Persecution Cleanses the Church
Prosperity multiplies a mass of professors. Adversity purges them out of the church.—Testimonies for the Church 4:89 (1876).
The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church.—Testimonies for the Church 5:81 (1882).
In the absence of the persecution there have drifted into our ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity unquestionable, but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us.—Evangelism, 360 (1890).
When the law of God is made void the church will be sifted by fiery trials, and a larger proportion than we now anticipate will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.—Selected Messages 2:368 (1891).
Superficial Believers Will Renounce the Faith
The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith. And at that time the superficial, conservative [Ellen White is not here distinguishing theological conservatives from their liberal counterparts; she is describing those who put “worldly conformity” first and God's cause second.] class, whose influence has steadily retarded the progress of the work, will renounce the faith.—Testimonies for the Church 5:463 (1885).
If Satan sees that the Lord is blessing His people and preparing them to discern his delusions, he will work with his master power to bring in fanaticism on the one hand and cold formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of souls.—Selected Messages 2:19 (1890).
Those who have had privileges and opportunities to become intelligent in regard to the truth and yet who continue to counterwork the work God would have accomplished will be purged out, for God accepts the service of no man whose interest is divided.—Manuscript 64, 1898.
As trials thicken around us, both separation and unity will be seen in our ranks. Some who are now ready to take up weapons of warfare will in times of real peril make it manifest that they have not built upon the solid rock; they will yield to temptation. Those who have had great light and precious privileges but have not improved them will, under one pretext or another, go out from us.—Testimonies for the Church 6:400 (1900).
No comments:
Post a Comment