Great Distress Coming, and God’s People Not Prepared For It
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pleasure, flattering themselves that they were engaging in innocent
amusement. Yet I was shown that it was just such indulgences that
separate them from God, and make them children of the world. God
owns not the pleasure, or amusement-seeker as his follower. He has
given us no such example. Those only who are self-denying, and
who live a life of sobriety, humility and holiness, are true followers
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of Jesus; and such cannot engage in, and enjoy the frivolous, empty
conversation of the lovers of the world.
Isaiah 3
, was presented before me. I was shown that this prophecy
has its application to these last days; and the reproofs are given to the
daughters of Zion who have thought only of appearance and display.
Read
verse 25
: “Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the
war.” I was shown that this scripture will be strictly fulfilled. Young
men and women professing to be Christians, yet having no Christian
experience, and having borne no burdens, and felt no individual re-
sponsibility, are to be proved. They will be brought low in the dust,
and long for an experience in the things of God, which they failed to
obtain.
Our Duty to the Poor
Inquiries are often made in regard to our duty to the poor who
embrace the third message; and we have long been anxious to know,
ourselves, how to manage with discretion the cases of poor families
who embrace the Sabbath. But while at Roosevelt, New York, August
3, 1861, I was shown some things in regard to the poor.
God does not require our brethren to take charge of every poor
family that shall embrace this message. If they should do this, the work
of the messengers to enter new fields must cease, for the fund would be
exhausted. Many are poor from their lack of diligence and economy,
and they know not how to use means aright. If they should be helped
it would hurt them. Some will always be poor. If they should have the
very best advantages, their cases would not be helped. They have not
good calculation, and would use all the means they could obtain, be it
much or little. Some know nothing of denying self and economizing to
keep out of debt, and get a little ahead for a time of need. If the church
should help such individuals instead of leaving them to rely upon their
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own resources, they would injure them in the end; for they look to