E.G.W. endorsements of Jones & Waggoner

Seventh-Day Adventists often discuss `The Latter Rain', and question whether or not the `showers of blessing' of the Latter Rain will begin to fall shortly before a National Sunday Law is proclaimed, or shortly after.  The official teaching of the Church on this subject, is that Martin Luther first proclaimed Righteousness by Faith, and it was  `rediscovered' the truth of `Righteousness by Faith', as the fourth quarter of the 2011 Sabbath School lesson pamphlet declares in its introduction to `The Gospel in Galatians':

`INTRODUCTION

The Gospel in Galatians

Paul’s letter to the Galatians has been compared to spiritual “dynamite,” and rightly so. Except for Romans, no other book in the Bible has sparked as much spiritual revival and reformation. One could argue that out of the pages of Galatians (along with Romans) Protestantism itself was born. It was while reading Galatians that Martin Luther first was touched with the glorious good news of righteousness by faith. “The Epistle to the Galatians,” he said, “is my epistle. To it I am married.”

In turn, it was Luther’s gospel-centered writings that, on Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1738, transformed the life of John Wesley, who then spearheaded a spiritual revival that swept not only through the British Isles but across the entire English-speaking world.

Seventh-day Adventists also are indebted to Galatians. Through the study of Galatians, E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones helped the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the 1880s and 90s rediscover the truth of righteousness by faith.'

This is in fact a confusion of `justification by faith' with `righteousness by faith', for while Luther rediscovered the fact that the faithful are justified by faith in their Redeemer - which we all can say a hearty `amen' to - true `righteousness by faith' was given by the Lord to His people to prepare them for translation. Indeed, it was a message which leads to true obedience to the law, not through the dry legalism which pervaded the Church prior to the Minneapolis Conference, and had led to Ellen White complaining of sermons that were `dry as the hills of Gilboa', but instead through a `faith that works by love' (Gal. 5: 6). The  message of `Righteousness by Faith' was instead first given at the Minneapolis Conference in 1888, through the `most precious message' which was given to E.J. Waggoner and A.T. Jones:

`The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure. (Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 91-92.)

Note that Ellen White believed that true `righteousness by faith' is given in the context of the Third Angel's Message, for it leads to genuine obedience to the Law, not through legalistic commandment keeping, but instead through a heart-felt love for Christ. It is manifested in the  outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which is indeed Latter Rain', and thus leads the Lord to declare of His people:

`Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.' (Revelation 14: 12.)

What is the faith of Jesus? It is this same `faith that works by love'! It is the same type of love which was first demonstrated by Moses, when the Lord threatened to wipe out Israel completely, but Moses pleaded with the Lord, that the Lord might blot his name out of the Book of Life, so that his people might be saved. In this, he was a type of Christ, for Christ dared to `taste death' (the `second death'), for `every man' (Hebrews 2: 9), so that we might not have to `taste it' ourselves!

While it would be redundant to trace the sad path which the Church has taken in rejecting this `most precious message', it should also be noted that Ellen White believed that if Waggoner and Jones were to fall, then this would not mean that they had no message to bear to the people, or that it was in error:

`Should the Lord’s messengers, after standing manfully for the truth for a time, fall under temptation, and dishonor Him who has given them their work, will that be proof that the message is not true? No; because the Bible is true [quotes Isa. 8:20]. Sin on the part of the messenger of God would cause Satan to rejoice, and those who have rejected the message and the messenger would triumph; but it would not at all clear the men who are guilty of rejecting the message of truth sent of God.' (`General Conference Bulletin' 1893, p. 184.)

They lost their way because of the spirit of resistance which was manifested toward them:

`The opposition in our own ranks has imposed upon the Lord’s messengers a laborious and soul-trying task; for they have had to meet difficulties and obstacles which need not have existed.' (`GCB', 1893, p. 419.)

This spirit of resistance was manifested toward them for so many years, that ultimately it simply wore them down, and isolated them from the brethren. In 1903, fifteen years after the General Conference in Minneapolis, Ellen White had a vision of `what might have been':  

