Chapter 37—The Scriptures a Safeguard
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
Isaiah 8:20
. The
people of God are directed to the Scriptures as their safeguard against
the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of
darkness. Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from
obtaining a knowledge of the Bible; for its plain utterances reveal
his deceptions. At every revival of God’s work the prince of evil is
aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost
efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers. The last
great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his
marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble
the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except
by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every
miracle must be tested.
Those who endeavor to obey all the commandments of God will be
opposed and derided. They can stand only in God. In order to endure
the trial before them, they must understand the will of God as revealed
in His word; they can honor Him only as they have a right conception
of His character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance
with them. None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths
of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul
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will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The
decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of
God’s immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of
the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?
Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that
He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels
were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. But the
disciples were looking for temporal deliverance from the Roman yoke,
and they could not tolerate the thought that He in whom all their hopes
centered should suffer an ignominious death. The words which they
needed to remember were banished from their minds; and when the
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