Chapter 11—To Be on Guard
In God’s Work All Is Quiet, Calm
The enemy is preparing to deceive the whole world by his miracle-
working power. He will assume to personate the angels of light, to
personate Jesus Christ. Everyone who teaches the truth for this time is
to preach the Word. Those who cling to the Word will not throw open
the doors for Satan by making unguarded statements in reference to
prophesying or to dreams and visions. To a greater or less degree, false
manifestations have been coming in, here and there, since 1844, after
the time when we looked for the second coming of Christ. We have had
them in the Garmire case, in the statements of K, and in the Stanton
movement. [
See
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 32
to
62.] We shall have them more and more, and like faithful sentinels
we must be on guard. Letters are coming to me from many persons
concerning visions which they have had and feel it their duty to relate.
May the Lord help His servants to be cautious.
When the Lord has a genuine channel of light, there are always
plenty of counterfeits. Satan will surely enter any door thrown open
for him. He will give messages of truth, mingling with the truth ideas
of his own, prepared to mislead souls, to draw the mind to human
beings and their sayings, and prevent it from holding firmly to a “Thus
[97]
saith the Lord.” In God’s dealings with His people, all is quiet; with
those who trust in Him, all is calm and unpretending. There will be
simple, true, earnest believers in the Bible, and there will be doers of
the Word as well as hearers. There will be sound, earnest, sensible
waiting upon God. The believer will hang his helpless soul on Jesus
Christ. Christ will be exalted. Working and praying, watching and
waiting, is our position.—
Letter 102, 1894
.
A Message to One Claiming to have Visions
[
Written from Washington, D.C., May 24, 1905
.]
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