`One day at noon I was writing of the work that might have been done at the last General Conference if the men in positions of trust had followed the will and way of God. Those who have had great light have not walked in the light. The meeting was closed, and the break was not made. Men did not humble themselves before the Lord as they should have done, and the Holy Spirit was not imparted! I had written thus far when I lost consciousness, and I seemed to be witnessing a scene in Battle Creek. We were assembled in the auditorium of the Tabernacle. Prayer was offered, a hymn was sung, and prayer was again offered. Most earnest supplication was made to God. The meeting was marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit. The work went deep, and some present were weeping aloud. One arose from his bowed position and said that in the past he had not been in union with certain ones and had felt no love for them, but that now he saw himself as he was. With great solemnity he repeated the message to the Laodicean church: 'Becauset hou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.' In my self-sufficiency this is just the way I felt, he said. 'And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.' I now see that this is my condition. My eyes are opened. My spirit has been hard and unjust. I thought myself righteous, but my heart is broken, and I see my need of the precious counsel of the One who has searched me through and through. Oh, how gracious and compassionate and loving are the words, 'I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.' Revelation 3:17, 18. The speaker turned to those who had been praying, and said: We have something to do. We must confess our sins, and humble our hearts before God. He made heartbroken confessions and then stepped up to several of the brethren, one after another, and extended his hand, asking forgiveness. Those to whom he spoke sprang to their feet, making confession and asking forgiveness, and they fell upon one another's necks, weeping. The spirit of confession spread through the entire congregation. IT WAS A PENTECOSTAL SEASON. God's praises were sung, and far into the night, until nearly morning, the work was carried on. The following words were often repeated, with clear distinctness: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. Verses 19, 20. No one seemed to be too proud to make heartfelt confession, and those who led in this work were the ones who had influence, but had not before had courage to confess their sins. There was rejoicing such as never before had been heard in the Tabernacle. Then I aroused from my unconsciousness, and for a while could not think where I was. My pen was still in my hand. The words were spoken to me: THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN. All this the Lord was waiting to do for His people. All heaven was waiting to be gracious. I thought of WHEREWE MIGHT HAVE BEEN HAD THOROUGH WORK BEEN DONE AT THELAST GENERAL CONFERENCE, and agony of disappointment came over me as I realized that what I had witnessed WAS NOT A REALITY.  (TM. 8  pp. 104-106.)

An example of this spirit of resistance which was manifested at Minneapolis to `the messengers' and to the message itself,  was also manifested in LeRoy  Froom's  book entitled `Movement of Destiny', which was published in 1971. In this book Froom insisted that anyone who attempted to disparage the Church over their perceived rejection of the  `1888 message' should apologise to the Church and  make an explicit confession. No doubt, Froom had Elder Robert Wieland in mind, who in the early 1950's first brought the corporate rejection of `the message' to light. The following apology was issued  in the August 1976 issue of the Ministry Magazine:

`We sincerely regret that that element of the book Movement of Destiny which so publicly demanded an explicit confession from those who saw the 1888 experience in a different light from that in which the leadership of the church viewed it was allowed to slip into print. We would recommend that this element be removed from any future printings of the book.' (`The Ministry' magazine, August,1976.)

True `Righteousness by Faith' has been generally misunderstood and misapprehended by our people. Indeed, the watershed Minneapolis Conference is an embarrassment to the General Conference, for the `1888 Message' was not a Trinitarian message, for `the messengers' themselves were not Trinitarian. Therefore, simple logic implies that `the message' which finishes the work (which Ellen White also endorsed as the `Loud Cry' and `the beginning of the Latter Rain) is that which was given by Elders Jones and Waggoner, and cannot be given by a Trinitarian Church. This has dire consequences for our beloved Church, and leads to one wondering if `the work' will instead be finished by finished by those who will not depart from the truth of the Father, the Son, and the  `agape' love which they impart to us by Their Spirit.

There is no doubt that we should, as a people, be studying the germinal seeds of that message, for it is the `Loud Cry' of the Fourth Angel, and prepares a people for translation through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God.  Below is compilation which Elder Wieland made of  Ellen G. White endorsements of the `1888 message', as given to Waggoner & Jones. Although Elder Wieland remained a committed Trinitarian until the day he died, his studies of the `1888 Message' led him to conclude that the Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Christ:  

From: Dial Daily Bread <dailybread@1888message.org>

Date: 28 September 2011 1:03:07 PM ACST

To: <rev14@adam.com.au>

Subject: Dial Daily Bread: Impossible to "Backslide" Unless . . .

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

When Jesus was about to leave His disciples alone in this unfriendly world, He encouraged them with a promise: He would send the Holy Spirit as His Stand-in, His Replacement, a "Comforter" (says the KJV), yes, His very Presence. In John 16:7-11 He describes how it's best "for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."

The Holy Spirit is Jesus Himself "abiding" with us, living with us as our Companion, unseen but no less real than when Jesus walked personally with the disciples by the Sea of Galilee. He walks with us "unseen" as verily as the resurrected Jesus walked with those two disciples Sunday evening on their way to Emmaus, when their eyes were "holden" and they did not "see" Him (Luke 24:13ff.). He talked with them along the way. So He does with us.

Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is determined that we shall not "backslide"--ever! Jesus, as the Holy Spirit, takes the initiative day by day, prodding us, reminding us, yes, "convicting us of sin" (John 16:8). More than that, He personally reminds us of "righteousness" which means He won't let us forget the way we should live; at every cross-road we come to He "convicts" us of the right way to go. He never abandons us to wander in a fog! And if we listen to that prodding, that reminding, that "conviction of sin [and] of righteousness," and we don't beat Him off and insult Him, then He graciously "convicts [us] of judgment," meaning, "the prince of this world" [Satan] is "judged" [cast out] of our lives. He "convicts" us of triumph over sin; we see His power in our lives.

In other words, in plain language, it's impossible for us to "backslide" unless we do what Stephen said the scribes and Pharisees did: "you always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51, NKJV). The Holy Spirit says He will take you by the hand as a father leads a little child, or maybe the Hebrew means, take you in His "arms," but He says we squirm away from Him (see Hosea 11:3, 4, TEV). There's no need for backsliding--it's time to see it as sin!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 15, 2004.

