A

Purified
Ministry
 . {GC 425.1-426}
. Those who are living upon the earth
when the intercession of Christ shall cease
in the sanctuary above are to stand in the
sight of a holy God without a mediator.
Their robes must be spotless, their
characters must be purified from sin by
the blood of sprinkling. 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
penitent believers are being removed from
the sanctuary, there is to be a special work
of purification, of putting away of sin,
among God's people upon earth. This work
is more clearly presented in the messages
"Then shall the offering of Judah and
Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord,
as in the days of old, and as in former
years." Malachi 3:4.
Then the church which our Lord at
His coming is to receive to Himself
will be a "glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing."
Ephesians 5:27. Then she will look
"forth as the morning, fair as the
moon, clear as the sun, and terrible
as an army with banners." Song of
Solomon 6:10. {GC 425.2}
Besides the coming of the Lord to
His temple, Malachi also foretells His
 Read
Malachi 3:1-
10
 Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way
before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek,
shall suddenly come to his temple, even
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the
LORD of hosts.

3:2 But who may abide the day of his

coming? and who shall stand when he
appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire,
and like fullers' soap:

3:3 And he shall sit [as] a refiner and

purifier of silver: and he shall purify the
sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and
 3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and
Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in
the days of old, and as in former years.

3:5 And I will come near to you to

judgment; and I will be a swift witness
against the sorcerers, and against the
adulterers, and against false swearers, and
against those that oppress the hireling in
[his] wages, the widow, and the fatherless,
and that turn aside the stranger [from his
right], and fear not me, saith the LORD of
hosts.

3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not;

therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone
away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them].
Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the
LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye
say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings.

3:9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed

me, [even] this whole nation.

3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that

there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you
the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing,
that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
 GC88 425.3
Jude refers to the same scene
when he says, “Behold, the Lord
cometh with ten thousands of his
saints, to execute judgment upon
all, and to convince all that are
ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds.” [Jude 14, 15.]
This coming, and the coming
of the Lord to his temple, are
distinct and separate events.
 Who
Is The
Messenger?
4:5 Behold, I
will send you
Elijah the
prophet before
the coming of
the great and
 1 st
Application
 17:10 And his disciples asked him,
saying, Why then say the scribes that
Elias must first come?
17:11 And Jesus answered and said

READ
unto them, Elias truly shall first come,
and restore all things.
17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias
•MATT 17:10-1
is come already, and they knew him
not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall
also the Son of man suffer of them.
17:13 Then the disciples
understood that he spake unto them
The work
of
Elijah
 Matt 17:10 And his
disciples asked him, saying,
Why then say the scribes
that Elias must first come?
17:11 And Jesus
answered and said unto
them, Elias truly shall first
come, and restore all
 Acts 3:20-21

3:20 And he shall send Jesus

Christ, which before was
preached unto you:
3:21 Whom the heaven must
receive until the times of
restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the
mouth of all his holy prophets
since the world began.
 2nd

application
 RH February 23, 1864
But was the prophecy wholly
fulfilled in John the Baptist? We
answer, No; for it is more intimately
connected with the great day of the
Lord than was the mission of John.
His work had exclusive reference to
the first advent but the prophecy
must
relate more especially to the second
advent, which is the crowning event
of the ushering in of the great and
 TM.p.475
Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord
says: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord."
Somebody is to come in the spirit and
power of Elijah, [SEE APPENDIX.] and
when he appears, men may say: "You
are too earnest, you do not interpret
the Scriptures in the proper way.
Let me tell you how to teach your mes
sage." {TM 475.3}
 1SM.p.35
When I was last in Battle Creek, I
said before a large congregation
that I did not claim to be a
prophetess. Twice I referred to
this matter, intending each time
to make the statement, "I do not
claim to be a prophetess." If I
spoke otherwise than this, let all
now understand that what I had in
mind to say was that I do not
claim the title of prophet or
The Review and Herald, Oct. 7, 1890.
How will any of our brethren know
when this light shall come to the
people of God? As yet we have
certainly not seen the light that
answers to this description. God
has light for His people, and all
who accept it will see the
sinfulness of remaining in a
lukewarm condition.
 The Review and Herald, Nov. 7 1918.

