring God’s requirements, and still be
 What Happens After Death? 299

welcomed into His favor. A doctrine like this, which presumes on

God’s mercy but ignores His justice, pleases the unconverted heart.

Universal Salvation Is Not Biblical

Believers in universal salvation twist the Scriptures. The pro-
fessed minister of Christ repeats the lie that the serpent spoke in
Eden, “You will not surely die.... In the day you eat of it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
He asserts that the worst of sinners—the murderer, the thief, the
adulterer—will enter into immortal bliss after death. This is no more
than a pleasing fable, designed to appeal to the unconverted heart!
If it were true that everyone went directly to heaven at death, we
might well desire death rather than life. This belief has led many
to commit suicide. When they are overwhelmed with trouble and
disappointment, it seems easy to break the thread of life and soar
into the bliss of the eternal world.
In His Word God has given decisive evidence that He will punish
those who trample on His law. Is He too merciful to execute justice
on the sinner? Look to the cross of Calvary. The death of God’s
Son testifies that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), that
every violation of God’s law must receive its punishment. Christ the
sinless became sin for us. He bore the guilt of sin and the hiding
of His Father’s face until His heart was broken and His life crushed
out—all this so that sinners could be redeemed. And every person
who refuses to accept the atonement provided at such a cost must
bear his own guilt and the punishment for his own sins.

Conditions Are Specified

“I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who
thirsts.” This promise is only for those who are thirsty. “He who
overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall
be My son.” (Revelation 21:6, 7.) This text also specifies conditions.
To inherit all things, we must overcome sin. [221]
“It will not be well with the wicked” (Ecclesiastes 8:13). The
sinner is treasuring up for himself “wrath in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to
300 Love Under Fire

each one according to his deeds,’” “tribulation and anguish, on every

soul of man who does evil” (Romans 2:5, 6, 9).
“No fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have
the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into
the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral
and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”
(Ephesians 5:5; Revelation 22:14, 15.)
God has given us a clear statement of how He will deal with
sin. “All the wicked He will destroy.” “The transgressors shall be
destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalm
145:20; 37:38.) The authority of the divine government will put
down rebellion, yet His justice in punishing sin will be consistent
with the character of God as a merciful, kind being.
God does not force the will. He takes no pleasure in slavelike
obedience. He wants the creatures He has made to love Him because
He is worthy of love. He would like them to obey Him because
they have an intelligent appreciation of His wisdom, justice, and
kindness.
The principles of God’s government are in harmony with the
Savior’s command, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). God
executes justice on the wicked for the good of the universe and
even for the good of those who receive His judgments. He would
make them happy if He could. He surrounds them with evidences of
His love and follows them with offers of mercy. But they despise
His love, overturn His law, and reject His mercy. Even while they
constantly receive His gifts, they dishonor the Giver. The Lord is
very patient with their determined self-will, but will He chain these
rebels to His side and force them to do what He wants?

Not Prepared to Enter Heaven

Those who have chosen Satan as their leader are not prepared
to enter the presence of God. Pride, deception, immorality, cruelty,
have become established in their characters. Can they enter heaven
to live forever with those whom they hated on earth? Truth will never
be agreeable to a liar. Meekness will not satisfy self-esteem. Purity
 What Happens After Death? 301

is not acceptable to the corrupt. Unselfish love does not appear

attractive to the selfish. What enjoyment could heaven offer those
who are focused on selfish interests?
Will those whose hearts are filled with hatred of God, of truth and
holiness, be able to mingle with the inhabitants of heaven and join
their songs of praise? God granted them years of grace to prepare
for eternity with Him, but they never trained the mind to love purity.
They never learned the language of heaven. Now it is too late.
A life of rebellion against God has made them unfit for heaven. [222]
Its purity and peace would be torture to them; the glory of God
would be a consuming fire. They would long to escape from that
holy place and would welcome destruction, just to be hidden from
the face of Him who died to redeem them. It is their own choice
that decides the destiny of the wicked. They voluntarily exclude
themselves from heaven, and God is just and merciful in ratifying
their choice. Like the waters of the Flood, the fires of the great
day declare God’s verdict that the wicked are incurable. They have
exercised their will in revolt. When life is over, it is too late to turn
their thoughts from law-breaking to obedience, from hatred to love.

Two Destinies
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Life is the inheritance of the
righteous, and death is the destiny of the wicked. The Bible places
“the second death” in contrast with everlasting life (see Revelation
20:14).
Because of Adam’s sin, death came upon the whole human
race. Everyone goes down into the grave. And through the plan of
salvation, all will be brought up from their graves: “There will be a
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” “for as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” But the Bible
makes a distinction between the two classes that are resurrected:
“All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—
those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who
have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (Acts 24:15; 1
Corinthians 15:22; John 5:28, 29.)
 302 Love Under Fire

The End of Suffering

They who have been “counted worthy” of the resurrection of life
are “blessed and holy.” “Over such the second death has no power.”
(Luke 20:35; Revelation 20:6.) But those who have not received
pardon through repentance and faith must receive “the wages of sin,”
punishment “according to their works,” which ends in the “second
death.”
Since it is impossible for God to save sinners in their sins, He
deprives them of their existence, which their transgressions have
forfeited and of which they have proven themselves unworthy. “Yet
a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look
carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.” “They shall be as
though they had never been.” (Psalm 37:10; Obadiah 16.) They sink
into hopeless, eternal oblivion.
And so God will make an end of sin. “You have destroyed the
wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. O enemy,
destructions are finished forever!” (Psalm 9:5, 6). In the book of
Revelation, John hears a universal anthem of praise without one
note of discord. No lost souls blaspheme God as they writhe in
never-ending torment. No wretched beings in hell will mingle their
shrieks with the songs of the saved.
The error of natural immortality is the basis for the doctrine
[223] of consciousness in death. Like eternal torment, this doctrine is
opposed to Scripture, to reason, and to our feelings of humanity.
According to popular belief, the redeemed in heaven know ev-
erything that takes place on earth. But how could the dead be happy
in knowing the troubles of the living, in seeing them endure the
sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? And how revolting is
the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body, the soul of the
unrepentant is sent to the flames of hell!
What do the Scriptures say? Humanity is not conscious in death:
“When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very
day their plans perish.” “The living know that they will die; but the
dead know nothing.... Their love, their hatred, and their envy have
now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done
under the sun.” “Sheol [the grave] cannot thank You, death cannot
praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
 What Happens After Death? 303

The living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day.”
“In death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will
give You thanks?” (Psalm 146:4, NRSV; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6; Isaiah
38:18, 19; Psalm 6:5.)
On the Day of Pentecost Peter declared that David “is both dead
and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.... For David did
not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:29, 34). The fact that David
remains in the grave until the resurrection proves that the righteous
do not go to heaven when they die.
Paul said: “If the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And
if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished”
(1 Corinthians 15:16-18). If for four thousand years the righteous
had gone directly to heaven when they died, how could Paul have
said that if there is no resurrection, “those who have fallen asleep in
Christ have perished”?

Resurrection to Eternal Life

When He was about to leave His disciples, Jesus did not tell
them that they would soon come to Him. “I go to prepare a place
for you,” He said. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:2, 3). Paul tells
us further that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” And
he adds, “Comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians
4:16-18.) When the Lord comes, He will break the chains of death
and will raise the “dead in Christ” to eternal life.
God will judge everyone by the things written in the books and
reward them as their works have been. This judgment does not
take place at death. “He has appointed a day on which He will
judge the world in righteousness.” “Behold, the Lord comes with ten
thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all.” (Acts 17:31;
Jude 14, 15.)
But if the dead are already enjoying heaven or writhing in the [224]
304 Love Under Fire

flames of hell, what need is there for a future judgment? Ordinary

minds can understand God’s Word on these points. But what unbi-
ased mind can see either wisdom or justice in the current theory?
Will the righteous receive God’s approving words, “Well done, good
and faithful servant.... Enter into the joy of your lord,” when they
have already been living in His presence for long ages? Are the
wicked called from torment to receive the Judge’s sentence, “Depart
from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire”? (Matthew 25:21,
41.)
The theory that the soul is immortal was one of those false doc-
trines that Rome borrowed from paganism. Luther classed it with the
“monstrous fables that form part of the Roman dunghill of decrees.”1
The Bible teaches that the dead sleep until the resurrection.

Immortality When Jesus Returns

Sweet rest for the weary righteous! Time, whether it is long or
short, is only a moment to them. They sleep, and then the trumpet
of God awakens them to a glorious immortality. “For the trumpet
will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible.... So when
this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:52, 54).
Called to arise from their sleep, they begin to think just where
they had stopped. The last sensation was the stroke of death; the
last thought, that they were falling beneath the power of the grave.
When they come out from the tomb, their first glad thought will be
echoed in the triumphant shout, “O death, where is your sting? O
Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

1 E. Petavel, The Problem of Immortality, page 255.

 Chapter 34—Who Are the “Spirits” in [225]
Spiritualism?

The doctrine that we are naturally immortal came from pagan

philosophy. In the darkness of the great apostasy it became a part
of the Christian faith, where it has now replaced the truth that “the
dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Many people believe that the
spirits of the dead are the “ministering spirits sent forth to minister
for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).
The belief that spirits of the dead return to help the living has
prepared the way for modern spiritualism. If the dead are entrusted
with knowledge far beyond what they had before, why not return
to earth and instruct the living? If spirits of the dead hover around
their friends on earth, why not communicate with them? How can
those who believe in human consciousness in death reject “divine
light” that comes through glorified spirits? Here is a channel that
people think is sacred but which Satan uses. Fallen angels appear as
messengers from the spirit world.
The prince of evil has power to bring before people the appear-
ance of departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect, reproduced with
amazing exactness. Many take comfort in the assurance that their
loved ones are enjoying heaven. Without suspecting danger, they
open their lives “to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1
Timothy 4:1).
Those who went into the grave unprepared claim to be happy
and to occupy high positions in heaven. Pretended visitors from the
world of spirits sometimes give warnings that prove to be correct.
Then, as they win people’s confidence, they present doctrines that
undermine the Scriptures. The fact that they speak some truths and at
times foretell future events makes them appear reliable, and people
accept their false teachings. The law of God is set aside, the Spirit
of grace despised. The spirits deny the deity of Christ and place the
Creator on a level with themselves.

305
 306 Love Under Fire

While it is true that the results of trickery have often been pre-
sented as genuine manifestations, there have also been clear exhi-
bitions of supernatural power, the direct work of evil angels. Many
believe that spiritualism is nothing more than human fraud. When
they come face to face with happenings that they cannot explain
as anything but supernatural, they will be deceived and will accept
them as the great power of God.
[226] With help from Satan, Pharaoh’s magicians counterfeited the
work of God (see Exodus 7:10-12). Paul testifies that before the
coming of the Lord we will see “the working of Satan, with all power,
signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception” (2
Thessalonians 2:9, 10). And John declares: “He performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the
earth by those signs which he was granted to do” (Revelation 13:13,
14). This is not predicting mere tricks. People are deceived by the
miracles that Satan’s agents actually do, not that they only pretend
to do.

Satan’s Appeal to Intellectuals

To cultured and refined people, the prince of darkness presents
the more refined and intellectual aspects of spiritualism. He delights
the imagination with entrancing scenes and eloquent portrayals of
love and charity. He leads people to take such great pride in their
own wisdom that in their hearts they despise the Eternal One.
Satan deceives people now as he deceived Eve in Eden, by
stirring up their ambition to exalt themselves. “You will be like
God,” he says, “knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). Spiritualism
teaches “that a human being is the creature of progression ... toward
the Godhead.” It claims, “The judgment will be right, because it is
the judgment of self.... The throne is within you.” “Any just and
perfect being is Christ.”
In this way Satan has substituted a person’s own sinful human
nature for the law of God as the only rule of judgment. This is
progress, not upward, but downward. Men and women will never
rise higher than their standard of purity or goodness. If self is their
highest ideal, they will never reach anything higher. The grace of
 Who Are the “Spirits” in Spiritualism? 307

God alone has power to exalt them. Left to themselves, their path
will be downward.

Appeal to the Pleasure-loving

To people who are self-indulgent, pleasure-loving, and sensual,
spiritualism appears in a less subtle disguise. In its grosser forms
they find what agrees with their inclinations. Satan notes the sins
each individual is inclined to commit and then makes sure that op-
portunities come along to gratify the tendency. He tempts people
through intemperance, leading them to weaken their physical, men-
tal, and moral power. He destroys thousands through indulgence of
passion, brutalizing the entire nature. And to complete his work,
the spirits declare that “true knowledge places a person above all
law,” that “whatever is, is right,” that “God does not condemn,” and
that “all sins ... are innocent.” When people believe that desire is
the highest law, that liberty is license, that they are accountable
only to themselves, who can be surprised that corruption flourishes
everywhere? Great numbers of people eagerly accept the urgings
of lust. Satan sweeps thousands into his net who profess to follow
Christ.
But God has given enough light to detect the snare. The very
foundation of spiritualism is at war with Scripture. The Bible de-
clares that the dead know nothing, that their thoughts have perished. [227]
They have no part in the joys or sorrows of those on earth.

Forbidden Fellowship
Furthermore, God has forbidden all pretended communication
with departed spirits. The Bible says that “familiar spirits,” as these
visitors from other worlds were called, are “the spirits of demons”
(see Numbers 25:1-3; Psalm 106:28; 1 Corinthians 10:20; Reve-
lation 16:14). God prohibited dealing with them under penalty of
death (Leviticus 19:31; 20:27). But spiritualism has made its way
into scientific circles, invaded churches, and found a welcome in
legislative bodies, even in the courts of kings. This mammoth de-
ception is a revival in a new disguise of the witchcraft condemned
long ago.
308 Love Under Fire

By representing the most evil of sinners as in heaven, Satan says

to the world: “No matter whether you believe or disbelieve God and
the Bible, live as you please. Heaven is your home.” But the Word
of God says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who
put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).

Bible Represented as Fiction

Lying spirits impersonate the apostles, making them contradict
what they wrote when on earth. Satan is making the world believe
that the Bible is fiction, a book suited to the infancy of the race but
obsolete today. The Book that is to judge him and his followers he
puts in the shadows. The Savior of the world he makes to be no
more than a common man. And believers in spirit appearances try
to make it seem that there is nothing miraculous in our Savior’s life.
They declare that their own miracles are far greater than the works
of Christ.
Spiritualism is now adopting a Christian appearance. But it
cannot deny or hide its teachings. In its present form it is a more
dangerous and more subtle deception. It now professes to accept
Christ and the Bible, but it interprets the Bible in a way that is
pleasing to the unrenewed heart. It dwells on love as the chief
attribute of God, but it degrades this love to a weak sentimentalism.
God’s condemnations of sin, the requirements of His holy law, are
kept out of sight. Fables lead men and women to reject the Bible as
the foundation of their faith. Christ is denied as surely as before, but
most people do not recognize the deception.
Few have a proper understanding of spiritualism’s deceptive
power. Many tamper with it merely out of curiosity. They would be
horrified at the thought of yielding to the spirits’ control. But they
dare to go onto forbidden ground, and the destroyer exercises his
power on them against their will. If he can get them to submit their
minds to his direction just once, he will hold them captive. Nothing
but the power of God, in answer to earnest prayer, can deliver them.
All who willfully cherish known sin are inviting Satan’s tempta-
tions. They separate themselves from God and the watchcare of His
angels, leaving themselves without defense.
 Who Are the “Spirits” in Spiritualism? 309

“When they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wiz-
ards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? [228]
Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and
to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19, 20).
If people had been willing to accept the Bible truth concerning
our human nature and the condition of the dead, they would see in
spiritualism Satan’s power and lying wonders. But so many close
their eyes to the light, and Satan weaves his snares around them.
“Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might
be saved,” therefore “God will send them strong delusion, that they
should believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11).
Those who oppose spiritualism attack Satan and his angels. Sa-
tan will not yield one inch of ground except as the heavenly mes-
sengers drive him back. He can quote Scripture and will twist its
teachings. Those who intend to stand in this time of danger must
understand for themselves what the Bible teaches.

