Chapter 21 : A Warning Rejected

In preaching the doctrine of the second advent, William Miller

and his associates had labored with the sole purpose of arousing

men to a preparation for the Judgment. They had sought to awaken

professors of religion to the true hope of the church, and to their need

of a deeper Christian experience; and they labored also to awaken

the unconverted to the duty of immediate repentance and conversion

to God. “They made no attempt to convert men to a sect or party in

religion. Hence they labored among all parties and sects, without

interfering with their organization or discipline.”

“In all my labors,” said Miller, “I never had the desire or thought

to establish any separate interest from that of existing denominations,

or to benefit one at the expense of another. I thought to benefit all.

Supposing that all Christians would rejoice in the prospect of Christ’s

coming, and that those who could not see as I did would not love any

the less those who should embrace this doctrine, I did not conceive

there would ever be any necessity for separate meetings. My whole

object was a desire to convert souls to God, to notify the world of

a coming Judgment, and to induce my fellow-men to make that

preparation of heart which will enable them to meet their God in

peace. The great majority of those who were converted under my

labors united with the various existing churches.”

As his work tended to build up the churches, it was for a time

regarded with favor. But as ministers and religious leaders decided

[376] against the Advent doctrine, and desired to suppress all agitation

of the subject, they not only opposed it from the pulpit, but denied

their members the privilege of attending preaching upon the second

advent, or even of speaking of their hope in the social meetings of

the church. Thus the believers found themselves in a position of

great trial and perplexity. They loved their churches, and were loth

to separate from them; but as they saw the testimony of God’s Word

suppressed, and their right to investigate the prophecies denied, they

felt that loyalty to God forbade them to submit. Those who sought

to shut out the testimony of God’s Word they could not regard as

constituting the church of Christ, “the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Hence they felt themselves justified in separating from their former

connection. In the summer of 1844 about fifty thousand withdrew

from the churches.

About this time a marked change was apparent in most of the

churches throughout the United States. There had been for many

years a gradual but steadily increasing conformity to worldly practices

and customs, and a corresponding decline in real spiritual life;

but in that year there were evidences of a sudden and marked declension,

in nearly all the churches of the land. While none seemed able

to suggest the cause, the fact itself was widely noted and commented

upon, both by the press and the pulpit.

At a meeting of the presbytery of Philadelphia, Mr. Barnes,

author of the commentary so widely used, and pastor of one of

the leading churches in that city, “stated that he had been in the

ministry for twenty years, and never till the last communion had

he administered the ordinance without receiving more or less into

the church. But now there are no awakenings, no conversions, not

much apparent growth in grace in professors, and none come to

his study to converse about the salvation of their souls. With the

increase of business, and the brightening prospects of commerce and

manufactures, there is an increase of worldly-mindedness. Thus it is

with all denominations.”

In the month of February of the same year, Professor Finney, [377]

of Oberlin College, said: “We have had the facts before our minds,

that, in general, the Protestant churches of our country, as such,

were either apathetic or hostile to nearly all the moral reforms of the

age. There are partial exceptions, yet not enough to render the fact

otherwise than general. We have also another corroborative fact,—

the almost universal absence of revival influence in the churches.

The spiritual apathy is almost all-pervading, and is fearfully deep;

so the religious press of the whole land testifies. Very extensively,

church-members are becoming devotees of fashion, joining hands

with the ungodly in parties of pleasure, in dancing, in festivities,

etc. But we need not expand this painful subject. Suffice it that

the evidence thickens and rolls heavily upon us, to show that the

churches generally are becoming sadly degenerate. They have gone

very far from the Lord, and he has withdrawn himself from them.”

And a writer in the Religious Telescope testified: “We have never

witnessed such a general declension as at present. Truly, the church

should awake, and search into the cause of this affliction; for an

affliction every one that loves Zion must view it. When we call to

mind how few and far between cases of true conversion are, and the

almost unparalleled impenitence and hardness of sinners, we almost

involuntarily exclaim, ‘Has God forgotten to be gracious? or is the

door of mercy closed?’”

