604
Evangelism
must purify their souls through obedience to the truth, and be prepared
to stand without fault before Him at His coming.
Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast
their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God,
receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy
Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation
of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the
work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere
this to receive His people to their reward. But in the period of doubt
and uncertainty that followed the disappointment, many of the advent
believers yielded their faith.... Thus the work was hindered, and the
world was left in darkness. Had the whole Adventist body united upon
the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, how widely different
[696]
would have been our history!
It was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus
delayed. God did not design that His people, Israel, should wander
forty years in the wilderness. He promised to lead them directly to
the land of Canaan, and establish them there a holy, healthy, happy
people. But those to whom it was first preached, went not in “because
of unbelief.” Their hearts were filled with murmuring, rebellion, and
hatred, and He could not fulfill His covenant with them.
For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out
ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the
entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case
were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness,
unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have
kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.—
Manuscript 4,
1883
.
Charge It Not to God—We may have to remain here in this world
because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of
Israel; but for Christ’s sake, His people should not add sin to sin by
charging God with the consequence of their own wrong course of
action.—
Letter 184, 1901
.
We May Hasten the Day—By giving the gospel to the world it
is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return.—
The Desire of Ages,
633
(1898).
It is the privilege of every Christian, not only to look for, but to
hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Were all who profess His