Apostasy
APOS'TASY, noun [Gr. a defection, to depart.]
1. An abandonment of what one has professed; a total desertion, or departure from one's faith or religion.
2. The desertion from a party to which one has adhered.
Noah Webster's Dictionary 1828
apostasy (n.)
late 14c., apostasie, "renunciation, abandonment or neglect of established religion," from Late Latin apostasia, from later Greek apostasia for earlier apostasis "revolt, defection," literally "a standing off," from apostanai "to stand away" (see apostate (n.)). The general (non-religious) sense of "abandonment of what one has professed" is attested from 1570s.
Online Etymology Dictionary
"We are repeating the history of that people." "We have wandered away from the old landmarks." "Said the angel, 'Ye have done worse than they.' " "The church has turned back from following Christ her leader, and is steadily retreating toward Egypt." "As Jesus views the state of His professed followers today, He sees base ingratitude, hollow formalism, hypocritical insincerity, Pharisaical pride and apostasy."—"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 5, p. 160; Vol. 1, p. 129; Vol. 5, p. 72.
How do Seventh-day Adventists survive the consequences of our own message of warning while we are warning the world?
We must receive heaven-sent revealed truth through all His prophets. To reject one is tantamount to rejecting all. Therefore we should not be ignorant of the question,
What is Apostasy? and
Could we recognize it without "eyesalve"?
“We should come into a position where every difference will be melted away. If I think I have light, I shall do my duty in presenting it. Suppose I consulted others concerning the message the Lord would have me give to the people, the door might be closed so that the light might not reach the ones to whom God had sent it.“—Review & Herald, February 18, 1890 par. 15
“The light of the glory of God must fall upon us. We need the holy unction from on high. However intelligent, however learned a man may be, he is not qualified to teach unless he has a firm hold on the God of Israel. He who is connected with Heaven will do the works of Christ. By faith in God he will have power to move upon humanity. He will seek for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. If divine power does not combine with human effort, I would not give a straw for all that the greatest man could do. The Holy Spirit is wanting in our work. Nothing frightens me more than to see the spirit of variance manifested by our brethren. We are on dangerous ground when we cannot meet together like Christians, and courteously examine controverted points. I feel like fleeing from the place lest I receive the mold of those who cannot candidly investigate the doctrines of the Bible. Those who cannot impartially examine the evidences of a position that differs from theirs, are not fit to teach in any department of God's cause. What we need is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without this, we are no more fitted to go forth to the world than were the disciples after the crucifixion of their Lord. Jesus knew their destitution, and told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be endowed with power from on high. Every teacher must be a learner, that his eyes may be anointed to see the evidences of the advancing truth of God. The beams of the Sun of Righteousness must shine into his own heart if he would impart light to others.”—Review & Herald, February 18, 1890 par. 13
Attached below is a two-page document reporting on the fulfillment of prophecy in our church to the very letter.
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Let us examine more closely TM, p.
475.3
However, before we do, let us take these thoughts for our meditation.
“…There are many among us who are prejudiced against the
doctrines that are now being discussed. They will not come to hear, they will
not calmly investigate, but they put forth their objections in the dark. They
are perfectly satisfied with their position.”—Review & Herald,
February 18, 1890 par. 18
“No one is able
to explain the Scriptures without the aid of the Holy Spirit. But when you take
up the word of God with a humble, teachable heart, the angels of God will be by
your side to impress you with evidences of the truth. When the Spirit of God
rests upon you, there will be no feeling of envy or jealousy in examining
another's position; there will be no spirit of accusation and criticism, such
as Satan inspired in the hearts of the Jewish leaders against Christ.”—Review & Herald, February 18, 1890 par. 14
“…We are on dangerous ground when we cannot meet together
like Christians, and courteously examine controverted points. I feel like
fleeing from the place lest I receive the mold of those who cannot candidly
investigate the doctrines of the Bible. Those who cannot impartially examine
the evidences of a position that differs from theirs, are not fit to teach in
any department of God's cause.”—Review
& Herald, February 18, 1890 par.