Such a condition never exists without cause in the church itself.

The spiritual darkness which falls upon nations, upon churches and

individuals, is due, not to an arbitrary withdrawal of the succors

of divine grace on the part of God, but to neglect or rejection of

divine light on the part of men. A striking illustration of this truth is

presented in the history of the Jewish people in the time of Christ.

By their devotion to the world and forgetfulness of God and his

[378] Word, their understanding had become darkened, their hearts earthly

and sensual. Thus they were in ignorance concerning Messiah’s

advent, and in their pride and unbelief they rejected the Redeemer.

God did not even then cut off the Jewish nation from a knowledge

of, or a participation in, the blessings of salvation. But those who

rejected the truth lost all desire for the gift of Heaven. They had “put

darkness for light, and light for darkness,” until the light which was

in them became darkness; and how great was that darkness!

It suits the policy of Satan, that men should retain the forms of

religion, if but the spirit of vital godliness is lacking. After their

rejection of the gospel, the Jews continued zealously to maintain

their ancient rites, they rigorously preserved their national exclusiveness,

while they themselves could not but admit that the presence of

God was no longer manifest among them. The prophecy of Daniel

pointed so unmistakably to the time of Messiah’s coming, and so

directly foretold his death, that they discouraged its study, and finally

the rabbis pronounced a curse on all who should attempt a

computation of the time. In blindness and impenitence, the people

of Israel for eighteen hundred years have stood, indifferent to the

gracious offers of salvation, unmindful of the blessings of the gospel,

a solemn and fearful warning of the danger of rejecting light from

Heaven.

Wherever the cause exists, the same results will follow. He who

deliberately stifles his convictions of duty because it interferes with

his inclinations, will finally lose the power to distinguish between

truth and error. The understanding becomes darkened, the conscience

callous, the heart hardened, and the soul is separated from

God. Where the message of divine truth is spurned or slighted, there

the church will be enshrouded in darkness; faith and love grow cold,

and estrangement and dissension enter. Church-members center

their interests and energies in worldly pursuits, and sinners become

hardened in their impenitence.

The first angel’s message of Revelation 14, announcing the hour [379]

of God’s Judgment, and calling upon men to fear and worship him,

was designed to separate the professed people of God from the

corrupting influences of the world, and to arouse them to see their

true condition of worldliness and backsliding. In this message, God

had 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 from Heaven, humbling their hearts

before the Lord, and seeking in sincerity a preparation to stand in his

presence, the Spirit and power of God would have been manifested

among them. The church would again have reached that blessed

state of unity, faith, and love, which existed in apostolic days, when

the believers were of “one heart and of one soul,” and “spake the

word of God with boldness,” when “the Lord added to the church

daily such as should be saved.” [Acts 4:32, 31; 2:47.]

If God’s professed people would receive the light as it shines

upon them from his Word, they would reach that unity for which

Christ prayed, that 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.]

Such were the blessed results experienced by those who accepted

the Advent message. They “came from different denominations, and

their denominational barriers were hurled to the ground; conflicting

creeds were shivered to atoms; the unscriptural hope of a temporal

millennium was abandoned, false views of the second advent

322 The Great Controversy 1888

were corrected, pride and conformity to the world were swept away;

wrongs were made right; hearts were united in the sweetest fellowship,

and love and joy reigned supreme. If this doctrine did this for

the few who did receive it, it would have done the same for all, if all

had received it.”

[380] But the churches generally did not accept the warning. Their

ministers, who as “watchmen unto the house of Israel,” should have

been the first to discern the tokens of Jesus’ coming, had failed to

learn the truth, either from the testimony of the prophets or from

the signs of the times. As worldly hopes and ambitions filled the

heart, love for God and faith in his Word had grown cold, and when

the Advent doctrine was presented, it only aroused their prejudice

and unbelief. The fact that the message was, to a great extent,

preached by laymen, was urged as an argument against it. As of

old, the plain testimony of God’s Word was met with the inquiry,

“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed?” And finding

how difficult a task it was to refute the arguments drawn from the

prophetic periods, many discouraged the study of the prophecies,

teaching that the prophetic books were sealed, and were not to be

understood. Multitudes, trusting implicitly to their pastors, refused

to listen to the warning; and others, though convinced of the truth,

dared not confess it, lest they should be “put out of the synagogue.”