Understanding the Scriptures

Spirits of devils impersonating relatives or friends will appeal to
our tender sympathies and will work miracles. We must resist them
with the Bible truth that the dead know nothing and that they who
appear this way are the spirits of devils.
All whose faith is not established on the Word of God will be de-
ceived and overcome. Satan works “with all unrighteous deception,”
and his deceptions will increase. But those who are looking for a
knowledge of the truth and who purify their lives through obedience
will find a sure defense in the God of truth. The Savior would sooner
send every angel out of heaven to protect His people than leave one
person who trusts in Him to be overcome by Satan. Those who
comfort themselves with the assurance that there is no punishment
for the sinner, who reject the truths that Heaven has provided as a
defense for the day of trouble, will accept the lies that Satan offers,
the deceptive claims of spiritualism.
Scoffers ridicule what Scripture says about the plan of salvation
and the punishment that will fall on those who reject truth. They
pretend to have great pity for minds so narrow, weak, and supersti-
 310 Love Under Fire

tious as to obey the requirements of God’s law. They have yielded

themselves to the tempter so fully, united with him so closely, and
drunk so deeply of his spirit that they have no desire to break away
from his snare.
Satan laid the foundation of his work in the assurance he gave to
Eve in Eden: “You will not surely die.... In the day you eat of it your
eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil” (Genesis 3:4, 5). He will reach his masterpiece of deception at
the very end of time. Says the prophet: “I saw three unclean spirits
like frogs.... For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which
go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather
them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation
16:13, 14).
Except for those whom God’s power keeps through faith in His
[229] Word, the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this deception.
The people are quickly being lulled into a fatal security, and only
the outpouring of God’s wrath will awaken them.
 Chapter 35—Liberty of Conscience Threatened [230]

Protestants now regard Catholicism far more favorably than they

did years ago. In those countries where Catholicism takes a peaceful
course to gain influence, the opinion is gaining ground that we do
not differ so widely on vital points as we had supposed, and that a
little concession on our part will bring us into better understanding
with Rome. Some time ago, Protestants taught their children that
to seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God. But how
different are the sentiments people express now!
Defenders of the papacy claim that the church has been misrep-
resented, and that it is unfair to judge the church of today by her
reign during the centuries of ignorance and darkness. They excuse
the church’s horrible cruelty as the harsh customs of the times.
Have these people forgotten the claim of infallibility coming
from this power? Rome asserts that the “church never erred; nor will
it, according to the Scriptures, ever err.”1
The papal church will never give up her claim to infallibility.
If secular governments remove their current restraints and Rome
regains her former power, there would quickly be a revival of the
church’s tyranny and persecution.
It is true that there are real Christians in the Roman Catholic
faith. Thousands in that church are serving God according to the best
light they have. God looks with pitying tenderness upon these souls
who have been educated in a faith that is delusive and unsatisfying.
He will cause rays of light to penetrate the darkness, and many will
yet join with His people.
But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the
gospel of Christ now than at any time before. The Roman Church
is using every means available to regain control of the world, to
re-establish persecution, and to undo everything that Protestantism
has done. Catholicism is gaining ground on every side. See the
1 John L. von Mosheim, Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, book 3, century II, part
2, chapter 2, section 9, note 17.

311
 312 Love Under Fire

increasing number of her churches. Look at the popularity of her

colleges and seminaries, so widely attended by Protestants. Look
at the growth of ritualism in England and the frequent defections to
the ranks of the Catholics.

Compromises and Concessions

Protestants have supported Catholicism. They have made com-
promises and concessions that Catholics themselves are surprised to
see. People are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism.
[231] They need to resist the advances of this dangerous opponent of civil
and religious liberty.
While Catholicism is based on deception, it is not coarse and
clumsy. The religious service of the Roman Church is a most im-
pressive ceremony. Its gorgeous display and solemn rites fascinate
the people and silence the voice of reason and conscience. It charms
the eye. Magnificent churches, stately processions, golden altars,
jeweled shrines, choice paintings, and superb sculpture appeal to the
love of beauty. The music is of the finest quality. The rich notes of
the deep-toned organ blend with the melody of many voices as the
music swells through the soaring domes and pillared aisles of her
grand cathedrals, impressing the mind with awe and reverence.
This outward splendor and ceremony mocks the longings of the
sin-sick soul. The religion of Christ does not need attractions like
this. The light that shines from the cross is so pure and lovely that
no external decorations can add to its true worth.
Satan often uses high concepts of art and delicate refinement of
taste to lead people to forget the real needs of the heart and to live
for this world alone.
The pomp and ceremony of Catholic worship has a seductive,
bewitching power that deceives many. They begin to see the Roman
Church as the gate of heaven. Only those whose feet stand firmly on
the foundation of truth and whose hearts are renewed by the Spirit of
God are secure against her influence. The form of godliness without
the power is what most people want.
The church claims the right to pardon, and this leads its people to
feel free to sin. The rite of confession also tends to open the way to
evil. Those who kneel before fallen man and open the secret imag-
 Liberty of Conscience Threatened 313

inations of their hearts in confession are degrading their spiritual

natures. In unfolding their sins to a priest—an imperfect mortal—
they lower their standard of character and corrupt themselves. Their
idea of God is degraded to the image of fallen humanity, because the
priest stands as a representative of God. This degrading confession
of human to human is the secret spring from which has flowed much
of the evil that is defiling the world. Yet to those who love to follow
their own desires, it is more pleasing to confess to a fellow mortal
than to open the heart to God. Human nature finds it more agreeable
to do penance than to turn away from sin. It is easier to punish the
flesh by sackcloth than to crucify fleshly lusts.

A Striking Similarity
When Christ lived on earth, the Jews were secretly trampling
on God’s law while outwardly they kept its requirements strictly,
loading it down with additional duties that made obedience a burden.
As the Jews professed to revere the law, so do Romanists claim to
reverence the cross.
They place crosses on their churches, their altars, and their cloth-
ing. Everywhere the symbol of the cross is outwardly honored and
exalted. But the teachings of Christ are buried beneath senseless
traditions and rigorous requirements. Church teachings keep consci-
entious people in fear of the wrath of an offended God, while many
officials of the church live in luxury and sensual pleasure. [232]
Satan constantly tries to misrepresent the character of God, the
nature of sin, and the real issues at stake in the great controversy.
His false arguments give people permission to sin. At the same
time he implants false ideas of God so that they think of Him with
fear and hate rather than with love. By such perverted ideas of
God’s character, Satan led heathen nations to believe that human
sacrifices were necessary to secure God’s favor. People have carried
out horrible cruelties under the various forms of idolatry.

Union of Paganism and Christianity

The Roman Catholic Church has united paganism and Christian-
ity and, like paganism, has misrepresented the character of God and
314 Love Under Fire

resorted to practices that are just as cruel. Instruments of torture

compelled people to accept her doctrines. Officials of the church
studied to invent ways to cause the greatest possible torture and not
end the life of those who would not give in to the church’s claims.
In many cases the sufferer welcomed death as a sweet release.
For those who followed Rome’s teachings, the church had the
discipline of the whip, of hunger, and of denying the body’s normal
needs. To gain Heaven’s approval, repentant people were taught
to break the ties of family and friendship which God has formed
to bless and gladden our earthly journey. The churchyard contains
millions of victims who spent their lives trying unsuccessfully to
repress every thought and feeling of sympathy with their fellow
creatures, as though these were offensive to God.
God does not put these heavy burdens on us. Christ’s life pro-
vides no example for men and women to shut themselves in monas-
teries in order to become fit for heaven. He has never taught us to
repress our human love and sympathy.

Doctrines From the Dark Ages

The pope claims to be the vicar, or representative, of Christ.
But was Christ ever known to put people in prison because they
did not worship Him as the King of heaven? Was His voice heard
condemning to death those who did not accept Him?
The Roman Church now presents a pleasing front to the world,
covering with apologies her record of horrible cruelties. She has
clothed herself in Christlike garments, but she is unchanged. Every
principle of the papacy in past ages exists today. The church still
holds the doctrines devised in the Dark Ages. The papacy that
Protestants now honor is the same that ruled in the days of the
Reformation, when men of God stood up at the risk of their lives to
expose her evils.
The papacy is just what prophecy declared that she would be, the
apostasy of the end times. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.) Under the
changeable appearance of the chameleon she conceals the changeless
venom of the serpent. Shall we now acknowledge this power, whose
record for a thousand years is written in the blood of the saints, as a
part of the church of Christ?
 Liberty of Conscience Threatened 315

A Change in Protestantism [233]

In Protestant countries we hear the claim that Catholicism dif-
fers less from Protestantism than it did before. There has been a
change, but the change is not in the papacy. Catholicism does in fact
resemble much Protestantism that now exists because Protestantism
has degenerated so greatly since the days of Reformers.
The Protestant churches are seeking the approval of the world,
and so they believe good of all evil. As a result, they will finally
believe evil of all good. They are now, as it were, apologizing
to Rome for their unkind opinion of her, begging pardon for their
“bigotry.” Many claim that the intellectual and moral darkness that
ruled during the Middle Ages helped to spread Rome’s superstitions
and oppression. They say that the greater intelligence of modern
times and the increasing liberality in matters of religion will prevent
any revival of intolerance. They ridicule the idea that such a state of
things will exist in this enlightened age. But we should remember
that the greater the light that is given, the greater the darkness of
those who pervert and reject it.
An era of great intellectual darkness has been favorable to the
papacy’s success. We will yet see that an era of great intellectual
light is equally favorable. In past ages when people did not have
the knowledge of the truth, thousands were caught in the snare,
not seeing the net spread for their feet. In this generation also,
many do not see the net and walk into it as readily as if they were
blindfolded. When people place their own theories above the Word
of God, intelligence can do even more harm than ignorance. So
today’s false science will prove successful in preparing people to
accept the papacy, just as the withholding of knowledge did in the
Dark Ages.

Sunday Observance
Sunday observance is a custom that originated with Rome, and
she claims it as the sign of her authority. The spirit of the papacy—of
following worldly customs and honoring human traditions above the
commandments of God—is seeping into the Protestant churches and
 316 Love Under Fire

leading them to the same work of exalting Sunday that the papacy
has done before them.
Royal edicts, general councils, and church ordinances backed by
secular power were the steps by which the pagan festival reached
its position of honor in the Christian world. The first legal effort to
enforce Sunday observance was the law that Constantine enacted.
Though it was basically a heathen statute, the emperor enforced it
after he accepted the forms of Christianity.
Eusebius, a bishop who tried to gain the favor of princes and
who was the special friend of Constantine, claimed that Christ had
transferred the Sabbath to Sunday. He offered no proof from Scrip-
ture. Eusebius himself unwittingly admits that this claim was false.
“All things,” he says, “that it was our duty to do on the Sabbath,
these we have transferred to the Lord’s Day.”2
As the papacy became established, it continued to exalt Sunday.
[234] For a time people still regarded the seventh day as the Sabbath, but
steadily a change came in. Later the pope directed the parish priests
to warn violators of Sunday that their behavior could bring some
great calamity on themselves and their neighbors.
When the decrees of church councils were not enough, the church
called on the secular authorities to issue a decree that would strike
terror to the hearts of the people and force them to stop working on
Sunday. A synod held in Rome reaffirmed all previous decisions and
incorporated them into church law. The civil authorities in nearly all
Christian countries enforced them.3
Still the lack of scriptural authority for Sunday keeping was
embarrassing. The people questioned the right of their teachers to
set aside the declaration, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the
LORD your God,” in order to honor the day of the sun. To make
up for the lack of Bible testimony, the church had to resort to other
proofs.
About the close of the twelfth century, a zealous advocate of
Sunday visited the churches of England. Faithful witnesses for
the truth resisted him, and his efforts were so fruitless that he left
the country for a time. When he returned, he brought with him a
2 Robert Cox, Sabbath Laws and Sabbath Duties, page 538.
3 See Heylyn, History of the Sabbath, part 2, chapter 5, section 7.
 Liberty of Conscience Threatened 317

document that claimed to be from God Himself. It contained the

needed command to observe Sunday, with awful threats to terrify
the disobedient. This precious document, he claimed, had fallen
from heaven and was found in Jerusalem on the altar of St. Simeon,
in Golgotha. But in fact, the pope’s palace at Rome was the source.
In all ages, the papal hierarchy has regarded frauds and forgeries as
acceptable. (See Appendix, note for page 27.)
But despite all efforts to establish Sunday sacredness, Catholics
themselves publicly admitted the divine authority of the Sabbath. In
the sixteenth century, a papal council declared: “Let all Christians
remember that the seventh day was consecrated by God, and has
been received and observed not only by the Jews, but by all others
who claim to worship God, though we Christians have changed their
Sabbath into the Lord’s Day.”4 Those who were tampering with
God’s law were not ignorant of what they were doing.

Severe Penalties
An impressive illustration of Rome’s policy is found in the long
and bloody persecution of the Waldenses, some of whom kept the
Sabbath. (See Appendix.) Also, the history of the churches of
Ethiopia and Abyssinia is especially significant. Amid the gloom
of the Dark Ages, the world lost sight of the Christians of Central
Africa and forgot them. For many centuries, then, they enjoyed
freedom in their faith. Finally Rome learned that they existed and
tricked the emperor of Abyssinia into acknowledging the pope as the
vicar of Christ. Then the church issued an edict forbidding people
to observe the Sabbath under severe penalties.5 But Roman tyranny
soon became a yoke so bitter that the Abyssinians determined to
break it. They banished the Romanists from their territory and
restored the ancient faith.
While the churches of Africa kept the seventh day in obedience [235]
to the commandment of God, they also refrained from work on
Sunday in keeping with the custom of the church. Rome trampled
on the Sabbath of God to exalt her own, but the churches of Africa,
4 Thomas Morer, Discourse in Six Dialogues on the Name, Notion, and Observation
of the Lord’s Day, pages 281, 282.
5 See Michael Geddes, Church History of Ethiopia, pages 311, 312.
318 Love Under Fire

hidden for nearly a thousand years, did not share this apostasy.
When brought under Rome’s control, they were forced to set aside
the true and exalt the false sabbath. But no sooner had they regained
their independence than they returned to obedience to the fourth
commandment. (See Appendix.)
These records clearly reveal the hatred of Rome toward the true
Sabbath and its defenders. The Word of God teaches that these
scenes will be repeated as Catholics and Protestants unite to exalt
Sunday.