In the manifestation of the power that

lightens the earth with its glory, they will
see only something which in their
blindness they think dangerous,
something which will arouse their fears
and they will brace themselves to resist
it. Because the Lord does not work
according to their expectations and ideal,
they will oppose the work. Why, they
say, should we not know the Spirit of God,
when we have been in the work so many
 Read
vs. 2-5
Judgment
 3:2 But who may abide the
day of his coming? and who
shall stand when he
appeareth? for he [is] like a
refiner's fire, and like fullers'
soap:

3:3 And he shall sit [as] a

refiner and purifier of silver:
and he shall purify the sons of
Levi, and purge them as gold
and silver, that they may offer
3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah
and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the
LORD, as in the days of old, and as in
former years.

3:5 And I will come near to you to

judgment; and I will be a swift witness
against the sorcerers, and against the
adulterers, and against false swearers,
and against those that oppress the
hireling in [his] wages, the widow, and
the fatherless, and that turn aside the
stranger [from his right], and fear not
Who is
God
Purging?
 Malachi 2:1-2

2:1 And now, O ye priests, this

commandment [is] for you.

2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will

not lay [it] to heart, to give glory unto
my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I
will even send a curse upon you, and I
will curse your blessings: yea, I have
cursed them already, because ye do
not lay [it] to heart.
 Mal.3:3
And he shall sit [as] a
refiner and purifier of silver:
and he shall purify the
sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that
they may offer unto the
LORD an offering in
righteousness.
 Why
God Has To
Purge The
Ministry?
 Isa 56:10-11

56:10 His watchmen [are] blind:

they are all ignorant, they [are]
all dumb dogs, they cannot bark;
sleeping, lying down, loving to
slumber.

56:11 Yea, [they are] greedy

dogs [which] can never have
enough, and they [are] shepherds
[that] cannot understand: they all
look to their own way, every one
for his gain, from his quarter.
 Ezekiel 34:1-5
34:1 And the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying,
34:2 Son of man, prophesy
against the shepherds of Israel,
prophesy, and say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the
shepherds; Woe [be] to the
shepherds of Israel that do feed
themselves! should not the
shepherds feed the flocks?
34:3 Ye eat the fat, and ye
clothe you with the wool, ye kill
 34:4 The diseased have ye not
strengthened, neither have ye
healed that which was sick,
neither have ye bound up [that
which was] broken, neither have
ye brought again that which was
driven away, neither have ye
sought that which was lost; but
with force and with cruelty have
ye ruled them.
34:5 And they were scattered,
because [there is] no shepherd:
and they became meat to all the
 TM 372.4
Page after page might be written in
regard to these things. Whole
conferences are becoming leavened
with the same perverted principles.
"For the rich men thereof are full of
violence, and the inhabitants thereof
have spoken lies, and their tongue is
deceitful in their mouth." The Lord
will work to purify His church. I tell
you in truth, the Lord is about to turn
and overturn in the institutions called
 Just how soon this refining process
will begin I cannot say, but it will not
be long deferred. He whose fan is in
His hand will cleanse His temple of
its moral defilement. He will
thoroughly purge His floor. God has a
controversy with all who practice the
least injustice; for in so doing they
reject the authority of God and
imperil their interest in the
atonement, the redemption which
Christ has undertaken for every son
5T 80 We have been inclined to
think that where there are no faithful
ministers there can be no true Christians,
but this is not the case. God has promised
that where the shepherds are not true He
will take charge of the flock Himself. God
has never made the flock wholly
dependent upon human instrumentalities.
But the days of purification of the church
are hastening on apace. God will have a
people pure and true. In the mighty sifting
soon to take place we shall be better able to
measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal
that the time is near when the Lord will
 5T 211.2
The ancient men, those to whom God had
given great light and who had stood as
guardians of the spiritual interests of the
people, had betrayed their trust. They had
taken the position that we need not look
for miracles and the marked manifestation
of God's power as in former days. Times
have changed. These words strengthen
their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will
not do good, neither will He do evil. He is
too merciful to visit His people in
judgment. Thus "Peace and safety" is the
cry from men who will never again lift up
their voice like a trumpet to show God's
people their transgressions and the house
of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that
would not bark are the ones who feel the
just vengeance of an offended God. Men,
maidens, and little children all perish
together.
5T 82.2 Elijah took Elisha from the
plow and threw upon him his mantle
of consecration. The call to this great
and solemn work was presented to
men of learning and position; had
these been little in their own eyes
and trusted fully in the Lord, He
would have honored them with
bearing His standard in triumph to
the victory. But they separated from
God, yielded to the influence of the
world, and the Lord rejected them.
 Many have exalted science and lost sight
of the God of science. This was not the case
with the church in the purest times. {5T
82.3}
God will work a work in our day that but
few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt
among us those who are taught rather by
the unction of His Spirit than by the
outward training of scientific institutions.
These facilities are not to be despised or
condemned; they are ordained of God, but
they can furnish only the exterior
qualifications. God will manifest that He is
not dependent on learned, self-important
mortals. {5T 82.4}
 Read
Malachi 3:3
Mal. 3:3 And he
shall sit [as] a
refiner and
purifier of silver:
and he shall
purify the sons
of Levi, and
purge them as
gold and silver,
that they may
offer unto the
LORD an offering
 66:16 For by fire and by his sword
will the LORD plead with all flesh: Isa.
and the slain of the LORD shall be
many.
66:16-20
66:17 They that sanctify
themselves, and purify themselves
in the gardens behind one [tree] in
the midst, eating swine's flesh, and
the abomination, and the mouse,
shall be consumed together, saith
the LORD.