The message which God had sent for the testing and purification of

the church, revealed all too surely how great was the number who

had set their affections on this world rather than upon Christ. The

ties which bound them to earth were stronger than the attractions

heavenward. They chose to listen to the voice of worldly wisdom,

and turned away from the heart-searching message of truth.

In refusing the warning of the first angel, they rejected the means

which Heaven had provided for their restoration. They spurned

the gracious messenger that would have corrected the evils which

separated them from God, and with greater eagerness they turned

to seek the friendship of the world. Here was the cause of that

fearful condition of worldliness, backsliding, and spiritual death

which existed in the churches in 1844.

In Revelation 14, the first angel is followed by a second, pro[

381] claiming, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she

made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

[Revelation 14:8.] The term Babylon is derived from Babel, and signifies

confusion. It is employed in Scripture to designate the various

forms of false or apostate religion. In Revelation 17, Babylon is

represented as a woman, a figure which is used in the Bible as the

symbol of a church, a virtuous woman representing a pure church, a

vile woman an apostate church.

In the Bible the sacred and enduring character of the relation that

exists between Christ and his church is represented by the union of

marriage. The Lord has joined his people to himself by a solemn

covenant, he promising to be their God, and they pledging themselves

to be his, and his alone. He declares, “I will betroth thee

unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness,

and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies.” [Hosea

2:19.] And again, “I am married unto you.” [Jeremiah 3:14.] And

Paul employs the same figure in the New Testament, when he says,

“I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a

chaste virgin to Christ.” [2 Corinthians 11:2.]

The unfaithfulness of the church to Christ in permitting her confidence

and affection to be turned from him, and allowing the love

of worldly things to occupy the soul, is likened to the violation of

the marriage vow. The sin of Israel in departing from the Lord is

presented under this figure; and the wonderful love of God which

they thus despised is touchingly portrayed. “I sware unto thee, and

entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou

becamest mine.” “And thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst

prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen

for thy beauty; for it was perfect through my comeliness, which

I had put upon thee.... But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and

playedst the harlot because of thy renown.” “As a wife treacherously

departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with [382]

me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord;” “as a wife that committeth

adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband.” [Ezekiel

16:8, 13-15, 32; Jeremiah 3:20.]

In the New Testament, language very similar is addressed to

professed Christians who seek the friendship of the world above the

favor of God. Says the apostle James: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses,

know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with

God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy

of God.”

The woman, Babylon, of Revelation 17, is described as “arrayed

in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones

and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and

filthiness.... And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery,

Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots.” Says the prophet, “I saw

the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood

of the martyrs of Jesus.” [Revelation 17:4-6.] Babylon is further

declared to be “that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the

earth.” [Revelation 17:18.] The power that for so many centuries

maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom, is

Rome. The purple and scarlet color, the gold and precious stones

and pearls, vividly picture the magnificence and more than kingly

pomp affected by the haughty see of Rome. And no other power

could be so truly declared “drunken with the blood of the saints” as

that church which has so cruelly persecuted the followers of Christ.

Babylon is also charged with the sin of unlawful connection with

“the kings of the earth.” It was by departure from the Lord, and

alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish church became a harlot;

and Rome, corrupting herself in like manner by seeking the support

of worldly powers, receives a like condemnation.

Babylon is said to be “the mother of harlots.” By her daughters

must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and

[383] traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval

of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world.

The message of Revelation 14 announcing the fall of Babylon, must

apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt.

