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Third Angel’s Message
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as the object of reverence and worship, and there would never have
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been an idolater, an atheist, or an infidel.
That institution which points to God as the Creator is a sign of
His rightful authority over the beings He has made. The change
of the Sabbath is the sign, or mark, of the authority of the Romish
Church. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth com-
mandment, choose to observe the false in place of the true Sabbath,
are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is com-
manded.
A Solemn Message
The most fearful threatening ever addressed to mortals is con-
tained in the third angel’s message. That must be a terrible sin which
calls down the wrath of God unmingled with mercy. Men are not
to be left in darkness concerning this important matter; the warning
against this sin is to be given to the world before the visitation of
God’s judgments, that all may know why they are to be inflicted,
and have opportunity to escape them.
In the issue of the great contest, two distinct, opposite classes are
developed. One class “worship the beast and his image, and receive
his mark,” and thus bring upon themselves the awful judgments
threatened by the third angel. The other class, in marked contrast to
the world, “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Revelation 14:9, 12
.
Such were the momentous truths that opened before those who
received the third angel’s message. As they reviewed their experi-
ence from the first proclamation of the second advent to the passing
of the time in 1844, they saw their disappointment explained, and
hope and joy again animated their hearts. Light from the sanctu-
ary illuminated the past, the present, and the future, and they knew
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that God had led them by His unerring providence. Now with new
courage and firmer faith, they joined in giving the warning of the
third angel. Since 1844, in fulfillment of the prophecy of the third
angel’s message, the attention of the world has been called to the
true Sabbath, and a constantly increasing number are returning to
the observance of God’s holy day.
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