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12:3

@@@^The issue is of greatest gravity. Christ foreknew it would be, and in supreme concern He projected it in the crowning lesson of His parable of the vineyard. Now that time has come to the last parabolical hour, He has set the parable ablaze with light. To be progressive as Truth Itself is, let us look deeper into the parable now while the light of God is shining on it:

15:4

@@@^The truth is now become clear that the parable divides the time of salvation into two equal parts of twelve symbolical hours each — the period before the Bible (the night), and the period during the Bible (the day). Lending additional force to the fact that the parable thus divides time, Jesus declares:

18:2

@@@^The Protestant Reformation, being purely an endeavor to restore old, down-trodden truths, and not to reveal new, advanced ones, had no new message of its own–nothing that had not already been taught in times past. It therefore follows that the third group and message must be sought during the years following the Reformation.

19:1

@@@^The only revelation of new prophetic truth, subsequent to the Reformation, is the announcement of the year in which was to begin the work of cleansing the sanctuary, primarily in behalf of the dead (based on Daniel 8:14, but not then fully understood). As its announcement was made by the First-day Adventists, it necessarily follows that they were the third group of servants with a new and distinctive message. And as is well known, they started proclaiming it in the year 1833, announcing that the cleansing of the sanctuary was to commence in the year 1844. Thus in 1833 the clock of parabolic time struck the hour of six.

26:2

@@@^“Wonderful possibilities are open to those who lay hold of the divine assurances of God’s word. There are glorious truths to come before the people of God. Privileges and duties which they do not even suspect to be in the Bible will be laid open before them. As they follow on in the path of humble obedience, doing His will, they will know more and more of the oracles of God.” — @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 8, p. 322.

26:3

@@@^“We talk about the first angel’s message and the second angel’s message, and we think we have some understanding of the third angel’s message. But as long as we are content with a limited knowledge, we shall be disqualified to obtain clearer views of truth.” — @9Gospel Workers@7, p. 251.

29:3

@@@^True, we Seventh-day Adventists, have heretofore not known and not taught these additional aspects of the Judgment, but only because Truth is ever timely, ever unfolding as time goes on. So it is that our knowledge of one phase of a message is followed by God’s revealing another phase of it. How glad and how anxious, then, ought we to be to keep pace with the unfolding of the Scroll, as we keep pace with time. And how joyous we should be to know that God has not forsaken us, but has again “visited His flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the battle.” Zech. 10:3.

30:1

@@@^Now that Time and Truth have locked arms and are hastening on together, we must quickly take hold and follow on, too. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the Jews and of the nominal churches, and thus be left behind (@9Counsels On Sabbath School Work@7, pp. 28-30; @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 5 p. 728). We dare not. We must not.

31:3

@@@^Let us not, however, forget that there is an enemy who is determined to keep God’s people in darkness, in ignorance of timely Truth. (See @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 5, pp. 709, 728). And what more damaging darkness could he seek to keep them in than in ignorance of that which God would have them to know while their judgment is pending, while they are being weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary? None, absolutely none.

33:1

@@@^The wrath of man shall praise Thee,’ says the psalmist; ‘the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain.’ God means that testing truth shall be brought to the front, and become a subject of examination and discussion, even if it is through the contempt placed upon it. The minds of the people must be agitated. Every controversy, every reproach, every slander, will be God’s means of provoking inquiry, and awakening minds that otherwise would slumber.” — @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 5, p. 453.

33:2

@@@^Everything that can be done against God’s message of today will be done with even a greater vengeance than was manifest against Heaven’s message in the days of Christ’s first advent, for the Devil knows that if he loses now, he loses forever — that he is to have no other chance. Unparalleled, therefore, is the urgency that every eleventh-hour church member now quickly and solidly brace himself against the Enemy’s effort to deliver a knockout blow. We must be alert, too, to realize that the blow is to come from surprisingly unsuspected foes — from professed friends of the gospel, who are no less pious than were priests in Christ’s day. It is, moreover, but to be expected that the Adversary will employ every agency possible to prevent the Lord from disclosing to view His now obscure 144,000 first-fruit servants, who are to go gather in the second fruits (Rev. 7:9). The Enemy will try everything conceivable to confuse, becloud, and cover up the Truth, especially on the subject of the 144,000.

