Rebellion - The Eternal Gospel Church

REBELLION
21
REBELLION
THE checkered history of the rebellion of the church since the
days of Moses is now before the remnant church—the Seventhday
Adventist Church. It is our responsibility as members in
this final generation to examine ourselves as well as the history of the
Seventh-day Adventist movement which now spans more than 150 years.
Righteousness Rejected In 1844
Why are we still here God would have cut His work short in
righteousness soon after 1844, if the church would have understood and
accepted all of the special messages of the three angels of Revelation
14:6–12. The prophet of the Lord reveals the great opportunity God was
extending to the young and humanly feeble embryonic Seventh-day
Adventist Church—the opportunity to enter into the experience of the
first angel’s message—the everlasting gospel of justification, or righteousness,
by faith.
The first angel’s message is a call to mankind to turn from man and
this world and to look to Christ the Creator for pardoning and transforming
grace that would bring them into full surrender and obedience to
God—righteousness by faith. Only such an experience can prepare man
to stand in God’s presence.
This experience was rejected by the Protestant Church in 1844,
God shut the door, and they went out in darkness.
Those who rejected and opposed the light of the first angel’s
message, lost the light of the second, and could not be benefited by
the power and glory which attended the message, “Behold, the
Bridegroom cometh.” Jesus turned from them with a frown; for they
had slighted and rejected Him. Those who received the message
were wrapped in a cloud of glory. Early Writings, 249.
As the churches refused to receive the first angel’s message,
they rejected the light from heaven and fell from the favor of God.
They trusted to their own strength, and by opposing the first message
placed themselves where they could not see the light of the
second angel’s message. But the beloved of God, who were oppressed,
accepted the message, ‘Babylon is fallen,’ and left the
churches.” Ibid., 237.