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The First Angel’s Message
[See Appendix.]
I saw that God was in the proclamation of the time in 1843. It
was His design to arouse the people and bring them to a testing point,
where they should decide for or against the truth. Ministers were
convinced of the correctness of the positions taken on the prophetic
periods, and some renounced their pride, and left their salaries and
their churches to go forth from place to place to give the message.
But as the message from heaven could find a place in the hearts
of but few of the professed ministers of Christ, the work was laid
upon many who were not preachers. Some left their fields to sound
the message, while others were called from their shops and their
merchandise. And even some professional men were compelled to
leave their professions to engage in the unpopular work of giving
the first angel’s message.
Ministers laid aside their sectarian views and feelings and united
in proclaiming the coming of Jesus. Wherever the message was
given, it moved the people. Sinners repented, wept, and prayed for
forgiveness, and those whose lives had been marked with dishonesty
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were anxious to make restitution. Parents felt the deepest solicitude
for their children. Those who received the message labored with
their unconverted friends and relatives, and with their souls bowed
with the weight of the solemn message, warned and entreated them
to prepare for the coming of the Son of man. Those cases were
most hardened that would not yield to such a weight of evidence
set home by heartfelt warnings. This soul-purifying work led the
affections away from worldly things to a consecration never before
experienced.
Thousands were led to embrace the truth preached by William
Miller, and servants of God were raised up in the spirit and power
of Elijah to proclaim the message. Like John, the forerunner of
Jesus, those who preached this solemn message felt compelled to
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