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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4
them an honor, in comparison with which earthly honor and human
greatness sink into insignificance.
As the majority of Adventists rejected the truths concerning the
sanctuary and the law of God, many also renounced their faith in the
Advent movement, and adopted unsound and conflicting views of
the prophecies which applied to that work. Some were led into the
error of repeated time-setting. The light of the third message would
have shown them that no prophetic period extends to the coming of
Christ; that the exact time of his coming is not foretold. But, turning
from the light, they continued to set time after time for the Lord to
come, and as often were disappointed.
When the Thessalonian church received erroneous views con-
cerning the coming of Christ, the apostle Paul counseled them to
carefully test their hopes and anticipations by the word of God. He
cited them to prophecies revealing the events to take place before
Christ should come, and showed that they had no ground to expect
him in their day. “Let no man deceive you by any means,” are his
words of warning. Should they indulge expectations that were not
sanctioned by the Scriptures, they would be led to a mistaken course
of action; disappointment would expose them to the derision of
unbelievers, and they would be in danger of yielding to discourage-
ment, and would be tempted to doubt the truths essential for their
salvation. The apostle’s admonition to the Thessalonians contains
an important lesson for those who live in the last days. Many Ad-
ventists have felt that unless they could fix their faith upon a definite
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time for the Lord’s coming, they could not be zealous and diligent
in the work of preparation. But as their hopes are again and again
excited, only to be destroyed, their faith receives such a shock that
it becomes well-nigh impossible for them to be impressed by the
great truths of prophecy. The more frequently a definite time is set
for the second advent, and the more widely it is taught, the better
it suits the purposes of Satan. After the time has passed, he excites
ridicule and contempt of its advocates, and thus casts reproach upon
the true time movement of 1843 and 1844. Those who persist in this
error will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming
of Christ. Thus they will be led to rest in a false security, and many
will not be undeceived until it is too late.