Ellen G. White Endorsements
Of the 1888 Message As Brought by Jones and Waggoner

1. "The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones." -- TM p. 91.
2. "God gave to His servants a testimony that presented the truth as it is in Jesus, which is the third angel's message, in clear distinct lines" -- TM p. 93.
3. "The message of the gospel of His grace was to be given to the church in clear and distinct lines, that the world should no longer say that Seventh-Day Adventists talk the law, the law, but do not teach or believe Christ. The efficacy of the blood of Christ was to be presented to the people with freshness and power." -- TM p. 92.
4. "This is the very work which the Lord designs that the message He has given His servants, shall perform in the heart and mind of every human agent....God gave to His messengers just what the people needed." -- TM p. 95.
5. "The Lord would have these grand themes studied in our churches, and if every church member shall give entrance to the word of God it will give light and understanding to the simple." -- TM pp. 95, 96.
6. "I would speak in warning to those who have stood for years resisting lightand cherishing the spirit of opposition. How long will you hate and despise the messengers of God's righteousness? God has given them His message. They bear the word of the Lord." -- TM p. 96. (1895).
7. "Here was evidence, that all might discern whom the Lord recognized as His servants. But there are those who despised the men and the message they bore. They have taunted them with being fanatics, extremists, and enthusiasts....Unless you speedily humble you hearts before God, ...you...see that you have been fighting against God." -- TM p. 97.
8. "You will see that these men whom you have spoken against have been as signs in the world, as witnesses for God....Zealous men, moved by the Spirit of God....in principle firm as a rock....Light from heaven." -- TM p. 97.
9. "If you reject Christ's delegated messengers, you reject Christ. Neglect this great salvation, kept before you for years,...and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." -- TM p. 97.
10. "Even Seventh-Day Adventists are in danger of closing their eyes to truth as it is in Jesus, because it contradicts something which they have taken for granted as truth, but which the Holy Spirit teaches is not truth....That men should keep alive the spirit which ran riot at Minneapolis, is an offense to God." TM pp. 70, 76.
11. "Men who are entrusted with weighty responsibilities, but who have no living connection with God, have been and are doing despite to His Holy Spirit....If God spares their lives, and they nourish the same spirit that marked their course of action both before and after the Minneapolis meeting, they will fill up to the full the deeds of those whom Christ condemned when He was upon the earth....Some have been cultivating hatred against the men whom God has commissioned to bear a special message to the world....When they saw and felt the demonstration of the Holy Spirit, testifying that the message was of God, they hated it the more." -- TM pp. 78 - 80.
12. "That which God gives His servants to speak today [Jones and Waggoner] would not perhaps have been present truth twenty years ago, but it is God's message for this time....Let men and women who are truly converted offer themselves in all humility to the service of the Lord....They will not talk of the faults of others....They will be men who fear to talk and make sport of God's messengers." -- MS 8 A, 1888. (Dr Froom applies these statements to Jones and Waggoner, see Movement of Destiny, p 225).
13. "God is presenting to the minds of men divinely appointed [Jones and Waggoner] precious gems of truth, appropriate for our time. God has rescued these truths from the companionship of error, and has placed them in their proper framework....Those who have been sinking the shaft deeper and still deeper into the mine of truth will see no beauty in the precious things presented at this Conference....Convincing evidence which has been in this Conference." -- MS 8 A, 1888. (Olson, p. 279).
14. "Even though the truth is opposed and spoken against by those who should be blessed, strengthened, and made joyful by it, its value and brightness is not lessened; for the Lord's messengers will hold up the telescope to the spiritual eye." -- MS 8A, 1888. (Olson, p. 280)
15. "God has most precious light for His people. I call it not new light; but oh, it is strangely new to many."-- MS 8A, 1888. (Olsen, p. 280).
16. "Be careful how you oppose the precious truths of which you now have so little knowledge." -- MS 8A, 1888. (Olsen, p. 280)
17. "Well, one says, 'Your prayers and your talk run in the channel with Dr. Waggoner.' ...If Elder Waggoner's views were wrong, what business has anyone to get up and say what they did in here yesterday? ....Now, brethren, light has come to us and we want to be where we can grasp it, and God will lead us out one by one to Him....If the ministers will not receive the light, I want to give the people a chance; perhaps they may receive it....When anything shall come in to shut down the gate that the waves of truth shall not come in, you will hear my voice wherever it is, if it in California, or in Europe, or wherever I am, because God has given me a light and I mean to let it shine....The words that were spoken here were that Elder Waggoner was running this meeting. Has he not presented to you the words of the Bible?....This investigation must go forward." -- MS 9, 1888 (Olson, pp 291-293).
18. "Dr. Waggoner has spoken to us in a straightforward manner. There is precious light in what he has said." -- MS 15, 1888. (Olson, p. 294).
19. "I would have humility of mind, and be willing to be instructed as a child. The Lord has been pleased to give me great light, yet I know that He leads other minds, and opens to them the mysteries of His word, and I want to receive every ray of light that God shall send me, through it should come through the humblest of His servants." -- MS 15, 1888. (Olson, p. 294).