66:18 For I [know] their works and

their thoughts: it shall come, that I
will gather all nations and tongues;
and they shall come, and see my
 66:19 And I will set a sign among
them, and I will send those that
escape of them unto the nations,
[to] Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw
the bow, [to] Tubal, and Javan, [to]
the isles afar off, that have not
heard my fame, neither have seen
my glory; and they shall declare my
glory among the Gentiles.

66:20 And they shall bring all your

brethren [for] an offering unto the
LORD out of all nations upon horses,
and in chariots, and in litters, and
upon mules, and upon swift beasts,
to my holy mountain Jerusalem,
saith the LORD, as the children of
Israel bring an offering in a clean
vessel into the house of the LORD.
 Read
Malachi
3:6-9
 Mal.3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye

are gone away from mine ordinances, and
have not kept [them]. Return unto me, and I
will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed

me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings.

3:9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have

robbed me, [even] this whole nation.
 Are you

robbing God,

If so

how do you stop?

 EW.p.63

There are many

precious truths
contained in the
Word of God, but
it is "present
truth" that the
flock needs
now.
 TM.p.409-410

The Fatal Choice

…… Many will stand in our pulpits
with the torch of false prophecy in
their hands, kindled from the
hellish torch of Satan. If doubts
and unbelief are cherished, the
faithful ministers will be removed
from the people who think they
know so much. "If thou hadst
known," said Christ, "even thou, at
least in this thy day, the things
 TM.p.336-337
There are men who stand in the
pulpits as shepherds, professing to
feed the flock, while the sheep are
starving for the bread of life. There
are long-drawn-out discourses, largely
made up of the relation of anecdotes;
but the hearts of the hearers are not
touched. The feelings
of some may be moved, they may
shed a few tears, but their hearts are
not broken. The Lord Jesus has been
present when they have been
presenting that which was called
sermons, but their words were
What is
God’s
solution?
 Mal 3:10
3:10 Bring ye all the tithes
into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine
house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of
hosts, if I will not open you
the windows of heaven, and
pour you out a blessing,
that [there shall] not [be
 Where
is
the Store house
 GC.p.609-610
Different periods in the history of the
church have each been marked by the
development of some special truth,
adapted to the necessities of God's
people at that time. Every new truth has
made its way against hatred and
opposition; those who were blessed with
its light were tempted and tried. The Lord
gives a special truth for the people in an
emergency. Who dare refuse to publish it?
He commands His servants to present the
last invitation of mercy to the world. They
cannot remain silent, except at the peril
of their souls. Christ's ambassadors have
nothing to do with consequences. They
must perform their duty and leave results
 Mark 12:41-44

12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury,

and beheld how the people cast money into the
treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

12:42
And there came a certain poor widow, and she thr
ew in two mites, which make a farthing.

