Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

they saw flashing armor and moving chariots. Terror filled the
hearts of Israel. Most of them rushed to Moses with their
complaints: "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken
us away to die in the wilderness? ... It would have been better for us
to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."
True, there was no possibility of deliverance unless God
Himself intervened for their release; but since they had been brought
to this position by obeying the divine direction, Moses felt no fear of
the consequences. His calm, assuring reply to the people was, "Do
not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He
will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see
today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for
you, and you shall hold your peace."
Lacking discipline and self-control, the hosts of Israel became
violent and unreasonable. Their wailings and laments were loud and
deep. They had followed the wonderful pillar of cloud as the signal
of God to go forward, but now had it not led them on the wrong side
of the mountain, into an impassable way? To their deluded minds
the angel of God appeared as an omen of disaster.
As the Egyptian army approached them, the cloudy column
rose majestically into the heavens, passed over the Israelites, and
came down between them and the armies of Egypt. The Egyptians
could no longer see the camp of the Hebrews and were forced to
stop. But as night deepened, the wall of cloud became a great light
to the Hebrews.
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