20. "Dr Waggoner....has presented his views in a plain straightforward manner,as a Christian should....I have no reason to think that he is not as much esteemed of God as are any of my brethren....I know it would be dangerous to denounce Dr. Waggoner's position as wholly erroneous....I see the beauty of truth in his presentation of the righteousness of Christ in relation to the law as the Doctor has placed it before us....That which has been presented harmonizes perfectly with the light which God has been pleased to give me during all the years of my experience. If our ministering brethren would accept the doctrine which has been presented so clearly -- the righteousness of Christ in connection with the law -- and I know they need to accept this...." -- MS 15, 1888. (Olson, p. 294).
21. " 'This message, understood in its true character, and proclaimed in the Spirit, will lighten the earth with its glory.' " -- MS 15, 1888. (Olson p. 297).
22." If you do not see light yourselves, you will close the door; if you can you will prevent the rays of light from coming to the people." -- MS 15, 1888. (Olson p. 297).
23. "An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message through brethren Waggoner and Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them....The light that is to lighten the whole earth with His glory was resisted, and by the action of our brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world." -- 1 SM pp. 234, 235.
24. "Who of those that acted a part in the meeting at Minneapolis have come to the light and received the rich treasures of truth which the Lord sent them from Heaven? ...Not one. ...God meant that the watchmen should arise, and with united voices send forth a decided message....Then the strong, clear light of that other angel who comes down from heaven having great power, would have filled the earth with his glory. We are years behind." -- Letter B-2a, November 5, 1892.
25. "Many who have been bound in fetters of darkness have been respected because God has used them, and their unbelief has aroused doubt, prejudice against the messages of truths which angels of Heaven are seeking to communicate through human agencies [Jones and Waggoner] -- justification by faith, the righteousness of Christ." -- Letter B-2a, 1892. 26. "The message given us by A.T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner is a message of God to the Laodicean Church." -- Letter S-24, 1892. (to Uriah Smith).
27. "There are some who have criticized and depreciated, and even stooped to ridicule the messengers whom the Lord has wrought in power." -- GC Bulletin, 1891, pp. 256 - 258.
28. "The first position you took in regard to the message and the message, has been a continual snare to you and a stumbling block....That loss is still your loss." -- Letter S-24, 1892.
29. " When Brother Waggoner brought out these ideas in Minneapolis it was the first clear teaching about this subject from any human lips I have heard, excepting the conversations between myself and my husband." -- MS 5, 1889.
30. "Let no soul complain of the servants of God, who have come to them with a heaven-sent message....God will make the ears of the hearers tingle if they will not heed His voice or His message....Rather than fight against those whom He has sent to save these....ministers, do not dishonor your God and grieve His holy Spirit, by casting reflections on the ways and the manners of the men He would choose ....He sees the temperament of the men he has chosen....Now the Lord has taken men who were boys when you were standing at the forefront of the battle, and has given to them the message and the work which you did not take upon you." -- TM pp. 404-415.
(Chapters entitled "God Messengers." The allusion is obviously to Jones and Waggoner.)
31. "In Minneapolis God gave precious gems of truth to His people in new settings....That which is food to the churches is regarded as dangerous, and should not be given them....great light and precious advantages." -- MS 13, 1889.
32. "The opposition in our own ranks has imposed upon the Lord's messengers a laborious and soul-trying task....The Spirit of God has been present in power among His people, but it could not be bestowed upon them, because they did not open their hearts to receive it." -- Letter, January 9, 1893. (GC Bulletin, 1893, p. 419).
33. "I have had the question asked, what do you think of this light which these men [Jones and Waggoner] are presenting? Why, I have been presenting it to you, for the last 45 years, --the matchless charms of Christ. This is what I have been trying to present before your minds." -- MS 5, 1889.
34. "Stand not in the way of this light....If you wait for light to come in a way that will please everyone, you will wait in vain. If you wait for louder calls or better opportunities, the light will be withdrawn, and you will be left in darkness." -- 5T p. 720. (The context discusses the Sentinel and the 1888 light.)
35. "A bright light shines upon our pathway today, and it leads to increased faith in Jesus....More distinct views of truth....Increased light is given." -- GW (Old Edition), pp. 104, 105. 36. "They knew not that God had sent these young men [Jones and Waggoner] to bear a special message to them, which they treated with ridicule and contempt." -- Letter S-24, 1892. 37. "Some of our brethren....are full of jealousy and evil surmising, and are ever ready to show in just what way they differ with Elder Jones or Waggoner....But this is not from the impulse of the Spirit of God....I can never forget the experience which we had at Minneapolis." -- Letter S-24, 1892.
38. "God has committed to His servants a message for this time; but this message does not in every particular coincide with the ideas of all the leading men, and some criticize the message and the messengers." --TM p. 465.
39. "I would not now rehearse before you the evidences given in the past two years of the dealings of God by His chosen servants; but the present evidence of His working is revealed to you, and you are now under obligation to believe." --TM p. 466. (November 3, 1890.)
40. "To accuse and criticize those whom God is using, is to accuse and criticize the Lord who sent them....The prejudices and opinions that prevailed at Minneapolis are not dead by any means....The roots have been eradicated, and they still bear their unholy fruit to poison the judgment, pervert perceptions, and blind the understanding of those with whom you connect, in regard to the message and the messengers. -- TM pp. 466, 467.