The Beast With Lamblike Horns

The prophecy of Revelation 13 declares that the beast with lamb-
like horns will cause “the earth and those who dwell in it” to worship
the papacy—symbolized by the beast “like a leopard.” The beast
with two horns will also tell “those who dwell on the earth to make
an image to the beast.” Furthermore, it will command all, “both
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,” to receive the mark
of the beast. (Revelation 13:11-16.) The United States is the power
that the beast with lamblike horns represents. This prophecy will be
fulfilled when the United States enforces Sunday observance, which
Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy.
“I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded,
and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and
followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3). The deadly wound points to
the downfall of the papacy in 1798. After this, says the prophet, “his
deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed
the beast.” Paul states that the “man of sin” will carry on his work
of deception to the very end of time (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). And
“all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not
been written in the Book of Life” (Revelation 13:8). In both the Old
and the New World, the papacy will receive worship in the honor
paid to Sunday.
Since the middle of the nineteenth century, students of prophecy
have presented this message of Revelation 13 to the world. Now we
see events rapidly moving toward the fulfillment of the prediction.
Protestant teachers make the same claim of divine authority for
Sunday keeping with the same lack of Bible evidence as do Catholic
 Liberty of Conscience Threatened 319

leaders. The assertion that God sends His judgments on people for
violating the Sunday-sabbath will be repeated; already it is beginning
to be heard.
The Roman Church is amazingly shrewd. She can read what is
happening and what will come—that Protestant churches are recog-
nizing her superiority by accepting the false Sabbath, and that they
are preparing to enforce it in the same way that she herself did in
ages past. It is not hard to guess how quickly she will come to the
help of Protestants in this work.
The Roman Catholic Church forms one vast organization under [236]
the control of the papal see. Its millions of members in every country
are bound in loyalty to the pope, whatever their nationality or their
government. Though they may take the oath pledging loyalty to the
state, yet behind this lies the vow of obedience to Rome.
History tells of her sly and persistent efforts to insert herself into
the affairs of nations, and having gained a foothold, to advance her
own aims, even if it means the ruin of princes and people.6
Rome boasts that she never changes. Protestants do not under-
stand what they are doing when they propose to accept Rome’s help
in the work of exalting Sunday. While they are focused on their
purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her
lost supremacy. Once the principle is established that the church
may control the power of the state, that religious observances may
be enforced by secular laws—in short, that the authority of church
and state is to dominate the conscience—Rome’s triumph is assured.
The Protestant world will learn what Rome’s intentions are only
when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing in
power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls,
in the churches, and in people’s hearts. She is strengthening her
forces to gain the advantage when the time comes to strike. All that
she wants is favorable ground, which she is already receiving. Soon,
whoever believes and obeys the Word of God will face censure and
persecution.

6 See, for example, John Dowling, The History of Romanism, book 5, chapter 6,
section 55; and Mosheim, book 3, century 11, part 2, chapter 2, section 9, note 17.
[237] Chapter 36—The Approaching Conflict

From the very beginning of the great controversy in heaven,

Satan has been trying to overthrow the law of God. Whether he can
get people to discard the law altogether or to reject just one of its
commandments, the result will be the same. The person who offends
“in one point” shows contempt for the whole law. His influence and
example are on the side of law-breaking; he becomes “guilty of all”
(James 2:10).
Satan has perverted the doctrines of the Bible, and as a result
errors have become a part of the faith of thousands. The last great
conflict between truth and error is over the law of God. It is a battle
between the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition. The Bible
is within the reach of all, but few accept it as the guide of life. In
the church many deny the pillars of the Christian faith. They reject
Creation, the fall of man, the atonement, and the law of God either
completely or in part. Thousands consider it a sign of weakness to
place complete confidence in the Bible.
It is as easy to make an idol of false theories as it is to create
an idol of wood or stone. By misrepresenting God, Satan leads
people to think of Him in a false light. They put a philosophical
idol on the throne in the place of the living God as He is revealed
in His Word, in Christ, and in the works of creation. The god of
many philosophers, poets, politicians, journalists—the god of many
universities, even of some theological institutions—is little better
than Baal, the sun-god of Phoenicia in the days of Elijah.
No error strikes more boldly against the authority of Heaven
or brings more harmful results than the doctrine that God’s law is
no longer binding. Suppose that prominent ministers were to teach
publicly that the laws governing their land were not necessary, that
they restricted the liberties of the people and should not be obeyed.
How long would such preachers be allowed in the pulpit?
It would be more consistent for nations to abolish their statutes
than for the Ruler of the universe to annul His law. France tried the
320
 Approaching Conflict 321

experiment of making God’s law void when atheism became the

controlling power. This demonstrated that to throw off the God-given
restraints is to accept the prince of evil as ruler.

Setting Aside the Law of God

Those who teach the people to treat the commandments of God [238]
carelessly are sowing disobedience to reap disobedience. When
people completely throw aside the restraints of God’s law, they will
soon disregard human laws. The results of banishing God’s com-
mandments would be like nothing they anticipate. Property would
no longer be safe. People would take their neighbors’ possessions
by force, and the strongest would become the richest. Life itself
would not be respected. The marriage vow would no longer stand
as a defensive wall to protect the family. Whoever had the power
would take his neighbor’s wife by violence. The fifth commandment
would be ignored with the fourth. Children would not hesitate to
take the life of their parents if doing so would get them what their
corrupt hearts want. The civilized world would become a mob of
robbers and assassins, and peace and happiness would be banished
from the earth.
Already this doctrine has opened the floodgates of evil on the
world. Lawlessness and corruption sweep in like an overwhelming
tide. Even in households that claim to be Christian there is hypocrisy,
damaged relationships, betrayal of sacred trusts, indulgence of lust.
Religious principle, which should be the foundation of social life,
seems to be swaying and ready to fall. Depraved criminals often
receive attention as if they had done some great thing. Their crimes
get wide publicity. The press publishes revolting details of evil,
instructing others in fraud, robbery, and murder. The fascination
with evil, the terrible intemperance and iniquity of every kind, should
awaken everyone. What can be done to stop the tide of evil?

Intemperance Has Beclouded Many

Courts are corrupt, rulers are driven by desire for money and by
love of sensual pleasure. Intemperance has beclouded the minds of
many so that Satan has almost complete control of them. Judges are
 322 Love Under Fire

corrupted, bribed, deluded. Drunkenness and partying, dishonesty

of every sort, are found among those who administer the laws. Now
that Satan can no longer keep the world under control by denying
people the Scriptures, he resorts to other ways to accomplish the
same objective. To destroy faith in the Bible serves just as well as to
destroy the Bible itself.
As in past ages, Satan has worked through the churches to move
his plans forward. In combating unpopular truths in the Scriptures,
they adopt interpretations that sow the seeds of unbelief far and wide.
Clinging to the Catholic error of natural immortality and human
consciousness in death, they reject the only defense against the false
teachings of spiritualism. The doctrine of eternal torment has led
many to reject the Bible. As the claims of the fourth commandment
are presented, people see that it calls for them to keep the seventh-day
Sabbath. Seeing no other way to free themselves from a duty they
are not willing to perform, popular teachers throw out the law of God
and the Sabbath together. As Sabbath reform extends, this rejection
of God’s law to avoid the fourth commandment will become nearly
[239] universal. Religious leaders open the door to unbelief, spiritualism,
and contempt for God’s holy law—a fearful responsibility for the
evils that exist in the Christian world.
Yet these very people claim that enforcing Sunday observance
would improve the morals of society. It is one of Satan’s deceptions
to combine falsehood with just enough truth to make it believable.
The leaders of the Sunday movement may campaign for reforms that
the people need, principles in harmony with the Bible. But while
they combine these with a requirement contrary to God’s law, His
servants cannot join with them. Nothing can justify setting aside the
commandments of God for human laws.
Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and
Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions.
While the immortality of the soul lays the foundation of spiritual-
ism, Sunday sacredness creates ties of sympathy with Rome. The
Protestants of the United States will take the lead in stretching their
hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will
also reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and
under the influence of this three-part union, this country will follow
in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.
 Approaching Conflict 323

As spiritualism imitates the popular Christianity of the day, it

has great power to deceive. Satan himself seems “converted.” He
will appear as an angel of light. Through spiritualism, miracles will
take place, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders
will be performed.
Catholics who boast of miracles as a sign of the true church will
be easily deceived by this wonder-working power, and Protestants,
who have thrown away the shield of truth, will also be deluded.
Catholics, Protestants, and secular people will all see in this union a
grand movement for the conversion of the world.
Through spiritualism, Satan appears to be someone who blesses
humanity, healing diseases and presenting a new system of religious
faith, but at the same time he leads many people to ruin. Alcohol
use overcomes reason; sensual indulgence, conflict, and bloodshed
follow. War stirs up the worst passions of the heart and sweeps its
victims into eternity, covered in vice and blood. It is Satan’s goal
to prod the nations to war, because in this way he can divert people
from preparing for the judgment and eternity.
Satan has studied the secrets of nature, and he uses all his power
to control the elements as far as God allows. It is God who shields
His creatures from the destroyer. But the Christian world has shown
contempt for His law, and the Lord will do what He said He would—
remove His protecting care from those who rebel against His law
and who force others to do the same. Satan has control of everyone
whom God does not especially guard. He will favor and prosper
some in order to advance his own plans, and he will bring trouble on
others and lead them to believe that God is the one who is mistreating
them.
While appearing to be a great physician who can heal all their [240]
illnesses, Satan will bring disease and disaster until crowded cities
are reduced to ruin. In accidents by sea and land, in great fires, in
fierce tornadoes and hailstorms, in gales, floods, hurricanes, tidal
waves, and earthquakes, in a thousand forms, Satan is exerting his
power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and misery
follow. He gives the air a deadly taint, and thousands die.
And then the great deceiver will persuade people to blame all
their troubles on the believers whose obedience to God’s command-
ments is a constant rebuke to those who break God’s law. They will
324 Love Under Fire

say that these people are offending God by violating Sunday, and
that this sin has brought disasters that will not stop until Sunday
observance is strictly enforced. They will claim that those who de-
stroy reverence for Sunday are preventing their restoration to God’s
favor and material prosperity. They will repeat the accusation urged
long ago against the servant of God: “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab
said to him, ‘Is it you, you troubler of Israel?’” (1 Kings 18:17, 18,
NRSV).
Satan will use miracle-working power against those who obey
God rather than human laws. The “spirits” will declare that God has
sent them to convince those who reject Sunday that they are wrong.
They will act sad over the great wickedness in the world, and they
will support the testimony of religious teachers that the low state of
morals is the result of desecrating Sunday.
Under Rome’s rule, people said that those who suffered for
the gospel were evildoers in partnership with Satan. It will be the
same way now. Satan will cause those who honor God’s law to be
accused as people who are bringing judgments on the world. He uses
fear to try to rule the conscience, persuading religious and secular
authorities to enforce human laws and defy the law of God.
Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be blamed as enemies of
law and order, breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing
lawlessness and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God
on the earth. They will be accused of undermining the government.
Ministers who deny that people need to keep God’s law will preach
about the duty of obeying the civil authorities. In legislative halls and
courts of justice, commandment-keepers will be condemned. People
will put a false slant on their words and the worst construction on
their motives.
Leaders of church and state will unite to persuade or force ev-
eryone to honor Sunday. Even in free America rulers and legislators
will give in to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday ob-
servance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice,
will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we will
see the prophet’s words fulfilled: “The dragon was enraged with the
woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who
keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ” (Revelation 12:17).
 Chapter 37—Our Only Safeguard [241]

God points His followers to the Bible as their safeguard against

the deceptive power of evil spirits. Satan uses every possible way
to prevent people from gaining a knowledge of the Bible. At every
revival of God’s work, his activity becomes more intense. We will
soon see a final struggle begin against Christ and His followers. The
counterfeit will resemble the true so closely that it will be impossible
to tell the difference between them except by the Scriptures.
Those who try to obey all of God’s commandments will be
opposed and mocked. To endure the trial, they must understand the
will of God as revealed in His Word. They can honor Him only as
they correctly understand His character, government, and goals, and
act in harmony with them. Only those who have fortified their minds
with the truths of the Bible will stand firmly through the last great
struggle.
Before His crucifixion the Savior explained to His disciples that
He was going to be killed and would rise again. Angels were there
to impress His words on their minds and hearts. But they forgot the
very words they needed to remember. When the trouble came, the
death of Jesus destroyed their hopes as completely as if He had not
warned them beforehand. Similarly, the prophecies open the future
before us as clearly as Christ opened it to the disciples. But most
people have no more understanding of these important truths than if
God had never revealed them.
When God sends warnings, He requires every sound-minded per-
son to obey the message. The fearful judgments against worshiping
the beast and his image (Revelation 14:9-11) should lead everyone
to learn what the mark of the beast is and how to avoid receiving it.
But the great majority of people do not want Bible truth, because it
goes against the desires of the sinful heart. Satan supplies them with
the deceptions they love.
But God will have a people who hold the Bible, and the Bible
only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The
325
 326 Love Under Fire

opinions of educated men, the conclusions of science, the decisions

of church councils, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of
these should we take as evidence for or against any doctrine. We
should demand a plain “Thus says the Lord.” Satan leads the people
to look to pastors, to professors of theology, as their guides instead
of searching the Scriptures for themselves. By controlling these
leaders, he can influence most people.
[242] When Christ came, the common people heard Him gladly. But
the chief priests and the nation’s leaders wrapped themselves in
prejudice, rejecting the evidence that He was the Messiah. “How is
it,” the people asked, “that our rulers and enlightened scribes do not
believe on Jesus?” Teachers like this led the Jewish nation to reject
their Redeemer.

Exalting Human Authority

Christ foresaw that people would exalt human authority to rule
over the conscience. In all ages this has been a terrible a curse. As
an appeal to future generations, the Bible recorded His warnings not
to follow blind leaders.
The Roman Church teaches that only her clergy have the right to
interpret the Scriptures. Though the Reformation gave the Scriptures
to everyone, yet the same principle that Rome held prevents multi-
tudes in Protestant churches from searching the Bible for themselves.
They are taught to accept its teachings as interpreted by the church.
Thousands do not dare to accept anything, no matter how plain it is
in Scripture, that is contrary to their creed.
Many are ready to commit their eternal destiny to the clergy.
They pay almost no attention to the Savior’s teachings. But are
ministers infallible? How can we trust them to guide us unless we
know from God’s Word that they are light-bearers? A lack of moral
courage leads many to follow educated people, and they become
hopelessly attached to error. They see the truth for this time in the
Bible and feel the power of the Holy Spirit accompany the giving of
it, yet they allow the clergy to turn them from the light.
Satan keeps many of his followers by attaching them with silken
cords of affection to those who are enemies of the cross of Christ.
This attachment may be to parents, brothers or sisters, husband or
 Our Only Safeguard 327

wife, or friends. Under their influence, many people do not have the
courage to obey their convictions of what is right.
Many claim that it makes no difference what one believes, if that
person lives the right life. But the life is molded by the faith. If truth
is within reach and we neglect it, we are really rejecting it, choosing
darkness rather than light.
Ignorance is no excuse for error or sin when we have every
opportunity to know the will of God. A man who is traveling comes
to a place where there are several roads and a signpost telling where
each one leads. If he ignores the sign and takes whatever road seems
to be right, he may be sincere, but he is likely to find himself on the
wrong road.