13
“…Brethren, we must not put our dependence in man. ‘Cease ye
from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted
of?‘ You must hang your helpless souls upon Jesus. It does not become us to
drink from the fountain of the valley, when there is a fountain in the
mountain. Let us leave the lower streams; let us come to the higher springs. If
there is a point of truth that you do not understand, upon which you do not
agree, investigate, compare scripture with scripture, sink the shaft of truth
down deep into the mine of God's word. You must lay yourselves and your
opinions on the altar of God, put away your preconceived ideas, and let the Spirit
of Heaven guide you into all truth.”—Review
& Herald, February 18, 1890 par.
17
…"Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and
have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the
fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,
and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with
eye-salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be
zealous therefore, and repent."
This scripture
applies to those [SDAs] who live under the sound of the message, but who will
not come to hear it. How do you know but that the Lord is giving fresh
evidences of his truth, placing it in a new setting, that the way of the Lord
may be prepared? What plans have you been laying that new light may be infused
through the ranks of God's people? What evidence have you that God has NOT sent
light to his children? All self-sufficiency, egotism, and pride of opinion must
be put away. We must come to the feet of Jesus, and learn of him who is meek
and lowly of heart. Jesus did not teach his disciples as the rabbis taught
theirs. Many of the Jews came and listened as Christ revealed the mysteries of
salvation, but they came not to learn; they came to criticise, to catch him in
some inconsistency, that they might have something with which to prejudice the
people. They were content with their knowledge, but the children of God must
know the voice of the true Shepherd. Is not this a time when it would be highly
proper to fast and pray before God? We are in danger of variance, in danger of
taking sides on a controverted point; and should we not seek God in
earnestness, with humiliation of soul, that we may know what is truth?”—Review & Herald, February 18, 1890 par. 18, 19
page 1
* * *
“We do not go deep
enough in our search for truth. Every soul who believes present truth will be
brought where he will be required to give a reason of the hope that is in him.
The people of God will be called upon to stand before kings, princes, rulers,
and great men of the earth, and they must know that they do know what is truth.
They must be converted men and women. God can teach you more in one moment by
his Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth.… At an
infinite cost, God has provided for every man an opportunity to know that which
will make him wise unto salvation. How eagerly do angels look to see who will
avail himself of this opportunity! When a message is presented to God's people,
they should not rise up in opposition to it; they should go to the Bible,
comparing it with the law and the testimony, and if it does not bear this test,
it is not true. ”—Review & Herald, February 18, 1890 par. 23
“Let Heaven Guide
“Prophecy must be
fulfilled. The Lord says: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Somebody is
to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, [SEE APPENDIX.] and when he appears,
men may say: "You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in
the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message."—TM:475.3
“[SEE APPENDIX.]” is man’s addition to the passage. It is
not a part of the statement found and published originally in the Review & Herald, February 18, 1890 "How to Meet a Controverted Point of
Doctrine." [MORNING TALK AT BATTLE CREEK, MICH., JAN. 29, 1890.] By Mrs. E. G.
White. It is most certain self-evident of a confession of blindness. Any who
offers an explanation other than the plainest words chosen by Inspiration is an attempt to interpose themselves between God and His people. To intercept what God would have communicated to His fold. It is an attempt to mislead, and misdirect the reader’s attention in the Seventh-day Adventist
church unto whom it is written from God. 1) The three future participles used are violated.
2) Gender is ignored, and irrelevant, and 3) contempt is placed upon a plain declaration
that should not be mysterious for it does not employ figures or symbols.
“John was called
to do a special work [[while Apostasy is ripe]]; he was to prepare the way of the
Lord, to make straight his paths. The Lord did not send him to the school of
the prophets and rabbis. He took him away from the assemblies of men to the
desert, that he might learn of nature and nature's God. God did not desire him
to have the mold of the priests and rulers. He was called to do a special work.