12:43 And he called [unto him] his disciples, an

d saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this
poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which
have cast into the treasury:
 DA 614.4
Watching her opportunity, she hurriedly threw in her
two mites, and turned to hasten away. But in doing this
she caught the eye of Jesus, which was fastened
earnestly upon her.
The Saviour called His disciples to Him, and bade them
mark the widow's poverty. Then His words of
commendation fell upon her ear: "Of a truth I say unto
you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they
all.“ Tears of joy filled her eyes as she felt that her act
was understood and appreciated. Many would have
advised her to keep her pittance for her own use; given
into the hands of the well-fed priests, it would be lost
sight of among the many costly gifts brought to the
treasury. But Jesus understood her motive. She believed
the service of the temple to be of God's appointment,
and she was anxious to do her utmost to sustain it. She
did what she could, and her act was to be a monument
to her memory through all time, and her joy in eternity.
Her heart went with her gift; its value was estimated,
 John 12;3-8
12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of
spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of
Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the
house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
12:4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas
Iscariot, Simon's [son], which should betray him,
12:5 Why was not this ointment sold for three
hundred pence, and given to the poor?
12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the
poor; but because he was a thief, and had the
bag, and bare what was put therein.
12:7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against
the day of my burying hath she kept this.
12:8 For the poor always ye have with you; but
me ye have not always.
 DA.p.559-560
Judas was treasurer for the
disciples, and from their little
store he had secretly drawn for
his own use, thus narrowing
down their resources to a
meager pittance. He was eager
to put into the bag all that he
could obtain. The treasure in the
bag was often drawn upon to
relieve the poor; and when
something that Judas did not
think essential was bought, he
would say, Why is this waste?
 What is
present
truth today?
The Angel Of
Rev 18
 Rev 18:1-5
18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come
down from heaven, having great power; and the earth
was lightened with his glory.

18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,

Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the
habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and
a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath
of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have
committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the
earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her
delicacies.

18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,

Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
 • This is
• a message that was
• future to
• sis White’s day
The Review and Herald, Oct. 7, 1890.
How will any of our brethren know
when this light shall come to the
people of God? As yet we have
certainly not seen the light that
answers to this description. God
has light for His people, and all
who accept it will see the
sinfulness of remaining in a
lukewarm condition.
 Gc88.p.383:0
The message of Revelation 14
announcing the fall of Babylon, must
apply to religious bodies that were
once pure and have become corrupt.
Since this message follows the
warning of the Judgment, it must be
given in the last days, therefore it
cannot refer to the Romish Church, for
that church has been in a fallen
condition for many centuries.
Furthermore, in the eighteenth
chapter of the Revelation, in a
 GC 390
Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of
rejecting the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12,
the church will have fully reached the condition
foretold by the second angel, and the people of God
still in Babylon will be called upon to separate from
her communion. This message is the last that will
ever be given to the world; and it will accomplish its
work. When those that "believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:12),
shall be left to receive strong delusion and to believe a
lie, then the light of truth will shine upon all whose
hearts are open to receive it, and all the children of the
Lord that remain in Babylon will heed the call: "Come
out of her, My people" (Revelation 18:4).
 This
Message
Is To Strengthen
The
Third Angel Message
 6t .p.406
We are to throw aside our narrow,
selfish plans, remembering that we
have a work of the largest magnitude
and highest importance. In doing this
work we are sounding the first,
second, and third angel's messages,
and are thus being prepared for the
coming of that other angel from
heaven who is to lighten the earth
with his glory.
 EW 277
I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven,
descending to the earth, and again
ascending to heaven, preparing for the
fulfillment of some important event. Then I
saw another mighty angel commissioned
to descend to the earth, to unite his voice
with the third angel, and give power and
force to his message. Great power and
glory were imparted to the angel, and as
he descended, the earth was lightened
with his glory. The light which attended
this angel penetrated everywhere, as he
cried mightily, with a strong voice,
"Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and
is become the habitation of devils, and the
hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of
 The work of this angel comes in at the
right time to join in the last great work of
the third angel's message as it swells to a
loud cry. And the people of God are thus
prepared to stand in the hour of
temptation, which they are soon to meet. I
saw a great light resting upon them, and
they united to fearlessly proclaim the third
angel's message.
Angels were sent to aid the mighty
angel from heaven, and I heard voices
which seemed to sound everywhere,
"Come out of her, My people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues. For her sins
have reached unto heaven, and God hath
remembered her iniquities." This message
 HAS
THE LORD SENT
THIS
MESSAGE
YET ?
 TM 89.2
Cleansing of the Heart Needed