The First and Highest Duty

It is not enough to have good intentions, to do what we think
is right or what the minister tells us is right. We should search the
Scriptures for ourselves. We have a map pointing out every key
point on the journey to heaven, and we should not guess at anything.
It is the first and highest duty of every rational person to learn
from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and
encourage others to do the same. In our study, with God’s help we
are to form our opinions for ourselves, since we are to answer for [243]
ourselves before God.
Educated people, with a show of great wisdom, teach that the
Scriptures have a secret, spiritual meaning that is not easily seen
in the language used. They are false teachers. We should explain
the language of the Bible by its obvious meaning, unless it uses a
symbol or figure. If people would only take the Bible as it reads, it
would accomplish a work that would bring thousands into the fold
of Christ who now are wandering in error.
Many a Scripture which scholars ignore as unimportant is full
of comfort to those who have been learning in the school of Christ.
To understand Bible truth, we do not so much need the power of
intellect for the search. Rather, we need a thirst for Bible truth more
than anything else and an earnest longing for righteousness.
328 Love Under Fire

Results of Neglecting Prayer and Bible Study

We should never study the Bible without prayer. Only the Holy
Spirit can cause us to feel the importance of things we understand
easily or prevent us from twisting difficult truths. Heavenly angels
prepare the heart to comprehend God’s Word. We will be charmed
with its beauty and strengthened by its promises. Temptations often
seem irresistible because the tempted one cannot quickly remember
God’s promises and oppose Satan with the Scripture weapons. But
angels are close to those willing to be taught, and they will bring to
their memory the truths they need.
“He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). But we must first store
the teachings of Christ in the mind in order for the Spirit of God to
bring them to our remembrance in the time of danger.
The destiny of all people on earth is about to be decided. Every
follower of Christ should ask earnestly, “Lord, what do You want me
to do?” (Acts 9:6). We should now seek a deep and living experience
in the things of God. We have no time to lose. We are on Satan’s
territory. Sentinels of God, don’t be caught sleeping!
Many congratulate themselves for the wrong acts that they do
not commit. But it is not enough for them to be trees in the garden
of God. They are to bear fruit. In the books of heaven they are
registered as those who use up the ground. Yet God’s heart of long-
suffering love still pleads with those who have despised His mercy
and abused His grace.
In the summer there is no noticeable difference between ever-
greens and other trees. But when the storms of winter come, the
evergreens remain unchanged while other trees lose their leaves.
If opposition arises, intolerance again prevails, and persecution is
kindled, the halfhearted and hypocritical will give up the faith. But
the true Christians will stand firm, their faith stronger, their hope
brighter, than in times of prosperity.
“He shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out
its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf
will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor
will cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).
 Chapter 38—God’s Final Message [244]

“I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great

authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for
every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!’ ...
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her,
my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her
plagues’” (Revelation 18:1, 2, 4).
The second angel’s announcement in Revelation 14:8 is going to
be repeated, but with the additional mention of the corruptions that
have been entering Babylon since that message was first given.
This new message describes a terrible condition. Every time
people reject truth, their minds become darker, their hearts more
stubborn. They will continue to trample on one of the Ten Com-
mandments until they persecute those who hold God’s law as sacred.
They reject Christ by the contempt they show for His Word and His
followers.
People will claim to be religious, but their religion will become
a cover for the worst evils. A belief in spiritualism opens the door
to doctrines of devils, and in this way evil angels will influence
the churches. Babylon has filled up the measure of her guilt, and
destruction is about to fall.
But God still has people in Babylon, and He must call these
faithful ones out so that they will not share in her sins and “receive
of her plagues.” The angel comes down from heaven, lighting up the
earth with his glory and announcing the sins of Babylon. The call
goes out, “Come out of her, my people.” These announcements are
the final warning that goes to the inhabitants of the earth.
The powers of earth will unite in warring against the command-
ments of God. They will decree that “all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and slave” (Revelation 13:16) must conform to the
customs of the church by observing the false sabbath. All who refuse
329
 330 Love Under Fire

will finally be judged as deserving death. On the other hand, the

law of God calls for people to honor the Creator’s rest day, and it
threatens God’s punishment against all who break its requirements.
When circumstances like these bring the issue clearly before
them, all who trample on God’s law to obey a human law receive the
[245] mark of the beast, the sign of allegiance to the power they choose to
obey instead of God. “If anyone worships the beast and his image,
and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself
shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
full strength into the cup of His indignation” (Revelation 14:9, 10).
Not one experiences the wrath of God until the truth has been
brought home to his mind and conscience and he has rejected it.
Many have never had opportunity to hear the special truths for this
time. The God who reads every heart will allow none to be deceived
about the issues of the controversy if they want to know the truth.
Everyone will have enough light to make an intelligent decision.

The Great Test of Loyalty

The Sabbath, the great test of loyalty, is the truth especially
under attack. While observing the false sabbath will be a pledge of
allegiance to a power who opposes God, keeping the true Sabbath is
an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one group receives the
mark of the beast, the other receives the seal of God.
Many say that it is groundless and ridiculous to predict that
religious intolerance will gain control, that church and state will
persecute those who keep the commandments of God. But when
Sunday observance is widely agitated, people will see that the event
they have doubted so long is actually approaching, and the message
will produce an effect it could not have had before.
In every generation God has sent His servants to rebuke sin in
the world and in the church. Many Reformers started their work
determined to exercise great restraint in attacking the sins of the
church and the nation. By the example of a pure Christian life, they
hoped to lead the people back to the Bible. But the Spirit of God
came over them. Fearless of consequences, they could not hold back
from preaching the plain doctrines of the Bible.
 God’s Final Message 331

That is just how the message will be proclaimed. The Lord will
work through humble instruments who consecrate themselves to His
service. The workers will be qualified by the anointing of His Spirit
rather than by training in schools. They will feel compelled to go
out with holy zeal, declaring the message that God gives. The sins
of Babylon will be laid open. The solemn warnings will stir the
people. Thousands have never heard words like these. They learn
that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her sins, because of
her rejection of truth. As the people go to their teachers to ask, “Are
these things so?” the ministers present fables to quiet the awakened
conscience. But since many demand a plain “Thus says the Lord,”
the popular ministry will stir up the sin-loving crowds to accuse and
persecute those who proclaim the message.
The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut
away the light, to keep people from discussing these vital questions.
The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this
work, Catholics and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday
enforcement becomes more bold, commandment-keepers will be
threatened with fines and imprisonment. Some will be offered posi- [246]
tions of influence and other rewards to give up their faith. But their
answer is, “Show us our error from the Word of God.” Those accused
before courts make a strong defense of truth, and some who hear
them are led to make their decision to keep all the commandments
of God. In this way light comes to thousands who otherwise would
know nothing of these truths.
Obedience to God will be treated as rebellion. Parents will treat
their believing children harshly. They will disinherit them and drive
them from home. “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). As the defenders of truth
refuse to honor Sunday, some will be put in prison, some will be
exiled, some will be treated as slaves. When God withdraws His
Spirit from people, there will be strange developments. The heart
can be very cruel when God’s fear and love are removed.

The Storm Approaches

As the storm approaches, many who have claimed to believe
in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through
 332 Love Under Fire

obeying the truth, abandon their position and join the opposition.
By uniting with the world they have come to see things nearly as the
world does, and they choose the popular side. People who once were
enthusiastic about the truth use their talents and speaking ability to
mislead others. They become bitter enemies of the believers who
used to be their friends in the faith. These apostates are efficient
agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse Sabbathkeepers and stir
up the authorities against them.
The Lord’s servants have given the warning. God’s Spirit has
impelled them. They have not been concerned about their wealth or
their reputations or their lives. The work seems far greater than they
can accomplish. Yet they cannot turn back. Feeling helpless, they
turn to the Mighty One for strength.
Different periods in history have been notable for the develop-
ment of some special truth that exactly met the needs of God’s people
at that time. Every new truth has made its way against opposition.
Christ’s ambassadors must perform their duty and leave the results
with God.

Opposition Rises to New Intensity

The opposition rises to a fierce intensity. The servants of God
are perplexed again, because it seems to them that they have caused
the crisis. But conscience and the Word of God assure them that
their course is right. Their faith and courage rise with the emergency.
Their testimony is, “Christ has conquered the powers of earth, and
are we going to be afraid of a world already conquered?”
No one can serve God without drawing opposition from the pow-
ers of darkness. Evil angels will assail such faithful ones, alarmed
that their influence is taking the prey away from them. Evil peo-
ple will try to separate them from God with attractive temptations.
When these things do not succeed, they will use power to force the
conscience.
[247] But so long as Jesus remains our intercessor in the sanctuary
above, rulers and people feel the restraining influence of the Holy
Spirit. While many of our rulers are active agents of Satan, God
also has His agents among the leaders of the nation. A few God-
fearing statesmen will hold back a powerful current of evil. The
 God’s Final Message 333

opposition from the enemies of truth will be restrained so that the

third angel’s message may do its work. The final warning will
capture the attention of these leaders, and some will accept it and
stand with the people of God during the time of trouble.

The Latter Rain and the Loud Cry

The angel who unites with the third angel is to illuminate the
whole earth with his glory. The first angel’s message went to every
mission station in the world, and in some countries there was the
greatest religious interest ever seen since the Reformation. But the
last warning of the third angel will exceed these demonstrations of
God’s power.
The work will be similar to what happened on the Day of Pen-
tecost. God gave the “former rain” at the opening of the gospel to
cause the precious seed to spring up. Likewise He will give the
“latter rain” at its close to ripen the harvest. (Hosea 6:3; Joel 2:23).
The great work of the gospel will not close with less demonstration
of God’s power than its opening had. The prophecies that were
fulfilled with the outpouring of the former rain at the opening of the
gospel will be fulfilled again with the latter rain at its close. Here are
the “times of refreshing” to which the apostle Peter looked forward
(Acts 3:19, 20).
Servants of God, their faces shining with holy devotion, will
hurry from place to place to tell the message from heaven. Miracles
will take place, the sick will be healed. Satan also works with
deceptive miracles, even bringing down fire from heaven (Revelation
13:13). These things will move the inhabitants of the earth to choose
sides.
The message will succeed not so much by argument as by the
deep conviction of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been
presented, publications have exerted their influence, yet Satan has
kept many from fully understanding the truth. Now they see the
truth in its clearness. Family relationships and church connections
are powerless to stop the honest children of God now. Regardless
of the forces combined against the truth, a large number take their
stand on the Lord’s side.
[248] Chapter 39—The Time of Trouble

“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands
watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is
found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).
When the third angel’s message closes, the people of God have
finished their work. They have received “the latter rain” and are
prepared for the difficult time ahead of them. The final test has come
on the world, and all who have proved loyal to the divine law have
received “the seal of the living God.” Then Jesus ends His ministry
in the sanctuary in heaven and with a loud voice says, “It is done!”
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be
filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is
holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). Christ has made the
atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. “The kingdom
and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole
heaven” (Daniel 7:27) is about to be given to the heirs of salvation,
and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers those living
on the earth. The righteous must live in the sight of a holy God
without an intercessor. The restraint on the wicked is removed, and
Satan has entire control of the unrepentant. They have resisted the
Spirit of God persistently, and He has been finally withdrawn. Then
Satan will plunge the earth’s population into one great, final trouble.
Angels of God stop holding back the fierce winds of human evil. The
whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which
ancient Jerusalem experienced. There are forces now ready, only
waiting the divine permission, to spread destruction everywhere.
People will think that those who honor the law of God are the
cause of the fearful conflict and bloodshed that fill the earth with
misery. The power that accompanies the last warning has enraged

334
 Time of Trouble 335

the wicked, and Satan will stir up the spirit of hatred and persecution
against all who have received the message.
When God withdrew His presence from the Jewish nation, priests
and people still thought of themselves as the chosen of God. The ser-
vices in the temple continued, and every day the priests pronounced
the divine blessing on those who were guilty of the blood of God’s [249]
Son. Similarly, when the final decision of the heavenly sanctuary
has been pronounced and the destiny of the world has been decided
permanently, the inhabitants of the earth will not know it. People
from whom the Spirit of God has been withdrawn will continue the
forms of religion. The prince of evil will inspire them to accomplish
his wicked plans.
As the Sabbath becomes the special point of controversy through-
out the Christian world, people will claim that the few who stand in
opposition to the church and the state should not be tolerated, that it
is better for them to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into
confusion and lawlessness. The same argument was brought against
Christ. Caiaphas said, “It is expedient for us that one man should die
for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish” (John
11:50). This argument will appear conclusive. A decree will finally
be issued against those who honor the Sabbath of the fourth com-
mandment, denouncing them and giving the people permission after
a certain time to kill them. Romanism in the Old World and apostate
Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those
who keep all of God’s commandments. The people of God will then
be plunged into those scenes of distress that the Bible calls “the time
of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:5-7; see Genesis 32:24-30).

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

Because Jacob had deceived his father in order to get the blessing
intended for Esau, he had to flee for his life to escape his brother’s
deadly threats. After remaining an exile for many years, he had set
out to return to his native country. When he reached the border, he
was filled with terror at the news that Esau was coming, no doubt
intending to get revenge. Jacob’s only hope was in the mercy of
God; his only defense must be prayer.
 336 Love Under Fire

Alone with God, he confessed his sin with deep repentance. The
crisis in his life had come. In the darkness he continued praying.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He thought an enemy was
going to kill him. With all the energy of despair he wrestled with
his attacker. When the day began to break, the stranger used his
superhuman power. Jacob seemed paralyzed. He fell, helpless and
weeping, on the neck of his mysterious enemy. He knew then that it
was the Angel of the covenant with whom he had been struggling.
For years he had endured remorse for his sin; now he must have
the assurance that it was forgiven. The Angel urged him, “Let
Me go, for the day breaks,” but Jacob exclaimed, “I will not let
You go unless You bless me!” Jacob confessed his weakness and
unworthiness, yet he trusted the mercy of a covenant-keeping God.
Through repentance and self-surrender, this sinful mortal received
what he wanted most from the Majesty of heaven.
Satan had accused Jacob to God because of his sin, and he had
moved Esau to march against him. During Jacob’s night of wrestling,
Satan tried to discourage him and break his hold on God. Jacob was
[250] driven almost to despair, but he had sincerely repented of his sin. He
held the Angel tightly and urged his request with earnest cries until
he prevailed.
Just as Satan accused Jacob, he will bring his accusations against
the people of God, but those who keep the commandments of God
resist his supremacy. He sees that holy angels are guarding them,
and he concludes that their sins have been pardoned. He has an
accurate knowledge of the sins he has tempted them to commit, and
he declares that it is unjust for the Lord to forgive their sins and yet
destroy him and his angels. He demands that God give these people
into his hands to destroy.
The Lord permits him to test them to the limit. Their confidence
in God, their faith, will be severely tested. Satan tries to terrify them.
He hopes to destroy their faith so that they will yield to temptation
and turn from their loyalty to God.

Anguish That God Will Be Dishonored

Yet the anguish that God’s people suffer is not because they dread
persecution. They fear that through some fault in themselves they
 Time of Trouble 337

will fail to experience the Savior’s promise: I “will keep you from
the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world” (Revelation
3:10). If they prove to be unworthy because of their own defects of
character, then God’s holy name would be dishonored.
They point to their past repentance for their many sins and plead
the Savior’s promise, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he
may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me” (Isaiah
27:5). Though they are suffering anxiety and distress, they do not
stop their earnest praying. They lay hold of God as Jacob laid hold
of the Angel, and the language of their souls is, “I will not let You
go unless You bless me!”

Sins Blotted Out

In the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins
to appear before them while they were tortured with fear and anguish,
they would be overwhelmed. Despair would cut off their faith, and
they could not plead with God to deliver them. But they have no
concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand to
judgment and have been blotted out, and they cannot bring them to
mind.
In His dealings with Jacob, the Lord shows that He will not
tolerate evil. Satan will overcome all who excuse or conceal their
sins and allow them to remain on the books of heaven unconfessed
and unforgiven. The more honorable the position they hold, the more
sure is their adversary’s triumph. Those who delay their preparation
cannot get it in the time of trouble, or at any later time. Their case is
hopeless.
Jacob’s history is also an assurance that God will not reject those
who, lured into sin, have returned to Him with true repentance. God
will send angels to comfort them in danger. The Lord’s eye is on
His people. The flames of the furnace seem about to consume them,
but the Refiner will bring them through as gold tried in the fire.

