The Lord has a controversy with his professed people in these last days. In this controversy men in responsible positions will take a course directly opposite to that pursued by Nehemiah. They will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but they will try to keep it from others by burying it beneath the rubbish of custom and tradition. In churches and in large gatherings in the open air, ministers will urge upon the people the necessity of keeping the first day of the week. There are calamities on sea and land: and these calamities will increase, one disaster following close upon another; and the little band of conscientious Sabbath-keepers will be pointed out as the ones who are bringing the wrath of God upon the world by their disregard of Sunday.

Review and Herald March 18 1884.

Gods True Faithful will Leave the Seventh Day Adventist Church Harlot.

I saw that God has honest children among the nominal Adventists and the fallen churches, and before the plagues shall be poured out,
ministers and people will be called out from these churches and will gladly receive the truth. Satan knows this; and before the loud cry
of the third angel is given, he raises an excitement in these religious bodies, that those who have rejected the truth may think that God is
with them. He hopes to deceive the honest and lead them to think that God is still working for the churches. But the light will shine,
and all who are honest will leave the fallen churches, and take their stand with the remnant.

Early Writings 1882 Edition pg 249

The Lord is unchangeable, therefore His law is immutable; but the pope has exalted himself above God, in seeking to change His
immutable precepts of holiness, justice, and goodness. He has trampled underfoot God’s sanctified day, and, on his own authority,
put in its place one of the six laboring days. The whole nation has followed after the beast, and every week they rob God of His holy
time. The pope has made a breach in the holy law of God, but I saw that the time had fully come for this breach to be made up by the
people of God and the waste places built up.

I pleaded before the angel for God to save His people who had gone astray, to save them for His mercy’s sake. When the plagues
begin to fall, those who continue to break the holy Sabbath will not open their mouths to plead those excuses that they now make to get
rid of keeping it. Their mouths will be closed while the plagues are falling, and the great Lawgiver is requiring justice of those who have
had His holy law in derision and have called it “a curse to man,” “miserable,” and “rickety.” When such feel the iron grasp of this law
taking hold of them, these expressions will appear before them in living characters, and they will then realize the sin of having that
law in derision which the Word of God calls “holy, just, and good.”

Early Writings 1882 Edition pg 80

I was pointed to those who claim to be Adventists, but who reject the present truth, and saw that they were crumbling and that the hand of the Lord was in their
midst to divide and scatter them now in the gathering time, so that the precious jewels among them, who have formerly been deceived, may have their eyes opened to see their true state. And now when the truth is presented to them by the Lord’s messengers, they are prepared to listen, and see its beauty and harmony, and to leave their former associates and errors, embrace the precious truth and stand where they can define their position.

I saw that those who oppose the Sabbath of the Lord could not take the Bible and show that our position is incorrect; therefore they would slander those who believe and teach the truth and would attack their characters. Many who were once conscientious and loved God and His Word have become so hardened by rejecting the light of truth that they do not hesitate to wickedly misrepresent and falsely accuse those who love the holy Sabbath, if by so doing they can injure the influence of those who fearlessly declare the truth. But these things will not hinder the work of God. In fact, this course pursued by those who hate the truth will be the very means of opening the eyes of some. Every jewel will be brought out and gathered, for the hand of the Lord is set to recover the remnant of His people, and He will accomplish the work gloriously

Early Writings 1882 Edition pg 84

I also saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a high priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.

I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful and were looking to the time of “refreshing” and the “latter rain” to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God. Those who refuse to be hewed by the prophets and fail to purify their souls in obeying the whole truth, and who are willing to believe that their condition is far better than it really is, will come up to the time of the falling of the plagues, and then see that they needed to be hewed and squared for the building. But there will be no time then to do it and no Mediator to plead their cause before the Father. Before this time the awfully solemn declaration has gone forth, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” I saw that none could share the “refreshing” unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His Presence.

Early Writings 1882 Edition pg 85, 86