I inquire of those in responsible positions in Battle Creek,

What are you doing? You have turned your back, and not your
face, to the Lord. There needs to be a cleansing of the heart,
the feelings, the sympathies, the words, in reference to the
most momentous subjects--the Lord God, eternity, truth. What
is the message to be given at this time? It is the third angel's
message. But that light which is to fill the whole earth with its
glory has been despised by some [SEE APPENDIX.] who
claim to believe the present truth. Be careful how you treat it.
Take
off the shoes off your feet; for you are on holy ground. Beware
how you indulge the attributes of Satan, and pour contempt
upon the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I know not but some
have even now gone too far to return and to repent.
 TM 91
The Lord in His great mercy sent a most
precious message to His people through Elders
Waggoner and Jones. [SEE APPENDIX.] This
message was to bring more prominently before
the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for
the sins of the whole world. It presented
justification

92
through faith in the Surety; it invited the people
to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is
made manifest in obedience to all the
commandments of God. Many had lost sight of
Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to
His divine person, His merits, and His
changeless love for the human family. All power
is given into His hands, that He may dispense
rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift
 TM 79.3
The perils of the last days are upon us. Satan
takes the control of every mind that is not
decidedly under the control of the Spirit of God.
Some have been cultivating hatred against the
men whom God has commissioned to bear a
special message to the world. They
began this satanic work at Minneapolis.
Afterward, when they saw and felt the
demonstration of the Holy Spirit testifying that
the message was of God, they hated it the more,
because it was a testimony against them. They
would not humble their hearts to repent, to give
God the glory, and vindicate the right. They went
on in their own spirit, filled with envy, jealousy,
and evil surmisings, as did the Jews. They opened
their hearts to the enemy of God and man. Yet
 1SM 234.5
An unwillingness to yield up preconceived
opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the
foundation of a large share of the opposition
manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message
through Brethren {E.J.} Waggoner and {A.T.} Jones.
By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in
shutting away from our people, in a great measure,
the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed
to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from
obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs
in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles
proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that
is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was
resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been
in a great degree kept away from the world.
 No One
Should Seek To
Prevent
This
Message
 GW 300.1}
Whatever may be man's intellectual advancement, let
him not for a moment think that there is no need of
thorough and continuous searching of the Scriptures for
greater light. As a people, we are called individually to be
students of prophecy. We must watch with earnestness
that we may discern any ray of light which God shall
present to us. We are to catch the first gleamings of truth;
and through prayerful study, clearer light may be
obtained, which can be brought before others. {
When God's people are at ease, and satisfied with
their present enlightenment, we may be sure that He will
not favor them. It is His will that they should be ever
moving forward, to receive the increased and ever-
increasing light which is shining for them. {GW 300.2}
The present attitude of the church is not pleasing to
God. There has come in a self-confidence that has led
them to feel no necessity for more truth and greater light.
We are living at a time when Satan is at work on the right
hand and on the left, before and behind us; and yet as a
people we are asleep. God wills that a voice shall be
heard arousing His people to action. --"Testimonies for the
 Preaching Contrary to Established
Doctrines
"The angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors,
and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the
temple to the people all the words of this life." We see here
that the men in authority are not always to be obeyed, even
though they may profess to be teachers of Bible doctrine.
There are many today who feel indignant and aggrieved that
any voice should be raised presenting ideas that differ from
their own in regard to points of religious belief. Have they not
long advocated their ideas as truth? So the priests and rabbis
reasoned in apostolic days: What mean these men who are
unlearned, some of them mere fishermen, who are presenting
ideas contrary to the doctrines which the learned priests and
rulers are teaching the people? They have no right to meddle
with the fundamental principles of our faith. {TM 69.1}
But we see that the God of heaven sometimes commissions
men to teach that which is regarded as contrary to the
established doctrines.
 TM 70.1
Because those who were once the depositaries of truth became unfaithful
to their sacred trust, the Lord chose others who would receive the bright
beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and would advocate truths that were
not in accordance with the ideas of the religious leaders. And then these
leaders, in the blindness of their minds, give full sway to what is
supposed to be righteous indignation against the ones who have set aside
cherished fables. They act like men who have lost their reason. They do
not consider the possibility that they themselves have not rightly
understood the word. They will not open their eyes to discern the fact
that they have misinterpreted and misapplied the Scriptures, and have
built up false theories, calling them fundamental doctrines of the faith.