Since this message follows the warning of the Judgment, it

must be given in the last days, therefore it cannot refer to the Romish

Church, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many

centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation,

in a message which is yet future, the people of God are called upon

to come out of Babylon. According to this scripture, many of God’s

people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are

the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without

doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the

time of their rise, these churches took a noble stand for God and the

truth, and his blessing was with them. Even the unbelieving world

was constrained to acknowledge the beneficent results that followed

an acceptance of the principles of the gospel. In the words of the

prophet to Israel, “Thy renown went forth among the heathen for

thy beauty; for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had

put upon thee, saith the Lord God.” But they fell by the same desire

which was the curse and ruin of Israel,—the desire of imitating the

practices and courting the friendship of the ungodly. “Thou didst

trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy

renown.”

Many of the Protestant churches are following Rome’s example

of iniquitous connection with “the kings of the earth;” the State

churches, by their relation to secular governments, and other denominations

by seeking the favor of the world. And the term Babylon—

confusion—may be appropriately applied to these bodies, all

professing to derive their doctrines from the Bible, yet divided into

almost innumerable sects, with widely conflicting creeds and theories.

Besides a sinful union with the world, the churches that separated

from Rome present other of her characteristics.

A Romish work—the “Catholic Christian Instructed”—makes [384]

the charge: “If the Church of Rome was ever guilty of idolatry in

relation to the saints, her daughter, the Church of England, stands

guilty of the same, which has ten churches dedicated to Mary for

one dedicated to Christ.”

And Mr. Hopkins, in a treatise on the Millennium, declares:

“There is no reason to consider the antichristian spirit and practices

confined to what is now called the Church of Rome. The Protestant

churches have much of antichrist in them, and are far from being

wholly reformed from corruption and wickedness.”

Concerning the separation of the Presbyterian Church from

Rome, Dr. Guthrie writes: “Three hundred years ago, our church,

with an open Bible on her banner, and this motto, ‘Search the Scriptures,’

on her scroll, marched out from the gates of Rome.” Then he

asks the significant question, “Did they come clean out of Babylon?”

“The Church of England,” says Spurgeon, “seems to be eaten

through and through with sacramentarianism; but non-conformity

appears to be almost as badly riddled with philosophical infidelity.

Those of whom we thought better things are turning aside one by

one from the fundamentals of the faith. Through and through, I

believe, the very heart of England is honeycombed with a damnable

infidelity which dares still go into the pulpit and call itself Christian.”

What was the origin of the great apostasy? How did the church

first depart from the simplicity of the gospel?—By conforming to the

practices of paganism, to facilitate the acceptance of Christianity by

the heathen. The apostle Paul declared, even in his day, “The mystery

of iniquity doth already work.” [2 Thessalonians 2:7.] During the

lives of the apostles the church remained comparatively pure. “But

toward the latter end of the second century most of the churches

assumed a new form, the first simplicity disappeared; and insensibly,

[385] as the old disciples retired to their graves, their children, along

with new converts ... came forward and new-modeled the cause.”

[Robinson, in History of Baptism.] To secure converts, the exalted

standard of the Christian faith was lowered, and as the result “a pagan

flood, flowing into the church, carried with it its customs, practices,

and idols.” [Gavazzi’s Lectures, p. 290.] As the Christian religion

secured the favor and support of secular rulers, it was nominally

accepted by multitudes; but while in appearance Christians, many

“remained in substance pagans, especially worshiping in secret their

idols.” [Gavazzi’s Lectures, p. 290.]

Has not the same process been repeated in nearly every church

calling itself Protestant? As its founders, those who possessed the

true spirit of reform, pass away, their descendants come forward and

“new model the cause.” While blindly clinging to the creed of their

fathers and refusing to accept any truth in advance of what they saw,

the children of the reformers depart widely from their example of

humility, self-denial, and renunciation of the world. Thus “the first

simplicity disappears.” A worldly flood, flowing into the church,

“carries with it its customs, practices, and idols.”