A Faith That Endures [251]

The time of distress and anguish ahead of us will require a faith
that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger, a faith that will not
338 Love Under Fire

crumble even though it is tested severely. Jacob’s victory is an

evidence of the power of persistent prayer. All who will lay hold
of God’s promises, as Jacob did, will succeed as he succeeded.
Wrestling with God—how few know what it is! When waves of
despair sweep over the needy, praying ones, how few cling with faith
to the promises of God.
Those who exercise very little faith now are in the greatest danger
of falling under the power of Satan’s delusions. And even if they
endure the test, they will be plunged into deeper distress because
they have never made it a habit to trust in God. We should gain
experience now in relying on His promises.
Often we anticipate worse trouble than what actually comes, but
this is not true of the crisis ahead of us. The most vivid description
cannot reach the level of the ordeal. In that time of trial every believer
must stand for himself before God.
Now, while our High Priest is making the atonement for us, we
should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could
our Savior be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds
some point in human hearts where he can gain a foothold. People
cherish some sinful desire, and his temptations use that desire to
assert their power. But Christ declared about Himself, “The ruler
of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30).
Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to
gain the victory. There was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his
advantage. This is the condition needed by those who will stand in
the time of trouble.
It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith
in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Savior invites us to
join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our
unworthiness to His merits. It is up to us to cooperate with Heaven
in the work of conforming our characters to the divine model.
Fearful sights of a supernatural kind will soon appear in the
heavens, in support of the power of miracle-working demons. Spirits
of demons will go out to the “kings of the earth” and to the whole
world, to urge them to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the
government of heaven. People will come forward, pretending to be
Christ Himself. They will perform miracles of healing and profess
to have revelations from heaven that contradict the Scriptures.
 Time of Trouble 339

The Crowning Act

As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan
himself will appear as if he were Christ. The church has long looked
for the Savior’s coming as the fulfillment of her hopes. Now the great
deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. Satan will show
himself as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the
description of the Son of God in the book of Revelation (Revelation
1:13-15).
The glory that surrounds him is greater than anything that mortal [252]
eyes have yet seen. The shout of triumph rings out, “Christ has
come!” The people bow down before him. He lifts up his hands and
blesses them. His voice is soft, yet full of melody. In compassionate
tones he presents some of the same heavenly truths the Savior spoke.
He heals diseases, and then, in his assumed character of Christ,
claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday. He declares that
those who keep holy the seventh day are showing contempt for him.
This is the strong, almost overpowering delusion. Vast numbers
believe his sorceries, saying, This is “the great power of God” (Acts
8:10).

God’s People Not Misled

But the people of God will not be misled. The teachings of this
false christ are not in harmony with the Scriptures. He pronounces
his blessing on the worshipers of the beast and his image, the very
class on whom the Bible says that God will pour out His undiluted
wrath.
Furthermore, God does not permit Satan to counterfeit the man-
ner of Christ’s coming. The Savior warned His people against being
deceived on this point. “False christs and false prophets will rise
and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the
elect.... Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’
do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe
it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west,
so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:24, 26,
27; see also Matthew 25:31; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16,
 340 Love Under Fire

17). This coming is impossible to counterfeit. The whole world will

witness it.
Only those who have studied the Scriptures diligently and have
received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful
deception that takes the world captive. By the Bible testimony, they
will detect the deceiver in his disguise. Are the people of God now
so firmly established on His Word that they would not give in to the
evidence of their senses? In such a crisis, would they cling to the
Bible, and the Bible only?
The decree from the various Christian rulers against command-
ment keepers withdraws the protection of government and abandons
them to those who want their destruction. At that time, the people
of God will flee from the cities and villages and associate together
in small groups, living in the most desolate and lonely places. Many
will find safety in the strongholds of the mountains, like the Chris-
tians of the Piedmont valleys (see chapter 4). But many of all nations
and of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will
be thrown into the most unjust and cruel bondage. Those whom God
loves pass weary days shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be killed,
apparently left to die in dark, disgusting dungeons.
Will the Lord forget His people in this difficult hour? Did He for-
get faithful Noah, Lot, Joseph, Elijah, Jeremiah, or Daniel? Though
enemies may put them into prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut
[253] off communication between their hearts and Christ. Angels will
come to them in lonely cells. The prison will be like a palace, and
the gloomy walls will be lighted up as when Paul and Silas sang at
midnight in the Philippian dungeon.

God Sends His Plagues

God’s judgments will fall on those who are trying to destroy
His people. To God, punishment is a “strange act” (Isaiah 28:21,
KJV; see also Ezekiel 33:11). The Lord is “merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ... forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin,” yet “by no means clearing the
guilty” (Exodus 34:6, 7; see also Nahum 1:3). He bears long with
the nations, but when they have filled up their measure of iniquity,
they will finally drink the cup of wrath unmixed with mercy.
 Time of Trouble 341

When Christ ends His ministry in the sanctuary, God will pour
out the unmingled wrath threatened against those who worship the
beast. The plagues on Egypt were similar to the more widespread
judgments that will fall on the world just before the final deliverance
of God’s people. John the revelator says: “A foul and loathsome sore
came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who
worshiped his image.” The sea “became blood as of a dead man.”
And “the rivers and springs of water ... became blood.” The angel
declares: “You are righteous, O Lord, ... because You have judged
these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
(Revelation 16:2-6.) By condemning the people of God to death,
they have become guilty of their blood as truly as if they had shed it
with their own hands. Christ declared the Jews of His time guilty
of all the blood of holy men shed since the days of Abel (Matthew
23:34-36), for they possessed the same spirit as those murderers of
the prophets.
In the plague that follows, God gives power to the sun “to scorch
men with fire.” The prophets describe this fearful time: “The harvest
of the field has perished.... All the trees of the field are withered;
surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.” “How the
animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, because they have
no pasture.... The water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured
the open pastures.” (Joel 1:11, 12, 18, 20.)
These plagues are not universal, yet they will be the most awful
afflictions ever known. All judgments before the close of probation
have been mingled with mercy. The blood of Christ has shielded the
sinner from the full impact of his guilt. But in the final judgment,
wrath is unmixed with mercy. Many will want the shelter of God’s
mercy which they have despised.
While the people of God will be persecuted and distressed and
will suffer for lack of food, God will not leave them to die. Angels
will supply their needs. “Bread will be given him, his water will be
sure.” “I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not
forsake them.” (Isaiah 33:16; 41:17.)
Yet to human sight it will seem that the people of God must soon
die for their faith, as the martyrs did before them. It is a time of [254]
dreadful agony. The wicked boast, “Where now is your faith? Why
342 Love Under Fire

does not God deliver you out of our hands if you are indeed His
people?” But the waiting ones remember Jesus dying on Calvary’s
cross. Like Jacob, all are wrestling with God.

Companies of Angels Watch

God stations angels around those who have kept Christ’s com-
mand to persevere. They have witnessed the faithful ones’ distress
and heard their prayers. They wait for word from their Commander
to snatch them from their danger. But they must wait a little longer.
The people of God must drink of the cup and be baptized with the
baptism (Matthew 20:20-23). Yet for their sake the time of trouble
will be shortened. The end will come more quickly than people
expect.
Though a general decree has set the time when commandment-
keepers may be killed, in some cases their enemies will rush ahead of
the decree and try to take their lives. But none can pass the guardians
stationed around every faithful believer. Some are attacked as they
flee from the cities, but the weapons raised against them break like
straw. Others are defended by angels in the form of soldiers.
In all ages heavenly beings have taken an active part in human
affairs. They have accepted hospitality in people’s homes, acted as
guides to confused travelers, opened prison doors and set free the
servants of the Lord. They came to roll away the stone from the
Savior’s tomb.
Angels visit the assemblies of the wicked for the same reason
that they went to Sodom, to determine whether they have passed
the boundary of God’s leniency. For the sake of a few who really
serve Him, the Lord restrains disasters and prolongs the peace of the
population. Little do sinners realize that they are indebted for their
lives to the faithful few whom they love to oppress.
Often in the councils of this world, angels have spoken out. Hu-
man ears have listened to their appeals, human lips have ridiculed
their counsels. These heavenly messengers have proved themselves
better able to plead the cause of the oppressed than their most elo-
quent defenders. They have defeated and stopped evils that would
have caused great suffering to God’s people.
 Time of Trouble 343

With earnest longing, God’s people wait for the approach of their
coming King. As the wrestling ones plead with God, the heavens
glow with the dawn of eternal day. Like the melody of angel songs
the words fall on the ear, “Help is coming.” Christ’s voice comes
from the gates ajar: “Lo, I am with you. Do not be afraid. I have
fought the battle on your behalf, and in My name you are more than
conquerors.”
The precious Savior will send help just when we need it. The
time of trouble is a fearful ordeal for God’s people, but by faith
every true believer may see the rainbow of promise encircling him.
“The ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with
singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy
and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 51:11). [255]
If the blood of Christ’s witnesses were shed at this time, their
faithfulness would not be a witness to convince others of the truth,
because the stubborn heart has beaten back the waves of mercy until
they do not come any more. If the righteous were now to be killed
by their enemies, it would be a triumph for the prince of darkness.
Christ has spoken: “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut
your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
until the indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of
His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity”
(Isaiah 26:20, 21).
How glorious will be the deliverance of those who have patiently
waited for His coming and whose names are written in the book of
life!
[256] Chapter 40—God’s People Delivered

When the protection of human laws is withdrawn from those who

honor the law of God, in different lands there will be a simultaneous
movement to destroy them. As the time set in the decree approaches,
the people will conspire to strike in one night a decisive blow that
will silence dissent and reproof.
The people of God—some in prison cells, some in forests and
mountains—plead for divine protection. Armed men, urged on by
evil angels, are preparing for the work of death. Now, in the hour
of greatest extremity, God will step in: “You shall have a song as
in the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart as
when one goes ... to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the
Mighty One of Israel. The LORD will cause His glorious voice to
be heard, and show the descent of His arm, with the indignation of
His anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, tempest,
and hailstones” (Isaiah 30:29, 30).
Mobs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when a dense
blackness, deeper than night, falls on the earth. Then a rainbow spans
the sky and seems to encircle each praying group. The angry crowds
are stopped. They forget the objects of their rage. They gaze on the
symbol of God’s covenant, and they long to be shielded from its
brightness.
The people of God hear a voice saying, “Look up.” Like Stephen
they look up and see the glory of God and the Son of man on His
throne (see Acts 7:55, 56). They recognize the marks of His humili-
ation, and they hear His request, “I desire that they also whom You
gave Me may be with Me where I am” (John 17:24). They hear a
voice saying, “They come, holy, harmless, and undefiled! They have
kept My command to persevere.”

344
 God’s People Delivered 345

Deliverance Comes
At midnight God unveils His power to deliver His people. The
sun appears shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow. The
wicked look with terror on the scene, while the righteous see the
indications of their deliverance. In the midst of the angry sky is one
clear space of indescribable glory. The voice of God comes from
there like the sound of many waters, saying, “It is done!” (Revelation
16:17).
That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty
earthquake, “such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred
since men were on the earth” (Revelation 16:18). Ragged rocks are [257]
scattered on every side. The sea is lashed into fury. There is the
shriek of a hurricane like the voice of demons. The earth’s surface is
breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way. Seaports
that have become like Sodom for wickedness are swallowed up
by the angry waters. “Babylon the great” is “remembered before
God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath”
(Revelation 16:19). Great hailstones do their work of destruction.
Proud cities are laid low. Grand palaces on which people have
lavished their wealth crumble before their eyes. Prison walls are
torn apart, and God’s people are set free.
Graves are opened, and “many of those who sleep in the dust
of the earth ... awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and
everlasting contempt.” “Even they who pierced Him,” those who
mocked Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His
truth, are raised to see the honor placed on the loyal and obedient.
(Daniel 12:2; Revelation 1:7.)
Fierce lightnings wrap the earth in a sheet of flame. Above the
thunder, voices—mysterious and awful—declare the doom of the
wicked. Those who were boastful and defiant, cruel to God’s com-
mandment-keeping people, now shudder in fear. Demons tremble
while men and women beg for mercy.

The Day of the Lord

The prophet Isaiah said: “In that day a man will cast away his
idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for
 346 Love Under Fire

himself to worship, to the moles and bats, to go into the clefts of the
rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the
LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the
earth mightily” (Isaiah 2:20, 21).
Those who have sacrificed everything for Christ are now safe.
Before the world and in the face of death they have demonstrated
their loyalty to Him who died for them. Their faces, so recently pale
and gaunt, are now aglow with awe. Their voices rise in triumphant
song: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though
its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its
swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3).
While these words of holy trust ascend to God, the glory of
the celestial city streams from heaven’s open gates. Then, against
the sky, a hand appears, holding two tablets of stone. That holy
law, which God spoke from Sinai, is now revealed as the rule of
judgment. The words are so plain that everyone can read them, and
they awaken memories that sweep the darkness of superstition and
heresy from every mind.
It is impossible to describe the horror and despair of those who
have trampled on God’s law. To gain the approval of the world,
they set aside the law’s requirements and taught others to disobey it.
Now that law which they have despised condemns them. They see
[258] that they are without excuse. The enemies of God’s law have a new
understanding of truth and duty. Too late they see that the Sabbath is
the seal of the living God. Too late they see the sandy foundation on
which they have been building. They have been fighting against God.
Religious teachers have led people to destruction while claiming to
guide them to Paradise. How great is the responsibility of those in
holy office, how terrible the results of their unfaithfulness!

The King of Kings Appears

The voice of God is heard declaring the day and hour of Jesus’
coming. The people of God stand listening, their faces lighted up
with His glory. Soon in the east a small black cloud appears. It is
the cloud that surrounds the Savior. In solemn silence the people
 God’s People Delivered 347

of God gaze at it as it comes nearer, until it is a great white cloud,

its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of
the covenant. Not now a “Man of sorrows,” Jesus rides forward as
a mighty conqueror. Holy angels, a vast crowd of them too many
to count, come with Him, “ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands.” Every eye sees the Prince of life. A crown
of glory rests on His brow. His face is brighter than the noonday sun.
“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING
OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).
The King of kings descends on the cloud, wrapped in flaming
fire. The earth trembles before Him: “Our God shall come, and
shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be
very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from
above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people” (Psalm 50:3,
4).
“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid
themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said
to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of
Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For
the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”
(Revelation 6:15-17).
Mocking jokes have ended; lying lips are hushed. Nothing is
heard except the voice of prayer and the sound of weeping. The
wicked pray to be buried beneath the rocks rather than have to face
Him whom they have despised. That voice which penetrates the
ear of the dead, they know. How often its tender tones have called
them to repentance! How often they have heard it in the appeals of
a friend, a brother, a Redeemer. Oh, if only it were the voice of a
stranger to them! That voice awakens memories of warnings they
despised and invitations they refused.
Those who mocked Christ in His humiliation are there. He
declared, “Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right
hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew
26:64). Now they look at Him in His glory; they are yet to see Him
sitting at the right hand of power. There is the haughty Herod who
jeered at His royal title. There are the men who placed the thorny
crown on His brow and the mimic scepter in His hand—those who [259]
348 Love Under Fire

bowed before Him in blasphemous mockery, who spat on the Prince

of life. They try to run from His presence. Those who drove the
nails through His hands and feet gaze at these marks with terror and
remorse.
With terrible clarity priests and rulers remember the events of
Calvary, how, wagging their heads in satanic gloating, they ex-
claimed, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save” (Matthew
27:42). Louder than the shout, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” which
rang through Jerusalem, swells the despairing wail, “He is the Son
of God!” They try to run from the presence of the King of kings.
In the lives of all who reject truth there are moments when
conscience wakes up, when the mind is troubled with vain regrets.
But what are these compared with the remorse of that day! In the
midst of their terror they hear the voices of the redeemed exclaiming,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save
us” (Isaiah 25:9).