{TM 69.2}
But the Holy Spirit will, from time to time, reveal the truth through its
own chosen agencies; and no man, not even a priest or ruler, has a right
to say, You shall not give publicity to your opinions, because I do not
believe them. That wonderful "I" may attempt to put down the Holy
Spirit's teaching. Men may for a time attempt to smother it and kill it; but
that will not make error truth, or truth error. The inventive minds of men
have advanced speculative opinions in various lines, and when the Holy
Spirit lets light shine into human minds, it does not respect every point
of man's application of the word. God impressed His servants to speak
the truth irrespective of what men had taken for granted as truth.
 Jesus
Saw That
this People
Would be stubborn
 Rev. 3:14-18
3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of
the creation of God;
3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my
mouth.
3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked:
 3T 252 The Laodicean Church
The message to the church of the Laodiceans
is a startling denunciation, and is applicable to the
people of God at the present time.
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans
write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true
Witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou
wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked."
The Lord here shows us that the message to be
borne to His people by ministers whom He has called to
warn the people is not a peace-and-safety message. It is
not merely theoretical, but practical in every particular.
The people of God are represented in the message to the
Laodiceans as in a position of carnal security.
They are at ease, believing themselves to be in an
exalted condition of spiritual attainments. "Because thou
 {2T 123.2}
Ministers and people need a
new conversion, a transformation
of the mind, without which we
are not savors of life unto life,
but of death unto death. Great
privileges belong to the people
of God. Great light has been
given them, that they may attain
to their high calling in Christ
Jesus; yet they are not what God
would have them to be and what
He designs they shall be.
 5T 93.2 {1882-1890]
My heart aches day after day and night after
night for our churches. Many are progressing, but
in the back track. "The path of the just . . . shineth
more and more unto the perfect day." Their march
is onward and upward. They progress from
strength to strength, from grace to grace, and
from glory to glory. This is the privilege of all our
churches. But, oh, how different has it been with
them! They need divine illumination. They
must face square about. I know what I say. Unless
they shall become Christians indeed, they will go
from weakness to weakness, divisions will
increase, and many souls will be led to perdition.
All I can say to you is: Take up the light
which God has given you and follow it at any
 TM 372.4
Page after page might be written in regard to these things.
Whole conferences are becoming leavened with the same
perverted principles. "For the rich men thereof are full of
violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and
their tongue is deceitful in their mouth." The Lord will work to
purify His church. I tell you in truth, the Lord is about to turn
and overturn in the institutions [SEE APPENDIX.] called by
His name.
Just how soon this refining process will begin I cannot say,
but it will not be long deferred. He whose fan is in His hand
will cleanse His temple of its moral defilement. He will
thoroughly purge His floor. God has a controversy with all
who practice the least injustice; for in so doing they reject the
authority of God and imperil their interest in the atonement,
the redemption which Christ has undertaken for every son and
daughter of Adam. Will it pay to take a course abhorrent to
God? Will it pay to put upon your censers strange fire to offer
before God, and say it makes no difference? Amen
 {5T 217.2}
The church has turned back from following Christ her
Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. Yet
few are alarmed or astonished at their want of
spiritual power. Doubt, and even disbelief of the
testimonies of the Spirit of God, is leavening our
churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus.
Ministers who preach self instead of Christ would have
it thus. The testimonies are unread and
unappreciated. God has spoken to you. Light has been
shining from His word and from the testimonies, and
both have been slighted and disregarded. The result
is apparent in the lack of purity and devotion and
earnest faith among us. Let each put the question to
his own heart: "How have we fallen into this state of
spiritual feebleness and dissension? Have we not
brought upon ourselves the frown of God because our
actions do not correspond with our faith? Have we not
been seeking the friendship and applause of the world
rather than the presence of Christ and a deeper
knowledge of His will?
 Read
Malachi 3:11-
18
3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in
the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

3:12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall

be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

3:13Your words have been stout against me, saith the

LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken [so much]
against thee?

3:14Ye have said, It [is] vain to serve God: and what

profit [is it] that we have kept his ordinance, and that
we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
 3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that
work wickedness are set up; yea, [they that] tempt God are
even delivered.

3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one
to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a
book of remembrance was written before him for them that
feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in

that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them,
as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the

righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not. Amen