The Lord gave him his message. Did he go to the priests and rulers and ask if
he might proclaim this message?—No, God put him away from them that he might
not be influenced by their spirit and teaching.”—Review & Herald,
February 18, 1890 par. 11
Elijah the Tishbite is the type. He was an individual. John
the Baptist (who came in the same “Spirit and power of Elijah”) was also an
individual. Likewise, the prophecy of Mal. 3:1-3; 4:4, 5 calls for and will be also an
individual.
By doing this, the church is hiding the truth of the Spirit
of Prophecy from God's people and aiding the enemy to deceive the church. The
servant of the Lord says the Elijah message is to come. (See 9T, p. 16; TM, p. 475.3) They have been telling us that the Sunday blue law is
the thing that is to make the shaking in the church; but the Spirit of Prophecy
says: "I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that
it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the
True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the
receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight
truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it,
and this is what will cause a shaking among God's people.”—Early Writings, p. 270.
I am not surprised at what the leadership is doing presently
to counteract Elijah’s message, for they have been doing the same thing to
Sister White who founded the denomination and whom they had already accepted to
be the servant of the Lord. Think of the message in 1888. This same class of
workers stood in the way and the message never reached the people! If they performed such ungodly deeds then, it
is much easier for them to do it now.
page 2
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The next event to take place is the cleansing of the sanctuary when it will have transferred from among the dead in the heavenly sanctuary to the cases of the living on earth. It is called “the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
Who at this time is helping you to prepare for the judgment of the living in Laodicea (1Pet. 4:17, 18)? Are you prepared to meet thy Holy God in judgment?
Also, please take a look at the following evidence of the endorsement for a special revelation in the 1888 message.
And take a look at the reality of the result of the “present truth” in 1888 and its rejection.
“Read the words of Christ in Matthew 23:23: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." These denunciations are given as a warning to all who "outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within" "are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." They say, We are delivered to do all these things. They also say, "If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore," said Jesus, "ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets." What lessons are here; how fearful and decisive! Jesus said, "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city." This prophecy was literally fulfilled by the Jews in their treatment of Christ and of the messengers whom God sent to them. Will men in these last days follow the example of those whom Christ condemned?
These terrible predictions they have not as yet carried out to the full; but if God spares their lives, and they nourish the same spirit that marked their course of action both before and after the Minneapolis meeting, [SEE APPENDIX.] they will fill up to the full the deeds of those whom Christ condemned when He was upon the earth.
The perils of the last days are upon us. Satan takes the control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the Spirit of God. Some have been cultivating hatred against the men whom God has commissioned to bear a special message to the world. They
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began this satanic work at Minneapolis. Afterward, when they saw and felt the demonstration of the Holy Spirit testifying that the message was of God, they hated it the more, because it was a testimony against them. They would not humble their hearts to repent, to give God the glory, and vindicate the right. They went on in their own spirit, filled with envy, jealousy, and evil surmisings, as did the Jews. They opened their hearts to the enemy of God and man. Yet these men have been holding positions of trust, and have been molding the work after their own similitude, as far as they possibly could.…
Exhortation to Repentance
Those who are now first, who have been untrue to the cause of God, will soon be last, unless they repent. Unless they speedily fall upon the Rock and be broken, and be born again, the spirit that has been cherished will continue to be cherished. Mercy's sweet voice will not be recognized by them. Bible religion, in private and in public, is with them a thing of the past. They have been zealously declaiming against enthusiasm and fanaticism. Faith that calls upon God to relieve human suffering, faith that God has enjoined upon His people to exercise, is called fanaticism. But if there is anything upon the earth that should inspire men with sanctified zeal, it is the truth as it is in Jesus. It is the grand, great work of redemption. It is Christ, made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
The Lord has often made manifest in His providence that nothing less than revealed truth, the word of God, can reclaim man from sin or keep him from transgression. That word which reveals the guilt of sin has a
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power upon the human heart to make man right and keep him so. The Lord has said that His word is to be studied and obeyed; it is to be brought into the practical life; that word is as inflexible as the character of God—the same yesterday, today, and forever.”—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 79-1-80.2
“I call upon God's people to open their eyes. When you sanction or carry out the decisions of men who, as you know, are not in harmony with truth and righteousness, you weaken your own faith and lose your relish for communion with God. You seem to hear the voice which was addressed to Joshua: "Wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. . . . There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel." "Neither will I be with you anymore, except ye destroy the accursed from among you." Christ declares, "He that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad."