41."The true religion, the only religion of the Bible, that teaches forgiveness only through the merits of a crucified and risen Savior, that advocates righteousness by the faith of the Son of God, has been slighted, spoken against, ridiculed and rejected." -- TM p. 468. (This "true religion," in context, was that advocated by Jones and Waggoner.) 42. "Men professing godliness have despised Christ in the person of His messengers. Like the Jews, they reject God's message....Men may not be able to understand why God sends this one or that one." -- FCE p. 472.
43. "Some felt annoyed at this outpouring and their own natural dispositions were manifested. They said, 'This is only excitement, it is not only the Holy Spirit, not showers of the Latter Rain from Heaven.' ...On many occasions the Holy Spirit did work; but those who resisted the Spirit of God in Minneapolis were waiting for a chance to travel over the same ground again....They declared in their heart and soul and words that this manifestation of the Holy Spirit was fanaticism and a delusion." -- Special Testimonies, Series A , No 6, p. 20.
44. "We should be the least people on earth to indulge in the slightest degree the spirit of persecution against those who are bearing the message of God to the world. This is the most terrible feature of unchristlikeness that has manifested itself among us since the Minneapolis meeting." -- GC Bulletin, 1893, p. 184.
45. "It is quite possible that Elder Jones or Waggoner may be overthrown by the temptations of the enemy; but if they should be, this would not prove that they had no message from God, or that the work which they had done was all a mistake....I pray that these men upon whom God has laid the burden of a solemn work, may be able to give the trumpet a certain sound." --Letter S-24, 1892.
46. "Will the Lord's messenger bear the pressure brought against him? If so, it is because God bigs him stand in His strength, and vindicate the truth that he is sent of God." -- Letter O-19, 1892.
47. "Should the Lord's messengers, after standing manfully for the truth for a time, fall into temptation, and dishonor Him who has given them their work, will that be proof that the message is not true? No....Sin on the part of the messenger of God would cause Satan to rejoice, and those who have rejected the message and the messenger would triumph; and it would not at all clear the men who are guilty of rejecting the message of God...." -- Letter 0-19, 1892.
48. "I have deep sorrow of heart, because I have how readily a word or action of Elder Jones or Elder Waggoner is criticized. How readily many minds overlook all the good that has been done by them in the few years past, and see no evidence that God is working through these instrumentalities." -- Letter 0-19, 1892.
49. "The scenes which took place at this meeting (Minneapolis) made the God of heaven ashamed to call those who took part in them, His brethren....God's servants have no tame testimony to bear at this time, whether men will hear or whether they will forebear. He who rejects the light and evidence God has been liberally bestowing upon us, rejects Christ." -- Letter, May 31, 1896, to O.A. Olsen. 50. "....Their brother [Jones or Waggoner]...may be bearing a message from God to the people, just the light we need for this time....In regard to the testimony that has come to us through the Lord's messengers we can say, 'We know in whom we have believed; we know that Christ is our righteousness.'....Although there has been a determined effort to make no effect the message God has sent, its fruits have been proving that it was from the source of light and truth." -- Letter 19, 1892.
51. "When I purposed to leave Minneapolis, the Angel of the Lord stood by me and said: 'Not so; God has a work for you to do in this place....It is not you they are despising, but the messengers and the message I sent to My people." --Letter B-2a, 1892.
52. "God has raised up the men to meet the necessity of this time [Jones and Waggoner]....their work is not only to proclaim the law, but to preach the truth for this time, --the Lord our righteousness." -- 1 SM, pp. 360,361.
53. "When you are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, you will see all that wickedness at Minneapolis as it is, as God looks upon it....You had all the evidence that you needed that the Lord was working through brethren Jones and Waggoner; but you did not receive the light; ...you did not feel ready to confess that you had done wrong, that these men had a message from God, and you had made light of both message and messengers." -- Letter B-2a, 1892.
54. "Oh that all who stepped in false paths at that notable meeting at Minneapolis, and have felt the same spirit enfolding them about, would let Heaven's light into their souls....Hating Jesus Christ in the form of His saints! Oh how will God reveal this whole business in a place where they have never looked upon it!" --Letter 13, 1895.
55. "Why do you much cherish such bitterness against Elder A.T. Jones and Elder Waggoner? It is for the same reason Cain hated Abel. Cain refused to heed the instruction of God, and because Abel sought God, and followed His will, Cain killed him. God has given brother Jones and brother Waggoner a message for the people. You do not believe that God has upheld them, but He has given them precious light, and their message has fed the people of God. When you reject the message borne by these men, you reject Christ, the giver of the message." -- Letter 51-A, 1895.
56. "The Lord has been calling His people. In a most marvelous manner He has revealed His divine presence. But the message and the messengers have not been received but despised....In rejecting the message given at Minneapolis, men committed sin. They have committed far greater sin by retaining for years the same hatred against God's messengers, by rejecting the truth that the Holy Spirit has been urging home. By making light of the message given, they are making light of the word of God." -- MS 30, 1890.