Resurrection of God’s People

The voice of the Son of God calls the sleeping saints from their
graves. Throughout the earth the dead will hear that voice, and they
that hear will live, a great army of every nation, tribe, tongue, and
people. From the prison house of death they come, clothed with
immortal glory, crying out: “O death, where is your sting? O Hades,
where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
All come out from their graves the same height as when they
entered the tomb. But all arise with the freshness and vigor of eternal
youth. Christ came to restore what was lost. He will change our
lowly bodies and conform them to His glorious body. The mortal,
corruptible form, once polluted with sin, becomes perfect, beautiful
and immortal. Blemishes and deformities are left in the grave. The
redeemed will “grow up” (Malachi 4:2, KJV) to the full stature of
the race in its original glory. The last lingering traces of the curse
of sin will be removed. In mind and soul and body, Christ’s faithful
ones will reflect the perfect image of their Lord.
The living righteous are changed “in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye.” At the voice of God they are made immortal, and with
the risen redeemed they are caught up to meet their Lord in the air.
 God’s People Delivered 349

Angels “gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end
of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). They carry little children
to their mothers’ arms. Friends long separated by death are united,
never to part again, and with songs of gladness they ascend together
to the city of God.

Into the Holy City

Throughout the countless numbers of the redeemed every gaze
is fastened on Jesus. Every eye beholds the glory of Him whose
“visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the
sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). Jesus places the crown of glory on the
heads of the overcomers. For each there is a crown bearing his own
“new name” (Revelation 2:17) and the inscription, “Holiness to the
Lord.” Every hand receives the victor’s palm and the shining harp. [260]
Then, as the commanding angels strike the note, all the redeemed
sweep the strings with skillful touch in rich, melodious tones. Each
voice is raised in grateful praise: “To Him who loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests
to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and
ever” (Revelation 1:5, 6).
Just ahead of the assembled redeemed is the Holy City. Jesus
opens the gates, and the people from all nations who have kept the
truth enter in. Then He says, “Come, you blessed of My Father, in-
herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”
(Matthew 25:34). Christ presents to the Father those His blood has
purchased, declaring: “Here am I and the children whom God has
given Me.” “Those whom You gave Me I have kept.” (Hebrews 2:13;
John 17:12.) Oh, the joy of that moment when the infinite Father,
looking at the ransomed, will see His image, sin’s decay removed,
and the human once more in harmony with the divine!
The Savior’s joy is in seeing, in the kingdom of glory, the people
who have been saved by His agony and humiliation. The redeemed
will share in His joy, as they see others who were won through their
prayers, labors, and loving sacrifice. Gladness will fill their hearts
when they see that one has brought others, and these still others.
 350 Love Under Fire

The Two Adams Meet

As the ransomed are welcomed to the city of God, a triumphant
cry rings out. The two Adams are about to meet. The Son of God
will receive the father of our race—whom He created, who sinned,
and for whose sin the marks of the crucifixion are on the Savior’s
body. As Adam sees the prints of the nails, in humiliation he throws
himself at Christ’s feet. The Savior lifts him up and invites him to
look once more on the Eden home from which he was exiled so long
ago.
Adam’s life was filled with sorrow. Every dying leaf, every
animal sacrifice, every stain on mankind’s purity, was a reminder
of his sin. His agony of remorse was terrible as he was blamed for
being the cause of sin. Faithfully he repented of his sin, and he died
in the hope of a resurrection. Now, through the atonement, Adam is
reinstated in his Eden home.
Filled with joy, he sees the trees that were once his delight,
whose fruit he himself had gathered in the days of his innocence.
He sees the vines his own hands trained, the very flowers he once
loved to care for. This is truly Eden restored!
The Savior leads him to the tree of life and invites him to eat.
He sees so many of his family redeemed. Then he throws his crown
at the feet of Jesus and embraces the Redeemer. He touches the
harp, and heaven echoes the triumphant song, “Worthy is the Lamb
who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). The family of Adam throw their
crowns at the Savior’s feet as they bow in adoration. Angels wept
when Adam sinned, and they rejoiced when Jesus opened the grave
for all who would believe on His name. Now they see the work of
[261] redemption accomplished, and they unite their voices in praise.
On the “sea of glass mingled with fire” are gathered those who
have gotten “the victory over the beast, over his image and over his
mark and over the number of his name.” The one hundred forty-
four thousand were redeemed from among humanity, and they sing
a new song, the song of Moses and the Lamb. (Revelation 15:2,
3.) None but the hundred forty-four thousand can learn that song,
because it is the song of an experience that no other group ever
had. “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
These, having been taken to heaven from among the living, are
 God’s People Delivered 351

the “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:4, 5.) They
passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was
a nation. They endured the anguish of the time of Jacob’s trouble.
They stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of
God’s judgments. They “washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb.” “In their mouth was found no deceit,
for they are without fault” before God. “They shall neither hunger
anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any
heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall shepherd
them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:14; 14:5; 7:16, 17.)

The Redeemed in Glory

In all ages the Savior’s chosen ones have walked in narrow
paths. They were purified in the fires of affliction. For Jesus’ sake
they endured hatred, slander, self-denial, and bitter disappointments.
They learned the evil of sin, its power, its guilt, its misery. They
abhor it now. A sense of Jesus’ infinite sacrifice for its cure humbles
them and fills their hearts with gratitude. They love much because
they have been forgiven much (see Luke 7:47). Partakers of Christ’s
sufferings, they are prepared to be partakers of His glory.
The heirs of God come from attics, hovels, dungeons, scaf-
folds, mountains, deserts, caves. They were “destitute, afflicted,
tormented.” Millions went to the grave dishonored by nearly ev-
eryone because they refused to yield to Satan. But now they are
no longer afflicted, scattered, and oppressed. From this point on-
ward they stand dressed in richer robes than the most honored of
the earth have worn, wearing crowns more glorious than were ever
placed on the head of earthly rulers. The King of glory has wiped
the tears from all faces. They join in a song of praise, clear, sweet,
and harmonious. The anthem swells throughout heaven, “Salvation
belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And
all respond, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving
and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever.”
(Revelation 7:10, 12.)
In this life we can only begin to understand the wonderful theme
of redemption. With our limited comprehension we may consider
 352 Love Under Fire

very earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the
[262] justice and the mercy, that meet in the cross. Yet even with the great-
est stretch of our mental powers, we fail to grasp its full significance.
The length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of redeeming
love we only dimly comprehend. The plan of redemption will not be
fully understood even when the ransomed see as they are seen and
know as they are known, but through the eternal ages new truth will
continually unfold to their amazed and delighted minds. Though the
griefs and pains and temptations of earth are over and their cause
removed, the people of God will always have a distinct, intelligent
knowledge of what their salvation has cost.
The cross will be the song of the redeemed through all eternity.
In Christ glorified they see Christ crucified. They will never forget
that the Majesty of heaven humbled Himself to uplift fallen men
and women, that He bore the guilt and shame of sin and the hiding
of His Father’s face till the anguish of a lost world broke His heart
and crushed out His life. The Maker of all worlds laid aside His
glory from love to humanity—this will forever inspire the awe of
the universe. As the nations of the saved look on their Redeemer
and know that His kingdom will have no end, they break out in song:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and has redeemed us to God by
His own most precious blood!”
The mystery of the cross explains all mysteries. It will be clear
that God who is infinite in wisdom could invent no plan for our
salvation except by the sacrifice of His Son. His compensation for
this sacrifice is the joy of peopling the earth with ransomed beings,
holy, happy, and immortal. So great is the value of each person
that the Father is satisfied with the price paid. And Christ Himself,
seeing the fruits of His great sacrifice, is satisfied.
 Chapter 41—The Earth in Ruins [263]

When the voice of God brings the captivity of His people to

an end, a terrible awakening takes place among those who have
lost everything in the great conflict of life. Blinded by Satan’s
deceptions, the rich prided themselves that they were better than
those less favored. But they had neglected to feed the hungry, clothe
the naked, deal justly, and love mercy. Now they have lost everything
that made them great, and they are left with nothing. They watch
in terror as their idols are destroyed. They have sold their souls for
earthly enjoyments and have not become rich toward God. Their
lives are a failure, their pleasures turned bitter. The gain of a lifetime
is swept away in a moment. The rich mourn the destruction of their
grand houses, the scattering of their gold and silver, and the fear that
they themselves will perish with their idols. The wicked are sorry
that the result is what it is, but they do not repent of their wickedness.
The minister who has sacrificed truth to gain people’s approval
now recognizes the influence of his teachings. Every line written,
every word uttered that led others to rest secure in falsehood has
been sowing seed, and now he sees the harvest of lost people around
him. Says the Lord: “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter
the sheep of My pasture! ... Behold, I will attend to you for the evil
of your doings.” “With lies you have made the heart of the righteous
sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the
hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way
to save his life.” (Jeremiah 23:1, 2; Ezekiel 13:22.)
Ministers and people see that they have rebelled against the
Author of all righteous law. Setting aside God’s laws opened the
way to thousands of springs of evil, until the earth became one vast
pit of corruption. No language can express the longing the disloyal
feel for what they have lost forever—eternal life.
The people accuse one another of having led them to destruction,
but they all unite in heaping their bitterest condemnation on the
unfaithful pastors who prophesied “smooth things” (Isaiah 30:10),
353
 354 Love Under Fire

who led their hearers to make void the law of God and persecute
those who wanted to keep it holy. “We are lost,” they cry, “and you
are the cause.” The same people who once heaped honor and praise
on them will turn against them to destroy them. Everywhere there is
conflict and bloodshed.
[264] The Son of God and heavenly messengers have been in conflict
with the evil one to warn, enlighten, and save the lost. Now all have
made their decisions; the wicked have fully united with Satan in his
warfare against God. The controversy is not just with Satan, but
with human beings. “The LORD has a controversy with the nations”
(Jeremiah 25:31).

The Angel of Death

Now the angel of death goes out, represented in Ezekiel’s vision
by the men with the slaughtering weapons, to whom the command is
given: “Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children
and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark;
and begin at My sanctuary.” “They began with the elders who were
before the temple,” those who professed to be the spiritual guardians
of the people. (Ezekiel 9:6.)
False watchmen are the first to fall. “The LORD comes out of
His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the
earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.”
“A great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone
will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his
neighbor’s hand.” (Isaiah 26:21; Zechariah 14:13.)
In the wild strife of their own fierce passions and by the pouring
out of God’s unmingled wrath, wicked priests, rulers, and people
fall. “At that day the slain of the LORD shall be from one end of the
earth even to the other” (Jeremiah 25:33).
At the coming of Christ the wicked are destroyed by the bright-
ness of His glory. Christ takes His people to the city of God, and the
earth has no more inhabitants. “Behold, the LORD makes the earth
empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its
inhabitants.... The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plun-
dered, for the LORD has spoken this word.... Because they have
transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting
 Earth in Ruins 355

covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who
dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are
burned” (Isaiah 24:1, 3, 5, 6).
The earth looks like a desolate wilderness. Cities destroyed by
the earthquake, uprooted trees, ragged rocks torn out of the earth,
are scattered over its surface. Vast caverns mark the spot where the
mountains have been torn from their foundations.

The Banishment of Satan

Now the event takes place that was foreshadowed in the last
solemn service of the Day of Atonement. When the sins of Israel
had been removed from the sanctuary through the blood of the sin
offering, the scapegoat was presented alive before the Lord. The
high priest confessed over him “all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, ... putting them on the head of the goat” (Leviticus 16:21).
Similarly, when Jesus has completed the work of atonement in the
heavenly sanctuary, then, in the presence of God and heavenly angels
and the legions of the redeemed, the sins of God’s people will be
placed on Satan. He will be declared guilty of all the evil that he [265]
has caused them to commit. As the scapegoat was sent away into an
uninhabited land, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth.
After presenting scenes of the Lord’s coming, John continues:
“I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the
dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound
him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit,
and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the
nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these
things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:1-3).
The “bottomless pit” represents the earth in confusion and dark-
ness. Looking forward to the great day of God, Jeremiah declares:
“I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void;* and
the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed
they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and
* The word for “deep” in Genesis 1:2 in the Greek translation of the Old Testament is
abyssos, which also appears here in Jeremiah. This same word is found in the Greek text
of Revelation 20:1, rendered in the New King James Version as “bottomless pit.”
 356 Love Under Fire

indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.
I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its
cities were broken down” (Jeremiah 4:23-26).
This earth is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a
thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other
worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. In this sense
he is “bound.” No one is left on whom he can exercise his power.
He is cut off from the work of deception and ruin that has been his
one delight.
Looking forward to Satan’s overthrow, Isaiah exclaimed: “How
you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How
you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For
you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God; ... I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the
Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who
did not open the house of his prisoners?’” (Isaiah 14:12-17).
For six thousand years, Satan’s prison house has received God’s
people, but Christ has broken his chains and set the prisoners free.
Alone with his evil angels Satan realizes the effect of sin: “The kings
of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house
[the grave]; but you are cast out of your grave like an abominable
branch.... You will not be joined with them in burial, because you
have destroyed your land and slain your people” (Isaiah 14:18-20).
For a thousand years, Satan will gaze on the results of his rebel-
[266] lion against the law of God. He suffers intensely. He is now left
to think about the part he has acted since he rebelled and to look
forward with terror to the dreadful future when he must be punished.
During the thousand years between the first and second resurrec-
tions, the judgment of the wicked takes place. Paul points to this as
an event that follows the Second Advent (1 Corinthians 4:5). The
righteous reign as kings and priests. John says: “I saw thrones, and
they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.... They
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a
thousand years” (Revelation 20:4, 6).
 Earth in Ruins 357

At this time “the saints will judge the world” (1 Corinthians 6:2).
In union with Christ they judge the wicked, deciding every case
according to the deeds done in the body. Then the punishment the
wicked must suffer is set, according to their works, and it is recorded
against their names in the book of death.
Christ and His people judge Satan and the evil angels. Paul says,
“Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3).
Jude declares, “The angels who did not keep their proper domain,
but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6).
At the close of the thousand years, the second resurrection will
take place. Then the wicked will be raised from the dead and appear
before God for the execution of “the written judgment” (Psalm
149:9). So John says: “The rest of the dead did not live again until
the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). And Isaiah
declares concerning the wicked, “They will be gathered together, as
prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison;
after many days they will be punished” (Isaiah 24:22).
[267] Chapter 42—Eternal Peace: The Controversy
Ended

At the close of the thousand years, Christ returns to the earth

accompanied by the redeemed and by legions of angels. He com-
mands the wicked dead to arise to receive their doom. They come
out, numberless as the sands of the sea, bearing the traces of disease
and death. What a contrast to those raised in the first resurrection!
Every eye turns to see the glory of the Son of God. With one
voice the vast army of the wicked exclaims, “Blessed is He who
comes in the name of the LORD!” (Matthew 23:39). It is not love
that inspires this utterance. The force of truth urges the words from
unwilling lips. As the wicked went into the graves, so they come out
with the same hatred of Christ and the same spirit of rebellion. They
will have no new probation in which to remedy their past lives.
Says the prophet, “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives, ... and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two” (Zechariah
14:4). As the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, it rests
on the place made ready for it, and Christ, with His people and the
angels, enters the Holy City.
While he was cut off from his work of deception, the prince
of evil was miserable and dejected, but when the wicked dead are
raised and he sees the vast forces on his side, his hopes revive. He
determines not to give up the great controversy. He will rally the
lost under his banner. In rejecting Christ they have accepted the rule
of the rebel leader, and they are ready to do his bidding. Yet, true
to his early practice, he does not acknowledge himself to be Satan.
He claims to be the rightful owner of the world whose inheritance
has been taken from him unlawfully. He represents himself as a
redeemer, assuring his deluded subjects that it is his power that has
brought them from their graves. Satan makes the weak strong and
inspires all with his own energy. He proposes to lead them in battle
to take possession of the city of God. He points to the unnumbered

358
 Eternal Peace: The Controversy Ended 359

millions who have been raised from the dead, and he declares that
as their leader he is well able to regain his throne and kingdom.
In the vast assembly are many from the long-lived race that
existed before the Flood, people of tall stature and giant intellect,
whose amazing works led the world to idolize their genius, but
whose cruelty and evil practices caused God to blot them from His [268]
creation. There are kings and generals who never lost a battle. In
death these leaders experienced no change. As they come up from
the grave, they are driven by the same desire to conquer that ruled
them when they died.

