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38 - The Final Warning - The Great Controversy · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Chapter thirty eight, the final warning. I saw another angel
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Speaker 1: come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth
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Speaker 1: was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with
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Speaker 1: a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great has fallen, is fallen,
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Speaker 1: and has become the habitation of devils, and the hold
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Speaker 1: of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean
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Speaker 1: and hateful bird. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
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Speaker 1: come out of her, my people, that ye be not
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Speaker 1: partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
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Speaker 1: her plagues. This scripture points forward to a time when
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Speaker 1: the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by
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Speaker 1: the Second Angel of Revelation fourteen, is to be repeated,
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Speaker 1: with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been
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Speaker 1: entering the various organizations that constitute Babylon since that message
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Speaker 1: was first given in the summer of eighteen forty four.
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Speaker 1: A terrible condition of the religious world is here described.
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Speaker 1: With every rejection of truth, the minds of the people
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Speaker 1: will become darker, their hearts more stubborn, until they are
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Speaker 1: entrenched in an infidel hardihood in defiance of the warnings
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Speaker 1: which God has given, they will continue to trample upon
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Speaker 1: one of the precepts of the Decalogue until they are
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Speaker 1: led to persecute those who hold it sacred. Christ is
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Speaker 1: said at naught in the contempt placed upon his word
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Speaker 1: and his people. As the teachings of spiritualism are accepted
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Speaker 1: by the churches, the restraint imposed upon the carnal heart
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Speaker 1: is removed, and the profession of religion will become a
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Speaker 1: cloak to conceal the basest iniquity. A belief in spiritual
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Speaker 1: manifestations opens the door to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils,
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Speaker 1: and thus the influence of evil angels will be felt
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Speaker 1: in the churches of Babylon at the time brought to view.
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Speaker 1: In this prophecy, it is declared her sins have reached
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Speaker 1: unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. She has
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Speaker 1: filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is
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Speaker 1: about to fall upon her. But God still has a
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Speaker 1: people in Babylon, and before the visitation of his judgments,
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Speaker 1: these faithful ones must be called out that they partake
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Speaker 1: not of her sins and receive not of her plagues. Hence,
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Speaker 1: the movement symbolized by the Angel coming down from heaven,
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Speaker 1: lightening the earth with his glory, and crying mightily with
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Speaker 1: a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection
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Speaker 1: with his message, the call is heard, come out of her,
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Speaker 1: my people. These announcements, uniting with the third Angel's message,
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Speaker 1: constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants
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Speaker 1: of the earth. Fearful is the issue to which the
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Speaker 1: world is to be brought. The powers of Earth, uniting
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Speaker 1: to war against the commandments of God, will decree that
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Speaker 1: all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
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Speaker 1: shall conform to the customs of the Church by the
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Speaker 1: observance of the false Sabbath. All who refuse compliance will
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Speaker 1: be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be
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Speaker 1: declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand,
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Speaker 1: the Law of God, enjoining the Creator's rest date, demands
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Speaker 1: obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts.
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Speaker 1: With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whoever shall
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Speaker 1: trample upon God's law to obey a human enactment receives
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Speaker 1: the mark of the beast. He accepts the sign of
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Speaker 1: allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead
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Speaker 1: of God. The warning from heaven is, if any man
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Speaker 1: worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark
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Speaker 1: in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall
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Speaker 1: drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
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Speaker 1: is poured out without mixture, into the cup of his indignation.
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Speaker 1: But not one is made to suffer the wrath of
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Speaker 1: God until the truth has been brought home to his
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Speaker 1: mind and conscience, and has been rejected. There are many
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Speaker 1: who have never had an opportunity to hear the special truths.
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Speaker 1: For this time the obligation of the Fourth Commandment has
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Speaker 1: never been set before them in its true light. He
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Speaker 1: who reads every heart and tries every motive will leave
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Speaker 1: none one who desire a knowledge of the truth to
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Speaker 1: be deceived. As to the issues of the controversy, the
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Speaker 1: decree is not to be urged upon the people blindly.
