First Angel’s Message
93
them, because they would not receive the light he had sent them from
heaven. Those faithful, disappointed ones, who could not understand
why their Lord did not come, were not left in darkness. Again they
were led to their Bibles to search the prophetic periods. The hand of
the Lord was removed from the figures, and the mistake was explained.
They saw that the prophetic periods reached to 1844, and that the
same evidence they had presented to show that the prophetic periods
closed in 1843, proved that they would terminate in 1844. Light from
the word of God shone upon their position, and they discovered a
tarrying time.—If the vision tarry, wait for it.—In their love for Jesus’
immediate coming, they had overlooked the tarrying of the vision,
which was calculated to manifest the true waiting ones. Again they
had a point of time. Yet I saw that many of them could not rise above
[139]
their severe disappointment, to possess that degree of zeal and energy
which had marked their faith in 1843.
Satan and his angels triumphed over them, and those who would not
receive the message, congratulated themselves upon their far-seeing
judgment and wisdom in not receiving the delusion, as they called it.
They realized not that they were rejecting the counsel of God against
themselves, and that they were working in union with Satan and his
angels to perplex God’s people, who were living out the heaven-born
message.
The believers in this message were oppressed in the churches. Fear
had held them for a time, so that they did not act out the sentiments of
their heart, but the passing of the time revealed their true feelings. They
wished to silence the testimony which the believers felt compelled to
bear, that the prophetic periods extended to 1844. With clearness they
explained their mistake, and gave their reasons why they expected their
Lord in 1844. The opposers could not bring any arguments against
the powerful reasons offered. The anger of the churches was kindled
against them. They were determined not to listen to any evidence,
and to shut their testimony out of the churches, so that others could
not hear it. Those who dared not withhold from others the light God
had given them, were shut out of the churches; but Jesus was with
[140]
them, and they were joyful in the light of his countenance. They were
prepared to received the message of the second angel.
* * * * *