The Final Assault Against God

Satan consults with these mighty men. They declare that the
army within the city is small in comparison with theirs and can be
overcome. Skillful craftsmen construct weapons of war. Military
leaders marshal warlike men into companies and divisions.
At last the order to advance is given, and the countless horde
moves on, an army that the combined forces of all ages could never
equal. Satan leads the procession, kings and warriors following.
With military precision the densely packed ranks advance over the
earth’s broken surface to the City of God. By command of Jesus,
the gates of the New Jerusalem are closed, and the armies of Satan
prepare for the attack.
Now Christ appears in view of His enemies. Far above the city,
on a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne. The Son of God sits
on this throne, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom.
The glory of the Eternal Father enfolds His Son. The brightness of
His presence flows out beyond the gates, flooding the earth with
radiance.
Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in Satan’s
cause, but who, plucked like brands from the fire, have followed
their Savior with intense devotion. Next are those who perfected
character while surrounded by falsehood and unbelief, who honored
the law of God when the world declared it void, and the millions
from all ages who were martyred for their faith. Beyond is the “great
multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples,
and tongues, ... clothed with white robes, with palm branches in
 360 Love Under Fire

their hands” (Revelation 7:9). Their warfare is over, their victory

won. The palm branch is a symbol of triumph, the white robe an
emblem of the righteousness of Christ, which is now theirs.
In all that vast crowd there are none who credit salvation to
themselves by their own goodness. Nothing is said of what they
have suffered. The keynote of every anthem is, Salvation to our God
and to the Lamb.

Sentence Pronounced Against the Rebels

In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven
the coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, acknowl-
edged as having supreme majesty and power, the King of kings
pronounces sentence on the rebels who have broken His law and
oppressed His people. “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat
on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there
was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great,
standing before God, and books were opened. And another book
was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books” (Revelation 20:11, 12).
As the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, they are conscious of
[269] every sin they have ever committed. They see where their feet left the
path of holiness. The alluring temptations that they encouraged by
indulging in sin, the messengers of God they despised, the warnings
they rejected, the waves of mercy that their stubborn, unrepentant
hearts beat back—all appear as if written in letters of fire.
Above the throne they see the cross. Like a panoramic view
they watch the scenes of Adam’s fall and the steps that followed it
in the plan of redemption. The Savior’s humble birth; His life of
simplicity; His baptism in the Jordan; His fasting and temptation
in the wilderness; His ministry bringing heaven’s blessings to hu-
manity; the days crowded with acts of mercy, the nights of prayer in
the mountains; the plottings of envy and meanness that repaid His
benefits; His mysterious agony in Gethsemane beneath the weight of
the sins of the world; His betrayal to the murderous mob; the events
of that night of horror—the unresisting prisoner abandoned by His
disciples, put on trial in the high priest’s palace, in the judgment hall
 Eternal Peace: The Controversy Ended 361

of Pilate, before the cowardly Herod, mocked, insulted, tortured,

and condemned to die—these events are all vividly portrayed.
And now the swaying crowd watches the final scenes: the patient
Sufferer treading the path to Calvary; the Prince of heaven hang-
ing on the cross; the priests and rabbis mocking His dying agony;
the supernatural darkness marking the moment when the world’s
Redeemer yielded up His life.
The awful spectacle appears just as it was. Satan and his subjects
have no power to turn away from the picture. Each actor remembers
the part he performed. Herod, who killed the innocent children of
Bethlehem; the evil Herodias, guilty of the blood of John the Baptist;
the weak, political Pilate; the mocking soldiers; the raging crowd
who shouted, “His blood be on us and on our children!”—all try but
fail to hide from the divine majesty of His face, while the redeemed
throw their crowns at the Savior’s feet, exclaiming, “He died for
me!”
There is Nero, monster of cruelty and vice, watching the exal-
tation of those Christians in whose dying anguish he found satanic
delight. His mother witnesses her own work, how the passions that
her influence and example encouraged have borne fruit in crimes
that made the world shudder.
There are Catholic priests and officials who claimed to be
Christ’s ambassadors, yet used the rack, the dungeon, and the stake
to control His people. There are the proud popes who exalted them-
selves above God and dared to try to change the law of the Most
High. Those pretended fathers have an account to settle with God.
Too late they are made to see that the All-knowing One is particular
about His law. They learn now that Christ identifies His interests
with His suffering people.
The whole wicked world stands arraigned on the charge of high
treason against the government of heaven. The lost have no one to
plead their cause. They are without excuse, and God pronounces the
sentence of eternal death against them.
The wicked see what they have forfeited by their rebellion. “All [270]
this,” cries the lost sinner, “I might have had. Why was I so blind!
I have exchanged peace, happiness, and honor for wretchedness,
disgrace, and despair.” All see that God is just in excluding them
362 Love Under Fire

from heaven. By their lives they have declared, “We will not have
this man [Jesus] to reign over us” (see Luke 19:14).

Satan Defeated
As if hypnotized, the wicked watch the coronation of the Son of
God. They see in His hands the tablets of the divine law they have
despised. They witness the outburst of adoration from the saved;
and as the wave of melody sweeps over the crowds outside the city,
all exclaim, “Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!”
(Revelation 15:3). Falling face down, they worship the Prince of
life.
Satan seems paralyzed. He had once been a covering cherub,
and he remembers how much he has lost. He is forever excluded
from the council where he once was honored. He sees another now
standing near to the Father, an angel of majestic presence. He knows
that the exalted position of this angel might have been his.
Memory recalls what heaven was like to him in his innocence,
the peace and contentment that were his until his rebellion. He
reviews his work among humanity and its results—the hostility of
one person or group toward another, the terrible destruction of life,
the overturning of thrones, the riots, conflicts, and revolutions. He
recalls his constant efforts to oppose the work of Christ. As he looks
at the fruit of his work, he sees only failure. Again and again in the
progress of the great controversy he has been defeated and forced to
yield.
The aim of the great rebel has always been to prove that God’s
government was responsible for the rebellion. He has led vast multi-
tudes to accept his version of the great controversy. For thousands of
years, this chief of conspiracy has sold falsehood for truth. But the
time has now come when everyone will see the history and character
of Satan. In his last effort to dethrone Christ, destroy His people,
and take possession of the City of God, the archdeceiver has been
fully unmasked. Those who united with him see the total failure of
his cause.
Satan sees that his voluntary rebellion has made him unfit for
heaven. He has trained his powers to war against God. The purity
 Eternal Peace: The Controversy Ended 363

and harmony of heaven would be supreme torture to him. He bows

down and admits the justice of his sentence.
Every question of truth and error in the long-standing controversy
has now been fully answered. The whole universe has seen the
results of setting aside God’s law. For all eternity, the history of sin
will stand as a witness that the happiness of all the beings God has
created depends on the existence of His law. The whole universe,
loyal and rebellious, with one voice declares, “Just and true are Your
ways, O King of the saints!”
The hour has come when Christ is glorified above every name
that is named. For the joy set before Him— that He might bring [271]
many sons and daughters to glory—He endured the cross. He gazes
on the redeemed, renewed in His own image. He sees in them the
result of the labor of His soul, and He is satisfied (Isaiah 53:11). In
a voice that reaches everyone, righteous and wicked, He declares:
“See the purchase of My blood! For these I suffered, for these I
died.”

Violent End of the Wicked

Satan’s character remains unchanged. Rebellion bursts out again
like a raging flood. He determines not to give up the last desperate
struggle against the King of heaven. But of all the countless millions
whom he has drawn into rebellion, none now follow him as leader.
The same hatred of God that inspires Satan fills the wicked, but they
see that their case is hopeless. “Because you have set your heart as
the heart of a god, behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against
you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords
against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendor. They
shall throw you down into the Pit.” “I will destroy thee, O covering
cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.... I will cast thee to the
ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.... I
will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that
behold thee.... Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any
more.” (Ezekiel 28:6-8; verses 16-19, KJV.)
“The indignation of the LORD is against all nations.” “Upon
the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning
wind shall be the portion of their cup.” (Isaiah 34:2; Psalm 11:6.)
 364 Love Under Fire

Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up.
Devouring flames burst from every yawning chasm. The very rocks
are on fire. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and
the works that are in it are burned up (2 Peter 3:10). The earth’s
surface seems one molten mass—a vast, boiling lake of fire. “It is
the day of the LORD’S vengeance, the year of recompense for the
cause of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8).
The wicked are punished “according to their deeds.” Satan is
made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins that
he has caused God’s people to commit. In the flames the wicked
are finally destroyed, root and branch—Satan the root, his followers
the branches. Evildoers have received the full penalty of the law;
the demands of justice have been met. Satan’s work of ruin is
ended forever. Now God’s creatures are forever delivered from his
temptations.
While the earth is wrapped in fire, the righteous are safe in the
Holy City. To the wicked, God is a consuming fire, but to His people
He is a shield. (See Revelation 20:6; Psalm 84:11.)

Our Final Home

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and
the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1). The fire that
consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse
is swept away. No eternally burning hell will keep the ransomed
thinking about sin’s fearful consequences.

[272] Reminder of Sin’s Results

One reminder alone remains: our Redeemer will always carry
the marks of His crucifixion, the only traces of the cruel work that
sin has done. Through eternal ages the wounds of Calvary will reveal
His praise and declare His power.
Christ assured His disciples that He went to prepare homes for
them in the Father’s house. Human language cannot describe the
reward of the righteous. Only those who see it will truly know it.
No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God!
 Eternal Peace: The Controversy Ended 365

The Bible calls the inheritance of the saved “a country” (Hebrews

11:14-16). There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains
of living waters. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and
beside them waving trees cast their shadows on the paths God has
prepared for the ransomed of the Lord. Wide-spreading plains rise
into beautiful hills, and the mountains of God lift their high summits.
On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God’s people,
who have been pilgrims and wanderers for so long, will find a home.
“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vine-
yards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat; ... My elect shall long enjoy the
work of their hands.” “The wilderness and the wasteland shall be
glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.”
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down
with the young goat, ... and a little child shall lead them.... They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain.” (Isaiah 65:21,
22; 35:1; 11:6, 9.)
Pain cannot exist in heaven. There will be no more tears, no
funeral processions. “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying.... For the former things have passed away.” “The inhabitant
will not say, ‘I am sick’; the people who dwell in it will be forgiven
their iniquity.” (Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 33:24.)
There is the New Jerusalem, the capital city of the glorified new
earth. “Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone,
clear as crystal.” “The nations of those who are saved shall walk
in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor
into it.” “The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them
and be their God.” (Revelation 21:11, 24, 3.)
In the City of God “there shall be no night” (Revelation 22:5).
There will be no tiredness. We will always feel the freshness of
the morning and always be far from its close. The light of the sun
will be surpassed by a radiance that is not painfully dazzling, yet
immeasurably exceeds the brightness of our noonday. The redeemed
walk in the glory of perpetual day.
“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb
are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). The people of God are privileged
to interact freely with the Father and the Son. Now we see the image
 366 Love Under Fire

of God like something in a mirror, but then we will see Him face to
face, without a dimming veil between.

[273] The Triumph of God’s Love

God Himself has planted the loves and sympathies in human
hearts, and in heaven they will find their truest and sweetest expres-
sion. The pure fellowship with holy beings and the faithful of all the
ages, the sacred ties that bind together “the whole family in heaven
and earth” (Ephesians 3:15)—these help to make up the happiness
of the redeemed.
There, with delight that has no end, immortal minds will study
the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love.
Every aspect of mind will be developed, every capacity increased.
Learning will not exhaust the energies. The redeemed may carry
on the grandest enterprises, reach their highest aims, fulfill their
noblest ambitions. And still they will find new heights to conquer,
new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to
draw out the powers of mind and soul and body.
All the treasures of the universe will be open to God’s redeemed.
Not limited by mortality, they fly tirelessly to far-off worlds. The
children of earth enter into the joy and wisdom of unfallen beings
and share treasures of knowledge that these have gained through
ages upon ages. With undimmed vision they gaze on the glory of
creation—suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order
circling the throne of God.
And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring still more
glorious revelations of God and of Christ. The more we learn about
God, the more we will admire His character. As Jesus opens before
the redeemed the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements
in the great controversy with Satan, their hearts thrill with devotion,
and ten thousand times ten thousand voices unite to swell the mighty
chorus of praise.
“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and
under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to
Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’”
(Revelation 5:13).
 Eternal Peace: The Controversy Ended 367

The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more.