The Message of Justification by Faith
The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. [SEE APPENDIX.] This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification
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through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.“—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 91.1, 2
“…The religion of many among us will be the religion of apostate Israel, because they love their own way, and forsake the way of the Lord. The true religion, the only religion of the Bible, that teaches forgiveness only through the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, that advocates righteousness by the faith of the Son of God, has been slighted, spoken against, ridiculed, and rejected. [SEE APPENDIX.] It has been denounced as leading to enthusiasm and fanaticism. But it is the life of Jesus Christ in the soul, it is the active principle of love imparted by the Holy Spirit, that alone will make the soul fruitful unto good works. The love of Christ is the force and power of every message for God that ever fell from human lips. What kind of a future is before us if we shall fail to come into the unity of the faith?”—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 467.2
“God would have every member of His creation understand the great work of the infinite Son of God in giving His life for the salvation of the world. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not" (1 John 3:1).
When he sees in Christ the embodiment of infinite and disinterested love and benevolence, there is awakened in the heart of the sinner a thankful disposition to follow where Christ is drawing.—Manuscript 87, 1900.
Especially the Moral Law
"The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). In this scripture, the Holy Spirit through the apostle is speaking especially of the moral law. The law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need of Christ and to flee unto Him for pardon and peace by exercising repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message through Brethren [E.J.] Waggoner and [A.T.] Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded
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in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.
* * * * *
—Selected Messages, book 1 p. 234.3-6
Having stated indisputable facts above let us ask ourselves the enigmatic question,
What is apostasy?
“…Though all his [Lucifer's] glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it as pertaining to himself. Not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet [Broke the 10th commandment] homage due alone to the Creator. Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself [broke the 1st, 5th, and 8th commandment]. And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.”
Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken. Lucifer's disposition to serve himself [Broke the 7th commandment] instead of his Creator aroused a feeling of apprehension when observed by those who considered that the
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glory of God should be supreme. In heavenly council the angels pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law. God Himself had established the order of heaven; and in departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Maker and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning, given in infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35.2, 3
“…To this object he was about to bend the energies of that master mind, which, next to Christ's, was first among the hosts of God. But He who would have the will of all His creatures free, left none unguarded to the bewildering sophistry by which rebellion would seek to justify itself. Before the great contest should open, all were to have a clear presentation of His will, whose wisdom and goodness were the spring of all their joy.
The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father's throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both. About the throne gathered the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng—"ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Revelation 5:11.), the most exalted angels, as ministers and subjects, rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of the Deity. Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father's will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due. Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God's plan, but would exalt the Father's glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love.
The angels joyfully acknowledged the supremacy of Christ, and prostrating themselves before Him, poured out their love and adoration. Lucifer bowed with them, but in his heart there was
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a strange, fierce conflict. Truth, justice, and loyalty were struggling against envy and jealousy. The influence of the holy angels seemed for a time to carry him with them. As songs of praise ascended in melodious strains, swelled by thousands of glad voices, the spirit of evil seemed vanquished; unutterable love thrilled his entire being; his soul went out, in harmony with the sinless worshippers, in love to the Father and the Son. But again he was filled with pride in his own glory. His desire for supremacy returned, and envy of Christ was once more indulged. The high honors conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as God's special gift, and therefore, called forth no gratitude to his Creator. He gloried in his brightness and exaltation and aspired to be equal with God.…
Leaving his place in the immediate presence of the Father, Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 36.1-37.1
I took the time to quote and set forward for us the pattern of rebellion that would continually repeat itself throughout our historical human existence and has reached way down into AD 2016 in order to define Apostasy.
