The Shaking
Persecution Cleanses the Church
"Prosperity multiplies a mass of professors. Adversity purges
them out of the church."
--4T 89 (1876).
"The time is not far distant when the test will come to every
soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have
step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly
customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that
be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened
imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of
God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be
separated from the dross in the church." --5T 81 (1882).
"In the absence of the persecution there have drifted into our
ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity unquestionable,
but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us." --Ev 360
(1890).
"When the law of God is made void the church will be sifted by
fiery trials, and a larger proportion than we now anticipate will
give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." --2SM 368
(1891).
Superficial Believers Will Renounce the Faith
"The work which the church has failed to do
in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible
crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The
warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be
given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith. And
at that time the superficial, conservative [ELLEN WHITE
IS NOT HERE DISTINGUISHING THEOLOGICAL CONSERVATIVES FROM THEIR
LIBERAL COUNTERPARTS; SHE IS DESCRIBING THOSE WHO PUT "WORLDLY
CONFORMITY" FIRST AND GOD'S CAUSE SECOND.] class,
whose influence has steadily retarded the progress of the work, will
renounce the faith." --5T 463 (1885).
"If Satan sees that the Lord is blessing His people and
preparing them to discern his delusions, he will work with his
master power to bring in fanaticism on the one hand and cold
formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of
souls." --2SM 19 (1890).
"Those who have had privileges and opportunities to become
intelligent in regard to the truth and yet who continue to
counterwork the work God would have accomplished will be purged out,
for God accepts the service of no man whose interest is divided." --Ms
64, 1898.
"As trials thicken around us, both
separation and unity will be seen in our ranks. Some who are now
ready to take up weapons of warfare will in times of real peril make
it manifest that they have not built upon the solid rock; they will
yield to temptation. Those who have had great light and precious
privileges but have not improved them will, under one pretext or
another, go out from us." --6T 400 (1900).
Conclusion
"Some
will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it,
and this will cause a shaking among God's people."
--1T 181
.