57. "Light from the throne of God has been long resisted as an objectionable thing. It has been regarded as darkness, and spoken of as fanaticism, as something dangerous, to be shunned." -- MS 30, 1890.
58. "They [the opponents] can hold the objectionable atom under the magnifying glass of their imagination until the atom looks like a world, and shuts out from their view the precious light of heaven....Why take so much account of that which might appear to you as objectionable in the messenger, and sweep away all the evidences that God has given to balance the mind in regard to truth? -- MS 25, 1890.
59. "This they were too proud to do [opposing brethren] and therefore persisted in rejecting God's counsel and the light and evidence which have been given." -- MS 25, 1890.
60. "In Minneapolis God gave precious gems of truth to His people in new settings. This light from Heaven by some was rejected with all the stubbornness the Jews manifested in rejecting Christ." -- MS 13, 1889.
61. "The very men who ought to be on the alert to see what the people of God need that the way of the Lord may be prepared, are intercepting the light God would have come to his people and rejecting the message of His healing grace. -- Letter to Miller Brothers, July 23, 1889.
62. "Many say, 'If I had only lived in the days of Christ, I would not have wrested His words, or falsely interpreted His instruction.I would not have rejected and crucified Him, as did the Jews;' but that will be proved by the way in which you deal with His message and His messengers today. The Lord is testing the people today as He tested the Jews in their day....If you accept the message, you accept Jesus." -- R&H, April 11, 1893. 63. "If the leading men in our Conferences do not now accept the message sent them by God, and fall into line for action, the churches will suffer great loss." -- 5T p. 715.
64. "No more tender calls, no better opportunities could be given them in order that they might do that which they ought to have done in Minneapolis....No one can tell how much may be at stake when they neglect to comply with the call of the Spirit of God. The time will come when they will be willing to do anything and everything possible in order to have a chance of hearing the call which they reject at Minneapolis." -- Letter O-19, 1892.
65. "When Brother Waggoner brought out these ideas in the Minneapolis Conference, it was the first clear teaching of the subject from any human lips I had heard, excepting the communication between myself and my husband. I have said to myself, it is because God has presented it to me in vision that I see it so clearly, and they cannot see it because they have not had it presented to them as I have, and when another presented it, every fibre of my heart said 'Amen.' " -- MS 5, 1889. (Elder Froom sent this to me in a letter dated December 31,1964.)
66. "When men listen to the Lord's message, but through temptation allow prejudice to bar the mind and heart against the rejection of truth, the enemy has the power to present the most precious things in a distorted light." -- Letter O-19, 1892. (The context is speaking of Jones and Waggoner).
67. "I shall never, I think, be called upon to stand under the direction of the Holy Spirit as I stood at Minneapolis....But in the rooms occupied by some of our people was heard ridicule, criticism, jeering, laughter. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit were attributed to fanaticism." --Letter May 31, 1896.
68. "We know that Bro. Jones has been giving the message for this time, meat in due season to the starving flock of God....The conference at Minneapolis was the golden opportunity for all present to humble the heart before God, and to welcome Jesus as the great Instructor....Afterward when the evidence was piled upon evidence, why did you not humble your hearts before God, and repent of your rejection of the message of mercy He has sent you?" -- Letter, January 9, 1893.
69. "Many come here from foreign countries thinking that Battle Creek, from whence come the publications of the truth will be next to Heaven. How disappointed they feel, when they hear in this place, the message of God spoken of lightly, when they hear the messengers of God, by some in responsible places, made a subject of ridicule, and why is this? It is because the message and the messengers do not coincide in every particular with the ideas of these whom the Lord names as His scorners, although it is a message sent from Heaven." -- Letter, November 25,1890, Brooklyn, New York. 70. "I have great sorrow of heart -- I have had nearly ever since the Minneapolis meeting -- and I will tell you why....When it comes to the manifest movement of the Spirit of God, if the spirit were in their hearts they would recognize it in a moment....I have told my brethren here again and again that God has shown me that He raised up men here to carry the truth to His people and that this is the truth." -- Sermon, Battle Creek, March 16, 1890.
71. "We know that Brother (A.T.) Jones has been giving the message for this time, meat in due season to the starving flock of God. Those who do not allow prejudice to bar the heart against the heaven-sent message, cannot but feel the spirit and force of the truth. Brother Jones has borne the message from church to church, and from state to state; and light and freedom and the outpouring of the Spirit of God has attended the work....Brother Jones seeks to arouse the professed people of God from their death-like slumber....They (the opposers) will be asked in the judgment, 'Who required this at your hand, to rise up against the message, and the messengers I sent to my people with light, with grace and power? Why have you lifted up your souls against God? ...When the evidence was piled upon evidence, why did you not humble your hearts before God, and repent of your rejection of the message of mercy I sent to you?' " -- Letter, January 9, 1893.
72. "Brother A.T. Jones spoke to the people, also E.J. Waggoner, and the people heard many precious things that would be to them a comfort, and a strength to their faith. They appreciated this, to them, all important privilege." -- MS 24, 1888. (Kansas Campmeeting.)