Alas, to what a fearful extent is that friendship of the world which

is “enmity with God,” now cherished among the professed followers

of Christ! How widely have the popular churches throughout

Christendom departed from the Bible standard of humility, self-denial,

simplicity, and godliness! Said John Wesley, in speaking of

the right use of money: “Do not waste any part of so precious a

talent, merely in gratifying the desire of the eye, by superfluous

and expensive apparel, or by needless ornaments. Waste no part of

it in curiously adorning your houses; in superfluous or expensive

furniture; in costly pictures, painting, gilding.” “Lay out nothing to

gratify the pride of life, to gain the admiration or praise of men.”

“‘So long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of

thee.’ So long as thou art ‘clothed in purple and fine linen, and farest

sumptuously every day,’ no doubt many will applaud thine elegance

of taste, thy generosity and hospitality. But do not buy their applause [386]

so dear. Rather be content with the honor that cometh from God.”

But in many churches of our time, such teaching is disregarded.

A profession of religion has become popular with the world.

Rulers, politicians, lawyers, doctors, merchants, join the church

as a means of securing the respect and confidence of society, and

advancing their own worldly interests. Thus they seek to cover all

their unrighteous transactions under a profession of Christianity. The

various religious bodies, re-enforced by the wealth and influence

of these baptized worldlings, make a still higher bid for popularity

and patronage. Splendid churches, embellished in the most extravagant

manner, are erected on popular avenues. The worshipers array

themselves in costly and fashionable attire. A high salary is paid

for a talented minister to entertain and attract the people. His sermons

must not touch popular sins, but be made smooth and pleasing

for fashionable ears. Thus fashionable sinners are enrolled on the

church-records, and fashionable sins are concealed under a pretense

of godliness.

Commenting on the present attitude of professed Christians toward

the world, a leading secular journal says: “Insensibly the

church has yielded to the spirit of the age, and adapted its forms of

worship to modern wants.” “All things, indeed, that help to make religion

attractive, the church now employs as its instruments.” And a

writer in the New York Independent speaks thus concerning Methodism

as it is: “The line of separation between the godly and the

irreligious fades out into a kind of penumbra, and zealous men on

both sides are toiling to obliterate all difference between their modes

of action and enjoyment.” “The popularity of religion tends vastly to

increase the number of those who would secure its benefits without

squarely meeting its duties.”

Says Howard Crosby: “The church of God is today courting the

[387] world. Its members are trying to bring it down to the level of the

ungodly. The ball, the theater, nude and lewd art, social luxuries

with all their loose moralities, are making inroads into the sacred

inclosure of the church; and as a satisfaction for all this worldliness,

Christians are making a great deal of Lent and Easter and church

ornamentation. It is the old trick of Satan. The Jewish church struck

on that rock; the Romish church was wrecked on the same; and the

Protestant is fast reaching the same doom.”

In this tide of worldliness and pleasure-seeking, self-denial and

self-sacrifice for Christ’s sake are almost wholly lost. “Some of the

men and women now in active life in our churches were educated,

when children, to make sacrifices in order to be able to give or to

do something for Christ.” But “if funds are wanted now, ... nobody

must be called on to give. Oh, no! have a fair, tableaux, a mock trial,

an antiquarian supper, or something to eat, anything to amuse the

people.”

Governor Washburn, of Wisconsin, in his annual message declared

“that church fairs, charitable raffles, concert lotteries for charitable

and other purposes, prize packages, ‘grabbags,’ Sabbath-school

and other religious chances by ticket, are nurseries of crime, inasmuch

as they promise something for nothing, are games of chance,

and are really gambling. He says that the pernicious spirit of gambling

is fostered, encouraged, and kept alive by these agencies to

a degree little known by good citizens; and that, but for them, the

ordinary laws against gambling would be much less violated and

much more easily enforced. These practices, he declares, ought not

to be permitted any longer to debauch the morals of the young.”