The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness
beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, life and
light and gladness flow throughout the realms of limitless space.
From the smallest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and
inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that
God is love.
[274] Appendix

Page 24. TITLES. Pope Innocent III declared that the Roman
pope is “the vicegerent [administrative deputy] on earth, not of a
mere man, but of very God.” See Decretals of the Lord Pope Gregory
IX, liber 1, title 7, chapter 3. Corp. Jur. Canon. (2nd Leipzig edition,
188g1), col. 99.
For the title “Lord God the Pope,” see a gloss on the Extrav-
agantes of Pope John XXII, title 14, chapter 4, Declaramus. In
an Antwerp edition of the Extravagantes, dated 1584, the words
“Dominum Deum nostrum Papam” (“Our Lord God the Pope”)
occur in column 153.
Page 24. INFALLIBILITY. See Philip Schaff, The Creeds of
Christendom, volume II, Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council,
pages 234-271; The Catholic Encyclopedia, volume VII, article
“Infallibility”; James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers
(Baltimore: John Murphy Co., 110th edition, 1917), chapters 7, 11.
Page 25. IMAGE WORSHIP. “The worship of images ... was
one of those corruptions of Christianity that crept into the church
stealthily and almost without notice or observation.... So gradually
was one practice after another introduced in connection with it, that
the church had become deeply steeped in practical idolatry, ... almost
without any firm objection; and when finally there was an attempt to
root it out, the evil was found too deeply fixed to allow removal.”—J.
Mendham, The Seventh General Council, the Second of Nicaea,
introduction, pages iii-vi.
For a record of the proceedings and decisions of the Second
Council of Nicea, A.D. 787, called to establish the worship of
images, see A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,
2nd series, volume XIV, pages 521-587 (New York, 1900); C. J.
Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church, From the Original
Documents, book 18, chapter 1, secs. 332, 333; chapter 2, secs.
345-352 (T. and T. Clark, 1896 edition), volume 5, pages 260-304,
342-372.
368
 Appendix 369

Page 25. THE SUNDAY LAW OF CONSTANTINE. The law is

given in Latin and in English translation in Philip Schaff’s History
of the Christian Church, volume III, 3rd period, chapter 7, section
75, page 380, note 1. See discussion in Albert Henry Newman, A
Manual of Church History (Philadelphia: The American Baptist
Publication Society, 1933), revised edition, volume 1, pages 305- [275]
307; and in L. E. Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers
(Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association,
1950), volume 1, pages 376-381.
Page 26. PROPHETIC DATES. An important principle of in-
terpreting time prophecies is the year-day principle—under which a
day of prophetic time equals a year of calendar time. These are some
of the Bible reasons for this principle: (1) The year-day principle is
in harmony with the principle of symbolically interpreting beasts as
kingdoms, horns as powers, oceans as peoples, etc. (2) The Lord,
speaking in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, upholds the principle.
(3) The 2,300 days (years) of Daniel 8:14 cover the history of the
Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires, as the angel explains
in verses 19-26 (“the vision refers to the time of the end,” verse
17). These empires lasted many times longer than 2,300 literal days.
Nothing can fit except the year-day principle. (4) Daniel 11 is an
expansion of the prophecy of Daniel 8, yet Daniel 11 is not symbolic.
Three times it speaks of “years” (verses 6, 8, 13) as a parallel of
“days” in Daniel 8:14. (5) The angel explained to Daniel that these
prophecies concerned the time of the end (8:19, 26; 10:13, 14). If the
“days” were literal, the prophecies would not continue long enough
to make sense. (6) A day for a year was a common way of speaking
in Old Testament Hebrew. See Leviticus 25:8; Genesis 29:27. (7)
The book of Revelation unlocks the prophecies of Daniel, showing
that their fulfillment was still future in the time of the apostles. Fur-
ther, many careful Bible students have recognized and accepted the
year-day principle as a valid biblical principle. Among them are
Joachim of Floris, Wycliffe, Joseph Mede, Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop
Thomas Newton, Alexander Keith, and many others.
Page 27. FORGED WRITINGS. Among the documents gener-
ally admitted to be forgeries, the Donation of Constantine and the
Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals are of major importance. See The New
 370 Love Under Fire

Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, volume III,

article “Donation of Constantine.”
The “false writings” referred to in the text also include the
“Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals”—fictitious letters ascribed to early
popes from Clement (A.D. 100) to Gregory the Great (A.D. 600)
and later incorporated in a ninth-century collection claiming to have
been made by “Isidore Mercator.” The falsity of the Pseudo-Isidorian
fabrications is now admitted.
Page 28. PURGATORY. Dr. Joseph Faa Di Bruno thus defines
purgatory this way: “Purgatory is a state of suffering after this life,
in which those souls are detained for a time, who die after their
deadly sins have been forgiven as to the stain and guilt, and as to the
everlasting pain that was due to them, but who still have some debt
of temporal punishment to pay because of those sins. It is the same
for those souls who leave this world guilty only of venial sins.”—
Catholic Belief, page 196 (edition 1884; imprimatur Archbishop of
New York).
[276] See The Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12, article “Purgatory.”
Page 28. INDULGENCES. For a detailed history of the doc-
trine of indulgences, see The Catholic Encyclopedia, article “Indul-
gences,” volume 7; A. H. Newman, A Manual of Church History
(Philadelphia: The American Baptist Publication Society, 1953),
volume 2, pages 53, 54, 62.
Page 32. THE SABBATH AMONG THE WALDENSES. His-
torical evidence exists for some observance of the seventh-day Sab-
bath among the Waldenses. A report of an inquisition before whom
were brought some Waldenses of Moravia in the middle of the fif-
teenth century declares that among the Waldenses “not a few indeed
celebrate the Sabbath with the Jews.”—Johann Joseph Ignaz von
Dollinger, Beitrage zur Sektengeschichte des Mittelalters (Contribu-
tions to the History of the Sects of the Middle Ages), Munich, 1890,
part 2, page 661. This source clearly indicates the observance of the
seventh-day Sabbath.
Page 35. EDICT AGAINST THE WALDENSES. A portion
of the papal bull or edict (from Innocent VIII, 1487) against the
Waldenses is given in an English translation in Dowling’s History of
Romanism, book 6, chapter 5, section 62 (edition 1871).
Page 38. INDULGENCES. See note for page 28.
 Appendix 371

Pages 38, 39. WYCLIFFE. For the text of the papal bulls (edicts)
issued against Wycliffe with English translation, see John Foxe, Acts
and Monuments of the Church (London: Pratt Townsend, 1870),
volume 3, pages 4-13; see also summaries in Merle D’Aubigné,
The History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century (London:
Blackie and Son, 1885), volume 4, division 7, page 93; Philip Schaff,
History of the Christian Church (New York: Chas. Scribner’s Sons,
1915), volume 5, part 2, page 317.
Page 39. INFALLIBILITY. See note for page 24.
Page 46. INDULGENCES. See note for page 28.
Page 46. COUNCIL OF CONSTANCE. Publications on the
Council include K. Zahringer, Das Kardinal Kollegium auf dem
Konstanzer Konzil (Munster, 1935); Th. F. Grogau, The Conciliar
Theory as It Manifested Itself at the Council of Constance (Wash-
ington, 1949); Fred A. Kremple, Cultural Aspects of the Council of
Constance and Basel (Ann Arbor, 1955).
See John Hus, Letters, 1904; E. J. Kitts, Pope John XXIII and
Master John Hus (London, 1910); D. A. Schaff, John Hus (1915);
and Matthew Spinka, John Hus and the Czech Reform (1941).
Page 57. INDULGENCES. See note for page 28.
Page 98. JESUITISM. See Concerning Jesuits, edited by the
Rev. John Gerard, S. J. (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1902). In [277]
this work it is said that “the mainspring of the whole organization
of the Society is a spirit of entire obedience: ‘Let each one,’ writes
St. Ignatius, ‘persuade himself that those who live under obedience
ought to allow themselves to be moved and directed by divine Provi-
dence through their superiors, just as though they were a dead body,
which allows itself to be carried anywhere and to be treated in any
manner whatever, or as an old man’s staff, which serves him who
holds it in his hand in whatsoever way he will.’”—p. 6.
Page 99. THE INQUISITION. See The Catholic Encyclopedia,
volume 8, article “Inquisition”; and E. Vacandard, The Inquisition:
A Critical and Historical Study of the Coercive Power of the Church
(New York: Longmans, Green, and Company, 1908).
For the non-Catholic view, see Philip van Limborch, History of
the Inquisition; Henry C. Lea, A History of the Inquisition in the
Middle Ages, 3 volumes
 372 Love Under Fire

Page 113. CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. See H.

von Sybel, History of the French Revolution, book 5, chapter 1, pars.
3-7; H. T. Buckle, History of Civilization in England, chapters 8,
12, 14 (New York, edition 1895), volume 1, pages 364-366, 369371,
437, 540, 541, 550; Blackwood’s Magazine, volume 34, number 215
(November 1833), page 739; J. G. Lorimer, An Historical Sketch of
the Protestant Church in France, chapter 8, pars. 6, 7.
Page 113. PROPHETIC DATES. See note for page 26.
Page 114. EFFORTS TO SUPPRESS AND DESTROY THE
BIBLE. The Council of Toulouse ruled: “We prohibit laymen pos-
sessing copies of the Old and New Testament.... We forbid them
most severely to have the above books in the popular language.”
“The lords of the districts shall carefully seek out the heretics in
homes, the humblest shacks, and forests, and even their underground
retreats shall be entirely wiped out.”—Concil. Tolosanum, Pope
Gregory IX, Anno chr. 1229. Canons 14, 2. This council sat at the
time of the crusade against the Albigenses.
“This pest [the Bible] had gone to such an extreme that some
people had appointed priests of their own, and even some evangelists
who distorted and destroyed the truth of the gospel and made new
gospels for their own purpose, ... [they know that] the preaching
and explanation of the Bible is absolutely forbidden to the lay mem-
bers.”—Acts of Inquisition, Philip van Limborch, History of the
Inquisition, chapter 8.
At the Council of Constance in 1415, Wycliffe was condemned
after his death as “that dangerous wretch of damnable heresy who
invented a new translation of the Scriptures in his mother tongue.”
Opposition to the Bible by the Roman Catholic Church increased
because of the success of the Bible societies. On December 8, 1864,
in his proclamation Quanta cura, Pope Pius IX issued a list of eighty
[278] errors under ten different headings. Under heading 4 we find listed:
“Socialism, communism, clandestine societies, Bible societies....
Pests of this sort must be destroyed by all possible means.”
In recent years a dramatic and positive change has occurred
in the Roman Catholic Church. On the one hand, the church has
approved several Bible versions prepared on the basis of the original
languages; on the other, it has promoted the study of the Holy
Scriptures by means of free distribution and Bible institutes. The
 Appendix 373

church, however, continues to reserve for herself the exclusive right

to interpret the Bible in the light of her own tradition. In this way
she justifies those doctrines that do not harmonize with biblical
teachings.
Page 117. THE REIGN OF TERROR. For a reliable introduc-
tion to the history of the French Revolution, see L. Gershoy, The
French Revolution (1932); G. Lefebvre, The Coming of the French
Revolution (Princeton, 1947); and H. von Sybel, History of the
French Revolution, 4 volumes (1869).
See also A. Aulard, Christianity and the French Revolution (Lon-
don, 1927), which carries the account through 1802—an excellent
study.
Page 118. THE MASSES AND THE PRIVILEGED CLASSES.
See H. von Hoist, Lowell Lectures on the French Revolution, lecture
1; also Taine, Ancient Regime; and A. Young, Travels in France.
Page 120. RETRIBUTION. See Thos. H. Gill, The Papal
Drama, book 10; Edmond de Pressense, The Church and the French
Revolution, book 3, chapter 1.
Page 120. THE ATROCITIES OF THE REIGN OF TERROR.
See M. A. Thiers, History of the French Revolution (New York,
edition 1890, tr. by F. Shoberl), volume 3, pages 42-44, 62-74,
106; F. A. Mignet, History of the French Revolution (Bohn, edition
1894), chapter 9, paragraph 1; Sir Archibald Alison, History of
Europe From the Commencement of the French Revolution to the
Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815, volume 1, chapter 14 (New
York, edition 1872), volume 1, pages 293-312.
Page 121. THE CIRCULATION OF THE SCRIPTURES. In
1804, according to Mr. William Canton of the British and Foreign
Bible Society, “all the Bibles extant in the world, in manuscript or
in print, counting every version in every land, were computed at not
many more than four millions.”
From 1816 to 2010, the American Bible Society (ABS) alone
published more than 3.8 billion copies of the whole Bible and over
1.1 billion copies of portions of the Bible. In just the year 2010 the
ABS published 4.2 million copies of the whole Bible. Other Bible
societies would add many millions more copies to these figures.
The United Bible Societies reported that while the Bible was
available in only sixty-eight languages at the beginning of the nine-
 374 Love Under Fire

teenth century, by 2008 it was available in 2,479 languages, with at

least 451 of them having the complete Bible.
[279] Page 121. FOREIGN MISSIONS. The missionary activity of
the early Christian church had virtually died out by the year 1000,
and was followed by the military campaigns of the Crusades. The
Reformation era saw little foreign mission work. The pietistic revival
produced some missionaries. In the eighteenth century, the work
of the Moravian Church was remarkable, and the British formed
some missionary societies to work in colonized North America.
But the great revival of foreign missionary activity began around
the year 1800, at “the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). In 1792 the
Baptist Missionary Society sent William Carey to India. In 1795 the
London Missionary Society was organized, and another society in
1799, which in 1812 became the Church Missionary Society. Shortly
afterward the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society was founded.
In the United States, the American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions was formed in 1812, and Adoniram Judson was
sent out that year to Calcutta. He established himself in Burma the
next year. In 1814 the American Baptist Missionary Union was
formed. The Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions was formed in
1837.
“In A.D. 1800 ... the overwhelming majority of Christians were
the descendants of those who had been won before A.D. 1500....
Now, in the nineteenth century, came a further expansion of Chris-
tianity.... Never in any similar length of time had Christianity given
rise to so many new movements. It had never had quite so great an
effect on Western European peoples. From this great vigor came the
missionary efforts that so greatly increased the numerical strength
and the influence of Christianity during the nineteenth century.”—
Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity,
volume IV, The Great Century, A.D. 1800-A.D. 1914 (New York:
Harper and Bros., 1914), pages 2-4.
Page 128. LISBON EARTHQUAKE. In the time since the
author first wrote these words in 1888, other earthquakes have been
recorded with greater loss of life and perhaps higher magnitudes.
(Scientific measurement of earthquakes was not yet in existence
in 1755.) Still, the Lisbon earthquake ranks as one of the most
important in modern history, not merely for its physical devastation,
 Appendix 375

but because of the profound philosophical, theological, and cultural

changes that resulted from this disaster.
Page 137. A DAY FOR A YEAR. See note for page 26.
Page 138. THE YEAR 457 B.C. For the certainty of the date
457 B.C. being the seventh year of Artaxerxes, see S. H. Horn
and L. H. Wood, The Chronology of Ezra 7 (Washington, D.C.:
Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1953); E. G. Kraeling,
The Brooklyn Museum Aramaic Papyri (New Haven or London,
1953), pages 191-193; The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commen-
tary (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association,
1954), volume 3, pages 97-110.
Page 141. FALL OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. Throughout [280]
the Reformation era Turkey was a continual threat to European
Christendom; the writings of the Reformers often condemn the
Ottoman power. Christian writers since have been concerned with
the role of Turkey in future events, and commentators on prophecy
have seen Turkish power and its decline forecast in Scripture.
For the “hour, day, month, year” prophecy, as part of the sixth
trumpet, Josiah Litch worked out an application of the time prophecy,
ending Turkish independence in August 1840.
A book by Uriah Smith, Thoughts on Daniel and the Revela-
tion, revised edition of 1944, discusses the prophetic timing of this
prophecy on pages 506-517.
Page 156. ASCENSION ROBES. The story that the Adventists
made robes with which to ascend “to meet the Lord in the air” was
invented by those who wished to discredit the advent preaching.
Careful investigation has shown that it was false.
For a thorough refuting of the legend of ascension robes, see
Francis D. Nichol, The Midnight Cry (Washington, D.C.: Review
and Herald Publishing Association, 1944), chapters 25-27, and Ap-
pendices H-J. See also L. E. Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our
Fathers (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Associa-
tion, 1954), volume 4, pages 822-826.
Page 180. A THREEFOLD MESSAGE. Revelation 14:6, 7
foretells the proclamation of the first angel’s message. Then the
prophet continues: “Another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is
fallen, is fallen.’ ... Then a third angel followed them.” The word
here rendered “followed” means “to go along with,” “to follow one,”
376 Love Under Fire

“go with him.” It also means “to accompany.” The idea intended is
that of “going together,” “in company with.” The idea in Revelation
14:8, 9 is not simply that the second and third angels followed the
first in point of time, but that they went with him. They are three
only in the order of their rise. But having risen, they go on together.
Page 184. SUPREMACY OF THE BISHOPS OF ROME. See
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (Baltimore: John
Murphy Co., 110th edition, 1917), chapters 5, 9, 10, 12.
Page 234. THE SABBATH AMONG THE WALDENSES. See
note for page 32.
Page 235. THE ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AND THE SABBATH.
Until rather recent years the Coptic Church of Ethiopia observed
the seventh-day Sabbath. The Ethiopians also kept Sunday. The ob-
servance of the seventh-day Sabbath, however, has virtually ceased
in modern Ethiopia. For eyewitness accounts of religious days in
Ethiopia, see Pero Gomes de Teixeira, The Discovery of Abyssinia
by the Portuguese in 1520 (translated into English in London: British
Museum, 1938), page 79; Father Francisco Alvarez, Narrative of the
Portuguese Embassy to Abyssinia During the Years 1520-1527, in
Records of the Hakluyt Society (London, 1881), volume 64, pages
22-49.