73. "When I started before my brethren that I had heard for the first time the views of Elder E. J. Waggoner, some did not believe me. I stated that I had heard precious truths, uttered that I could not respond to with all my heart, for had not these great and glorious truths, the righteousness of Christ, and the entire sacrifice made in behalf of man, been imprinted indelibly upon my mind by the Spirit of God? ...When the Lord had given to my brethren [Jones and Waggoner] the burden to proclaim this message I felt inexpressibly grateful to God, for I knew it was a message for this time." -- MS 24, 1888.
74."I should insist that there be a right spirit, a Christ-like spirit manifested, such as Elder E. J. Waggoner had shown all through the presentation of his views....As Elder E. J. Waggoner had conducted himself like a Christian gentleman they should do the same." -- MS 24, 1888.
75. "Elder Waggoner had taken a straightforward course, not involving personalities, to thrust anyone or to ridicule anyone. He conducted the subject as a Christian gentleman should, in a kind and courteous manner."-- MS 24, 1888.
76. "The brethren had all the evidence they would ever have that words of truth were spoken in regard to the righteousness of Christ....If they had distinguished the voice of the True Shepherd, if they had opened their hearts to receive the light...." -- MS 24, 1888.
77. "I knew how the Lord regarded their spirit and action and if they did thus in ignorance [opposing Jones and Waggoner] through perverted ideas, they have had all the opportunity God will ever give them to know He has given these men a work to do, and a message to bear which is present truth for this time....Wherever this message comes its fruits are good. A vigor and a vital energy are brought into the church, and where the message is accepted, there hope and courage and faith beam in the countenances of all those who open their eyes to see....and their hearts to perceive the great treasures of truth." -- MS 24, 1888.
78. "A lifegiving message...to give life to the dry bones." -- MS 24, 1888.
79. "They [the people] expressed their gladness and gratitude of heart for the sermons that have been preached by Brother A.T. Jones; they saw the truth, goodness, mercy, and love of God as they never before had seen it....It was manifest that a renovation had taken place." -- R & H, February 12, 1889.
80. "Meetings were held in the college which were intensely interesting....The Christian life which had before seemed to them (students) undesirable and full of inconsistencies, now appeared in its true light, in remarkable symmetry and beauty." -- R & H, February, 12, 1889.
81. "We felt burdened for those who had been bearing the message of truth to others, lest they should close their hearts to some of the precious rays of Heaven's light that God has sent them....On Sabbath afternoon, many hearts were touched, and many souls were fed on the bread that cometh down from Heaven....We [Jones, Waggoner and Sister White] felt the necessity of presenting Christ as a Savior who was not afar off, but nigh at hand....There were many, even among ministers, who saw the truth as it is in Jesus in a light which they had never before viewed it....The very message the Lord has sent to His people at this time was presented in the discourses." -- R & H, March 5, 1889.
82. "The deep movings of the Spirit of God have been felt upon almost every heart. The general testimony was borne by those who attended the meeting that they had obtained an experience beyond anything they had known before." -- R& H March 5, 1889.
83. "I have never seen a revival work go forward with such thoroughness, and yet remain so free from all undue excitement....There was a solemn realization that Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance....We seemed to breathe in the very atmosphere of Heaven....I was not able to sleep that night until nearly day." -- R & H, March 5, 1889.
84. "On Sabbath, truths were presented that were new to the majority of the congregation. Things new and old were brought before us from the treasure house of God's Word. Truths were revealed that the people were scarcely able to comprehend and appropriate. Light flashed from the oracles of God in relation to the law and the gospel, in relation to the fact that Christ is our righteousness, which seemed to souls who were hungry for truth, as light too precious to be received." -- R & H, July 23, 1889.
85. "We thank the Lord with all the heart that we have precious light to present before the people, and we rejoice that we have a message for this time which is present truth. The tidings that Christ is our righteousness has brought relief to many, many souls." -- R & H, July 23, 1889.
86. "If all will heed the precious words given them from the Great Teacher through His delegated servants, there will be an awakening throughout our ranks, and spiritual vigor will be imparted to the church....As the servants of the Lord brought forth things new and old from the treasure house of His Word, hope came to the hearts of these old soldiers of the truth. They knew that they message was what they needed, and felt it came from God....The present message -- justification by faith -- is a message from God; it bears the divine credentials, for its fruit is unto holiness." -- R & H, September 3, 1889. (Campmeeting at Rome, N. Y.)
87. "The doctrine of justification by faith was presented at the Rome meeting; it came to many as water comes to the thirsty traveler....The danger of refusing light from Heaven should make us watchful unto prayer." -- R & H, September 3, 1889.
88. "Light must come to the people through agents whom God shall choose, who will give a note of warning, that none may be in ignorance to the purposes of God or the devices of Satan. At the great heart of the work, Satan will use his hellish arts to the utmost. He will seek in every possible way to interpose himself between the people and God, and shut away the light that God would have come to His children." R & H, December 24, 1889. (The context obviously indicates she is discussing the 1888 message.)