37:2

@@@^Tragically, those who now fail to fill their vessels (Matt. 25:1-4) with this extra oil (the additional truth — that of the judgment of the living) flowing from the golden bowl (Zech. 4) will finally see their lamps flicker out forever like a gutted candle. O, in what consternation then will they search for the precious golden oil! And with what infinitely greater anxiety than they now search for gold and for prestige! But, alas, then like Esau, though they seek it “carefully with tears,” they shall find “no place of repentance”: they purchase their oil too late. The door is closed when they reach it. And to their frantic knocking at it comes the terrifying reply, “I never knew you.” Matt. 7:23. Then is the harvest of the first-fruits past, the fruits garnered in, and the tares shut out unto destruction, there in agony to wail and to gnash their teeth: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer. 8:20.

38:3

@@@^“...The church is to be fed with manna from heaven, and to be kept under the sole guardianship of His grace. Clad in complete armor of light and righteousness, she enters upon her final conflict. The dross, the worthless material, will be consumed, and the influence of the truth testifies to the world of its sanctifying, ennobling character....” — Id., p. 17, 18.

40:3

@@@^“...The time past has shown that both teachers and students know very little in regard to the awful truths which are living issues for this time. Should the third angel’s message be proclaimed in all lines to many who stand as educators, it would not be understood by them.” — @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 6, p. 165.

41:1

@@@^“...books and papers that contain little of present truth are exalted and men are becoming too wise to follow a ‘Thus saith the Lord.’...many of the watchmen are asleep. They are as the blind leading the bind. Yet the day of the Lord is right upon us. As a thief it is coming with stealthy tread, and it will take unawares all who are not watching. Who among our teachers are awake, and as faithful stewards of the grace of God are giving the trumpet a certain sound?” — @9Id.@7, Vol. 6, p. 166.

41:2

@@@^“...The present attitude of the church is not pleasing to God. There has come in a self-confidence that has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and greater light. We are living at a time when Satan is at work on the right hand and on the left, before the behind us; and yet as a people we are asleep. God wills that a voice shall be heard arousing his people to action.” — @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 5, p. 709.

43:3

@@@^“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.

44:2

@@@^“...They will question and criticize everything that arises in the unfolding of truth, criticize the work and position of others, criticize every branch of the work in which they have not themselves apart. They will feed upon the errors and mistakes and faults of others, ‘until,’ said the angel, ‘the Lord Jesus shall rise up from his mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, and shall clothe himself with the garments of vengeance, and surprise them at their unholy feast; and they will find themselves unprepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ Their taste has been so perverted that they would be inclined to criticize even the table of the Lord in his kingdom.” — @9Testimonies@7, Vol. 5, p. 690.

45:3

@@@^If you fail now to store up this extra oil of Truth, you will in a little while with naked terror see the need of it. But when this terrifying realization bursts upon you, it will be in utter vain, for by the time you make a move to get the oil, and to go the rest of the way, then, as sure as you live, the Door will swing shut, and all your frantic knuckle-knocking at it will but quickly bring the fateful, rueful answer from within: “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Matt. 25:12. And O, what measureless, wordless tragedy that will be, Brethren.

46:3

@@@^Of still further importance is the truth that the eleventh-hour-call finds its laborers “standing idle” “in the market place” (the church), doing nothing, their excuse being, “no man hath hired us.” In view of these facts, it is manifest that the eleventh-hour servants are not made up of the ministry, not of those already at work; no, no more than were the servants of the previous calls. History bears the proof that virtually only the idle ones, the laity, ever responded first to any divine call!