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From Here to Forever
The First Angel’s Message
The first angel’s message of
Revelation 14
was designed to
separate the professed people of God from corrupting influences.
In this message, God sent to the church a warning which, had it
been accepted, would have corrected the evils that were shutting
them away from Him. Had they received the message, humbling
their hearts and seeking a preparation to stand in His presence, the
Spirit of God would have been manifested. The church would again
have reached that unity, faith, and love of apostolic days, when the
believers “were of one heart and of one soul,” and when “the Lord
added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Acts 4:32
;
2:47
.
If God’s people would receive light from His Word, they would
reach that unity which the apostle describes, “the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace.” “There is,” he says, “one body, and one Spirit,
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one
faith, one baptism.”
Ephesians 4:3-5
.
Those who accepted the advent message came from different
denominations, and their denominational barriers were hurled to the
ground. Conflicting creeds were shivered to atoms. False views of
the second advent were corrected. Wrongs were made right, hearts
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united in sweet fellowship. Love reigned supreme. This doctrine
would have done the same for all, if all had received it.
Ministers, who as watchmen should have been the first to discern
the tokens of Jesus’ coming, had failed to learn the truth from the
prophets or from the signs of the times. Love for God and faith in
His Word had grown cold, and the advent doctrine only aroused their
unbelief. As of old the testimony of God’s Word was met with the
inquiry: “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed?”
John
7:48
. Many discouraged the study of the prophecies, teaching that
the prophetic books were sealed and were not to be understood. Mul-
titudes, trusting their pastors, refused to listen; and others, though
convinced of the truth, dared not confess it lest they should be “put
out of the synagogue.”
John 9:22
. The message God sent for testing
the church revealed how great was the number who had set their
affections on this world rather than on Christ.