The spirit of worldly conformity is invading the churches

throughout Christendom. Robert Atkins, in a sermon preached in

London, draws a dark picture of the spiritual declension that prevails

in England: “The truly righteous are diminished from the earth, and

[388] no man layeth it to heart. The professors of religion of the present

day, in every church, are lovers of the world, conformers to the

world, lovers of creature-comfort, and aspirers after respectability.

They are called to suffer with Christ, but they shrink from even reproach.

Apostasy, apostasy, apostasy, is engraven on the very front

of every church; and did they know it, and did they feel it, there

might be hope; but, alas! they cry, ‘We are rich, and increased in

goods, and have need of nothing.’”

The great sin charged against Babylon is, that she “made all

nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” This

cup of intoxication which she presents to the world, represents the

false doctrines that she has accepted as the result of her unlawful

connection with the great ones of the earth. Friendship with the

world corrupts her faith, and in her turn she exerts a corrupting

influence upon the world by teaching doctrines which are opposed

to the plainest statements of Holy Writ.

Rome withheld the Bible from the people, and required all men to

accept her teachings in its place. It was the work of the Reformation

to restore to men the Word of God; but is it not too true that in the

churches of our time men are taught to rest their faith upon their

creed and the teachings of their church rather than on the Scriptures?

Said Charles Beecher, speaking of the Protestant churches: “They

shrink from any rude word against creeds with the same sensitiveness

with which those holy fathers would have shrunk from a rude word

against the rising veneration for saints and martyrs which they were

fostering.... The Protestant evangelical denominations have so tied

up one another’s hands, and their own, that, between them all, a

man cannot become a preacher at all, anywhere, without accepting

some book besides the Bible.... There is nothing imaginary in the

statement that the creed power is now beginning to prohibit the Bible

as really as Rome did, though in a subtler way.”

When faithful teachers expound the Word of God, there arise [389]

men of learning, ministers professing to understand the Scriptures,

who denounce sound doctrine as heresy, and thus turn away inquirers

after truth. Were it not that the world is hopelessly intoxicated with

the wine of Babylon, multitudes would be convicted and converted

by the plain, cutting truths of the Word of God. But religious faith

appears so confused and discordant, that the people know not what

to believe as truth. The sin of the world’s impenitence lies at the

door of the church.

The second angel’s message of Revelation 14, was first preached

in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to

the churches of the United States, where the warning of the Judgment

had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and

where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the

message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in

1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence

of their refusal of the light of the Advent message; but that fall was

not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths

for this time, they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however,

can it be said that “Babylon is fallen, ... because she made all

nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” She has

not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world-conforming and

indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been

gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries

of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and

terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy

has not yet reached its culmination.

The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord, Satan

will work “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all

deceivableness of unrighteousness;” and they that “received not the

love of the truth, that they might be saved,” will be left to receive

[390] “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” [2 Thessalonians

2:9-11.] Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of

the church with the world shall be fully accomplished, throughout

Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a

progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8 is yet

future.

Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness, and alienation from God,

that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body

of Christ’s true followers are still to be found in their communion.

There are many of these who have never seen the special truths for

this time. Not a few are dissatisfied with their present condition,

and are longing for clearer light. They look in vain for the image

of Christ in the churches with which they are connected. As these

bodies depart farther and farther from the truth, and ally themselves

more closely with the world, the difference between the two classes

will widen, and it will finally result in separation. The time will

come when those who love God supremely can no longer remain in

connection with such as are “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of

God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”

Revelation 18 points to the time when, as the result of rejecting

the threefold warning of Revelation 14:6-12, the church will have

fully reached the condition foretold by the second angel, and the

people of God, still in Babylon, will be called upon to separate from

her communion. This message is the last that will ever be given to

the world; and it will accomplish its work. When those that “believed

not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness,” [2 Thessalonians

2:12.] shall be left to receive strong delusion, and to believe a lie,

then the light of truth will shine upon all whose hearts are open to

receive it, and all the children of the Lord, that remain in Babylon,

will heed the call, “Come out of her, my people.” [Revelation 18:4.]