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Speaker 1: Every one is to have sufficient light to make his
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Speaker 1: decision intelligently. The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty,
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Speaker 1: for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When
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Speaker 1: the final test shall be brought to bear upon men,
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Speaker 1: then the line of distinction will be drawn between those
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Speaker 1: who serve God and those who serve him not. While
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Speaker 1: the observance of the false Sabbath in compliance with the
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Speaker 1: law of the state, contrary to the Fourth Commandment, will
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Speaker 1: be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is
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Speaker 1: an opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath
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Speaker 1: and obedience to God's law is an evidence of loyalty
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Speaker 1: to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign
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Speaker 1: of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the Beast,
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Speaker 1: the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority,
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Speaker 1: receive the seal of God. Heretofore, those who presented the
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Speaker 1: truths of the Third angel 's message have often been
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Speaker 1: regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would
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Speaker 1: gain control in the United States, that church and state
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Speaker 1: would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of
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Speaker 1: God have been pronounced groundless and absurd. It has been
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Speaker 1: confidently declared that this land could never become other than
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Speaker 1: what it has been, the defender of religious freedom. But
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Speaker 1: as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated,
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Speaker 1: the event so long doubted and disbelieved as seen to
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Speaker 1: be approaching, and the third Message will produce an effect
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Speaker 1: which it could not have had before. In every generation,
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Speaker 1: God has sent his servants to rebuke sin, both in
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Speaker 1: the world and in the Church. But the people desire
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Speaker 1: smooth things spoken to them, and the pure, unvarnished truth
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Speaker 1: is not acceptable. Many reformers, in entering upon their work,
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Speaker 1: determined to exercise great prudence in attacking the sins of
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Speaker 1: the Church and the nation. They hoped, by the example
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Speaker 1: of a pure Christian life to life lead the people
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Speaker 1: back to the doctrines of the Bible. But the spirit
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Speaker 1: of God came upon them as it came upon Elijah,
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Speaker 1: moving him to rebuke the sins of a wicked king
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Speaker 1: and an apostate people. They could not refrain from preaching
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Speaker 1: the plain utterances of the Bible doctrines which they had
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Speaker 1: been reluctant to present. They were impelled to zealously declare
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Speaker 1: the truth and the danger which threatened souls, the words
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Speaker 1: which the Lord gave them. They uttered fearless of consequences,
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Speaker 1: and the people were compelled to hear the warning. Thus,
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Speaker 1: the message of the Third Angel will be proclaimed as
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Speaker 1: the time comes for it to be given with greatest power.
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Speaker 1: The Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds
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Speaker 1: of those who consecrate themselves to his service. The laborers
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Speaker 1: will be qualified rather by the unction of His spirit
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Speaker 1: than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith
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Speaker 1: and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal,
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Speaker 1: declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of
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Speaker 1: Babel will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing
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Speaker 1: the observances of the Church by civil authority, the inroads
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Speaker 1: of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power,
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Speaker 1: all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings. The people
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Speaker 1: will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have
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Speaker 1: never heard words like these, in amazement. They hear the
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Speaker 1: testimony that Babylon is the Church fallen because of her
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Speaker 1: errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth
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Speaker 1: sent to her from Heaven. As the people go to
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Speaker 1: their former teachers with the eager inquiry are these things so?
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Speaker 1: The ministers present fables, prophesy, smooth things to soothe their
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Speaker 1: fears and quiet the awakened conscience. But since many refuse
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Speaker 1: to be satisfied with the mere authority of men and
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Speaker 1: demand a plain. Thus saith the Lord. The popular ministry,
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Speaker 1: like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their
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Speaker 1: authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan
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Speaker 1: and stir up the sin loving multitudes to revile and
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Speaker 1: persecute those who proclaim it. As the controversy extends into
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Speaker 1: new fields and the minds of the people are called
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Speaker 1: to God's downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending
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Speaker 1: the message will only madden those who oppose it. The
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Speaker 1: clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away
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Speaker 1: the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By
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Speaker 1: every means at their command, they will endeavor to suppress
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Speaker 1: the discussion of these vital questions. The Church appeals to
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Speaker 1: the strong arm of civil power, and in this work
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Speaker 1: Papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday Enforcement
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Speaker 1: becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked
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Speaker 1: against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment,
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Speaker 1: and some will be offered positions of influence and other
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Speaker 1: rewards and advantages as inducements to renounce their faith. But
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Speaker 1: their steadfast answer is show us from the word of
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Speaker 1: God our error, the same plea that was made by
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Speaker 1: Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the
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Speaker 1: courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some
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Speaker 1: who hear them are led to take their stand to
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Speaker 1: keep all the commandments of God. Thus light will be
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Speaker 1: brought before thousands who otherwise would know nothing of these truths.
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Speaker 1: Conscientious obedience to the word of God will be treated
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Speaker 1: as rebellion blinded by Satan. The parent will exercise harshness
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Speaker 1: and severity toward the believing child. The master or mistress
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Speaker 1: will oppress the commandment keeping servant. Affection will be alienated,
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Speaker 1: children will be disinherited and driven from home. The words
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Speaker 1: of Paul will be literally fulfilled. All that will live
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Speaker 1: godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution as the defenders
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Speaker 1: of truth refuse to honor the Sunday Sabbath. Some of
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Speaker 1: them will be thrust into prison, some will be exiled,
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Speaker 1: some will be treated as slaves to human wisdom. All
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Speaker 1: this now seems impossible, But as the bestraining spirit of
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Speaker 1: God shall be withdrawn from men, and they shall be
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Speaker 1: under the control of Satan, who hates the divine precepts.