89. "Letters have been coming in to me, affirming that Christ could not have had the same nature as man [obviously opposing Jones and Waggoner's position], for if He [Christ] had, He would have fallen under similar temptations. If He did not have man's nature, He could not be our example....There are many among us who are prejudiced against the doctrines that are now being discussed. They will not come to hear, they will not calmly investigate, but they put forth their objections in the dark....How do they know but what the Lord is giving fresh evidence of His truth, placing it in a new setting, that the way of the Lord may be prepared? What plans have you been laying that new light may be infused into the ranks of God's people? What evidence have you that God has not sent light to His children?" -- R & H, February, 1890. (The wording of this article is clearly an endorsement of Jones' and Waggoner's message.)
90. "Can God love us as He loves His Son when we quibble and find fault with the truth because it does not agree with our opinions, and for fear we shall understand something as our brother understands it, and so come into harmony with him?...Those who were at South Lancaster last winter know that the church and the school were moved upon by the Spirit of God....Light is flashing from the throne of God, and what is this for? It is that a people may be prepared to stand in the Day of God....It is too late in the day to cry out against men for manifesting too much earnestness in the service of God; to say, 'You are excited, you are too intense, too positive.' " -- R & H, March 4, 1890.
91. "The unity, the harmony, that should exist among the disciples of Christ, is described in these words; 'That they may be one, as We are.'...We want all our brethren to have the same blessing that we have....We have been hearing His voice more distinctly in the message that has been going for the last two years, declaring unto us the Father's name." --R & H, March 11, 1890.
92. "For nearly two years we have been urging the people to come up and accept the light and the truth concerning the righteousness of Christ, they do not know whether to come and take hold on this precious truth or not....You will meet with those who will say, 'You are too much excited over this matter. You are too much in earnest. You should not be reaching for the righteousness of Christ, making so much of that.' " -- R & H, March 11, 1890.
93. "If our brethren were all laborers together with God, they would not doubt but that the message He has sent us during these last two years is from Heaven." -- R & H, March 18, 1890.
94. "I have traveled from place to place, attending meetings where the message of the righteousness of Christ was preached. I consider it a privilege to stand by the side of my brethren [Jones and Waggoner], and give my testimony with the message for the time; and I saw that the power of God attended the message wherever it was spoken. You could not make the people believe at South Lancaster that it was not a message of light that came to them....God has set His hand to do this work." -- R & H, March 18, 1890.
95. "I have tried to present the message to you as I have understood it, but how long will those a the head of the work keep themselves aloof from the message of God? ...Suppose that you blot out the testimony that has been going during these last two years proclaiming the righteousness of Christ, who can you point to as bringing out special light for the people? This message as it has been presented, should go to every church that claims to believe the truth, and bring our people up to a higher standpoint....We want to see who have presented to the world the heavenly credentials." -- R & H, March 18, 1890.
96. "We do not claim that in the doctrines sought out by those who have studied the word of truth [obviously Jones and Waggoner], that there may not be some error, for no man that lives is infallible; but if God has sent light, we want it; and God has sent light, let every man be careful how he treats it....Our brethren should be willing to investigate in a candid way every point of controversy....No one has said that we shall find perfection in any man's investigation, but this I do know, that our churches are dying for the want of teaching on the subject of righteousness by faith in Christ, and for kindred truths." -- R&H, March 25, 1890.
97. "Some of our brethren have expressed fears that we shall dwell too much upon the subject of justification by faith, but...there is not danger in presenting this doctrine as it is set forth in the scriptures....Some of our brethren are not receiving the message of God upon this subject....Is it not time that fresh light should come to the people of God?" -- R & H, April, 1, 1890.
98."Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith [obviously presented by Jones and Waggoner] is the Third Angel's Message, and I have answered, 'It is the Third Angel's Message in verity.' " -- R & H, April 1, 1890.
99. "Those whom God has sent with a message are only men, but what is the character of the message which they bear? Will you dare to turn from, or make light of, the warnings, because God did not consult you as to what would be prepared? God calls men who will speak, and will cry aloud and spare not. God has raised up His messengers to do His work for this time. Some have turned from the message of the righteousness of Christ to criticize the men in their imperfections, because they do not speak with all the grace and polish desirable. They have too much zeal, are too much in earnest, speak with too much positiveness, and the message that would bring healing and life and comfort to many weary and oppressed souls is in a measure excluded." -- R & H, May 27, 1890.
100. "We entreat of you who oppose the light of truth, to stand out of the way of God's people. Let heaven-sent light shine forth upon them in clear and steady rays." -- R & H, May 27, 1890.
101. "Messages bearing the divine credentials have been sent to God's people; the glory, the majesty, the righteousness of Christ, full of goodness and truth, have been presented; the fullness of the Godhead in Jesus Christ has been set forth among us with beauty and loveliness, to charm all those whose hearts are not closed with prejudice. We know that God has wrought among us." -- R & H, May 27, 18