1. Lucifer was in the wrong, obviously. And he confessed it in his heart secretly to himself alone. However, this was not his downfall. He met his downfall after he was given a divine, inspired, convicting message through His messengers and personally through the Son of God, face to face. A message that was slighted and rejected through disobedience. [a.k.a. Apostasy]
2. When Eve was given a message of warning and was rejected and disobeyed. [a.k.a. Apostasy]
3. Ancient Israel sought and did worship Baal while it had been God who had given them everything of worth and value to elevate them from degradation and sin. When Elijah came on the scene it was to bring about a revival and reformation that would turn His people away from Satan back to Christ through His message. Elijah, God's messenger, was sent when they were in apostasy.
4. John the Baptist was a herald of the King of kings and Lord of lords, sent in the spirit and power of Elijah with a message while God's people, his church, was in Apostasy.
5. Modern Israel continues to receive many warnings and extra-biblical testimonies and examples by special revelation of truth. It is not the sin that the message finds us in that condemns us. It is after His divine, purposeful message is rejected and disobeyed that we find ourselves in apostasy.
This is what apostasy looks like. Sin, the transgression of the Law is the sure result of a natural course uninterrupted by not heeding the pleading of the Holy Spirit against our own choosing.
“…In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth. Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is truth. All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save us from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves. Whatever contradicts God's word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 55.2
A testimony to be heeded for all those who want to escape the current prevailing apostasy (the rejection of ‘present truth’) against Elijah the prophet.
“Brethren, the truth of God needs no apology. The man who preaches the truth of God needs no apology. The truth of God wants your faith; that is what it wants. All that the truth of God needs is that you and I shall believe it, and receive it into our hearts, and stand by it in the face of all the attacks that can be made upon it; and let it be known that you do stand by the messengers whom God sends to preach, not because they are certain men, but because God sends them with a message.
“That, however, is but a sample. There will be things to come that will be more surprising than that was to those at Minneapolis,—more surprising than anything we have yet seen. And, brethren, we will be required to receive and preach that truth. But unless you and I have every fiber of that spirit rooted out of our hearts, we will treat that message and the messenger by whom it is sent, as God has declared we have treated this other message.”—General Conference Bulletin, February 7, 1893. p. 185
Archival Proof
Sermon: “The Third Angel's Message." - No. 9 Elder A.T. Jones
All 24 sermons on the third angel's message by A.T. Jones including the statement above on page 185.
You see, Sis. White could not have been referring to herself in TM:475.3 as many assert. The disappointed remnant church was not founded upon apostasy but upon fulfilled prophecy (Rev. 10:10, 11). If that were true, that we were founded upon apostasy, then how could the pioneers be rewarded with additional light for pressing forward beyond the 1844 great disappointment experience? Neither did the church apostatize against her ministry when it was first manifested in 1844. There is no evidence for this false misdirecting notion. It was against the two messengers (Elder A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner) the Lord had sent to His church with a fresh necessary revelation. Two years after the apostasy that occurred in the rejection of the 1888 message (which did not originate with EGW) the servant of the Lord wrote concerning the immediate future. Think it through carefully and prayerfully, it does not logically fit to say that Sis. White believed and taught that she was Elijah. The church still holds to the truth that we are the remnant and have "the Testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17) which is "the Spirit of Prophecy" (Rev. 19:10). What the church in her lukewarm condition (Rev. 3:14-17) has protested against is the further revelation of the Spirit of Prophecy beyond Sis. White's ministry. It is traditionally considered unnecessary and unwanted. And to wit first in the rejection of the 1888 message and finally in a repeated rejection by the majority in the last messenger that is sent to prepare the way of the Lord for His coming in judgment to the SDA Church, Ezekiel chapter 9.
To further unpack and take a deep dive into the reference in question, if you haven't already, please continue to
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