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Speaker 1: There will be strange developments. The heart can be very
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Speaker 1: cruel when God's fear and love are removed. As the
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Speaker 1: storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in
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Speaker 1: the Third Angel's message but have not been sanctified through
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Speaker 1: obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the
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Speaker 1: ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and
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Speaker 1: partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters
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Speaker 1: in nearly the same light, and when the test is brought,
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Speaker 1: they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men
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Speaker 1: of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth,
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Speaker 1: employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become
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Speaker 1: the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbath
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Speaker 1: keepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith,
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Speaker 1: these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to
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Speaker 1: misrepresent and accuse them, and, by false reports and insinuations,
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Speaker 1: to stir up the rulers against them. In this time
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Speaker 1: of persecution, the faith of the Lord's servants will be tried.
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Speaker 1: They have faithfully given the warning, looking to God into
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Speaker 1: his word alone. God's Spirit moving upon their hearts, has
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Speaker 1: constrained them to speak. Stimulated with holy zeal and with
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Speaker 1: the divine impulse strong upon them, they entered upon the
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Speaker 1: performance of their duties without coldly calculating the consequences of
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Speaker 1: speaking to the people the word which the Lord had
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Speaker 1: given them. They have not consulted their temporal interests, nor
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Speaker 1: sought to preserve their reputation or their lives. Yet when
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Speaker 1: the storm of opposition and reproach bursts upon them, some
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Speaker 1: overwhelmed with consternation, will be ready to exclaim, had we
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Speaker 1: foreseen the consequences of our words, we would have held
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Speaker 1: our peace. They are hedged in with difficulties. Satan assails
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Speaker 1: them with fierce temptations. The work which they have undertaken
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Speaker 1: seems far beyond their ability to accomplish. They are threatened
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Speaker 1: with destruction. The enthusiasm which animated them is gone, yet
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Speaker 1: they cannot turn back. Then, feeling their utter helplessness, they
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Speaker 1: flee to the Mighty One for strength. They remember that
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Speaker 1: the words which they have spoken were not theirs, but
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Speaker 1: His who bade them give the warning. God put the
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Speaker 1: truth into their hearts, and they could not forbear to
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Speaker 1: proclaim it. The same trials have been experienced by men
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Speaker 1: of God in ages past. Wickliffe, hus Luther, Tyndale Baxter
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Speaker 1: Wesley urged that all doctrines be brought to the test
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Speaker 1: of the Bible, and declared that they would renounce everything
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Speaker 1: which it condemned against These men persecution raged with relentless fury,
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Speaker 1: yet they cease not to declare the truth. Different periods
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Speaker 1: in the history of the Church have each been marked
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Speaker 1: by the development of some special truth adapted to the
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Speaker 1: necessities of God's people. At that time, every new truth
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Speaker 1: has made its way against hatred and opposition. Those who
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Speaker 1: are blessed with its light were tempted and tried. The
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Speaker 1: Lord gives a special truth for the people in an
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Speaker 1: emergency who dare refuse to publish it. He commands his
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Speaker 1: servants to present the last invitation of mercy to the world.
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Speaker 1: They cannot remain silent, except at the peril of their souls.
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Speaker 1: Christ's ambassadors have nothing to do with consequences. They must
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Speaker 1: perform their duty and leave results with God. As the
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Speaker 1: opposition rises to a fiercer height, the servants of God
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Speaker 1: are again perplexed, for it seems to them that they
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Speaker 1: have brought the crisis, But conscience and the word of
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Speaker 1: God assure them that their course is right, and although
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Speaker 1: the trials continue, they are strengthened to bear them. The
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Speaker 1: contest grows closer and sharper, but their faith and courage
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Speaker 1: rise with the emergency. Their testimony is we dare not
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Speaker 1: tamper with God's words, dividing his Holy law, calling one
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Speaker 1: portion essential and another non essential to gain the favor
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Speaker 1: of the world. The Lord whom we serve is able
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Speaker 1: to deliver us. Christ has conquered the powers of earth,
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Speaker 1: and shall we be afraid of a world already conquered. Persecution,
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Speaker 1: in its varied forms is the development of a principle
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Speaker 1: which will exist as long as Satan exists and Christianity
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Speaker 1: has vital power. No man can serve God without enlisting
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Speaker 1: against himself the opposition of the hosts of darkness. Evil
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Speaker 1: angels will assail him, alarmed that his influence is taking
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Speaker 1: the prey from their hands. Evil men rebuked by his
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Speaker 1: example will unite with them in seeking to separate him
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Speaker 1: from God by alluring temptations. When these do not succeed,
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Speaker 1: then a compelling power is employed to force the conscience.
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Speaker 1: But so long as Jesus remains man's intercessor in the
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Speaker 1: sanctuary above. The restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is
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Speaker 1: felt by rulers and people. It still controls to some
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Speaker 1: extent the laws of the land. Were it not for
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Speaker 1: these laws, the condition of the world would be much
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Speaker 1: worse than it now is. While many of our rulers
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Speaker 1: are active agents of Satan, God also has his agents
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Speaker 1: among the leading men of the nation. The Enemy moves
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Speaker 1: upon his servants to propose measures that would greatly impede
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Speaker 1: the work of God. But statesmen who fear the Lord
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Speaker 1: are influenced by holy angels to oppose such propositions with
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Speaker 1: unanswerable arguments. Thus a few men will hold in check
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Speaker 1: a powerful current of evil. The opposition of the enemies
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Speaker 1: of truth will be restrained, that the Third Angel's message
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Speaker 1: may do its work. When the final warning shall be given,
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Speaker 1: it will arrest the attention of these leading men through
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Speaker 1: whom the Lord is now working, and some of them
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Speaker 1: will accept it and will stand with the people of
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Speaker 1: God through the time of trouble. The Angel who unites
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Speaker 1: in the proclamation of the Third Angel's message is to
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Speaker 1: lighten the whole earth with his glory. A work of
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Speaker 1: world wide extent. An unwonted power is herefore told. The
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Speaker 1: Advent movement of eighteen forty through forty four was a
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Speaker 1: glorious manifestation of the power of God. The First Angel's
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Speaker 1: message was carried to every missionary station in the world,
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Speaker 1: and in some countries there was the greatest religious interest
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Speaker 1: which had been witnessed in any land since the Reformation
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Speaker 1: of the sixteenth century. But these are to be exceeded
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Speaker 1: by the Mighty Movement. Under the last warning of the
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Speaker 1: Third Angel, the work will be similar to that of
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Speaker 1: the Day of Pentecost. As the former reign was given
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Speaker 1: in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening
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Speaker 1: of the Gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious Seed.
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Speaker 1: So the latter rain will be given at its close
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Speaker 1: for the ripening of the harvest. Then shall we know
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Speaker 1: if we follow on to know the Lord. His going
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Speaker 1: forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come
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Speaker 1: unto us as the rain, as the latter and former
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Speaker 1: rain unto the earth. Be glad, then, ye children of Zion,
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Speaker 1: and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he hath
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Speaker 1: given you the former reign moderately, and he will cause
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Speaker 1: to come down for you the rain, the Former rain
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Speaker 1: and the Latter rain. In the last days, saith God,
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Speaker 1: I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh,
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Speaker 1: and it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call
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Speaker 1: on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The
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Speaker 1: great work of the Gospel is not to close with
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Speaker 1: less manifestation of the power of God than marked its opening.
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Speaker 1: The prophecies which were fulfilled in the outpouring of the
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Speaker 1: Former Rain at the opening of the Gospel are again
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Speaker 1: to be fulfilled in the Latter Rain at its close.
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Speaker 1: Here are the times of refreshing to which the apostle
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Speaker 1: Peter looked forward when he said, repent, Ye, therefore and
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Speaker 1: be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. When
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Speaker 1: the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of
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Speaker 1: the Lord, and he shall send Jesus servants of God,
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Speaker 1: with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration,
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Speaker 1: will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message
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Speaker 1: from Heaven by thousands of voices all over the earth.
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Speaker 1: The warning will be given, miracles will be wrought, the
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Speaker 1: sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow.
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Speaker 1: The believers. Satan also works with lying wonders, even bringing
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Speaker 1: down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Thus
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Speaker 1: the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take
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Speaker 1: their stand. The message will be carried not so much
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Speaker 1: by argument as by the deep conviction of the spirit
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Speaker 1: of God. The arguments have been presented, the seed has
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Speaker 1: been sown, and now it will spring up and bear fruit.
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Speaker 1: The publications distributed by missionary workers have exerted their influence.
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Speaker 1: Yet many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from
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Speaker 1: fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the
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Speaker 1: rays of light penetrate everywhere. The truth is seen in
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Speaker 1: its clearness, and the honest children of God sever The
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Speaker 1: bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations are
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Speaker 1: powerless to stay them. Now truth is more presscious than all. Besides,
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Speaker 1: notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number
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Speaker 1: take their stand upon the Lord's side. End of Chapter
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Speaker 1: thirty eight