There will be a universal hatred of God's servants. When the loud cry begins it will be a glorious experience at first for the message will go with all-conquering power against the citadels of wrong, but the devil will not be asleep nor will he stand idly by as the messengers of righteousness go forth with the truth. At this time the Spirit of God has been still further withdrawn from the earth with the result that the calamities and disasters are more frequent and more terrible so that the earth is being reduced to poverty and starvation.
"And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of God will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God's commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by violation of the Sunday Sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced, and that THOSE WHO PRESENT THE CLAIMS OF THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT, THUS DESTROYING REVERENCE FOR SUNDAY, ARE TROUBLERS OF THE PEOPLE, preventing their restoration to divine favour and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusations urged of old against the servants of God will be repeated, and upon grounds equally well established; 'And it came to pass, that when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou and thou father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.' As the wrath of the people shall be excited by false charges, they will pursue a course very similar to that which apostate Israel pursued toward Elijah." The Great Controversy,590.
The fearful drought which reduced Israel of old to such dire physical strains was the direct result of the sin of the king and the people, yet they blamed the trouble upon the very man who was giving the warning which, if but heeded would have saved them from all their troubles.
So it will be again and the whole of the world will be stirred in enmity against the Sabbath-keepers. The fearful straits to which the world will be brought will be caused by the sin of the leaders and the people, but they will blame all of their troubles on the small group of God's people who will have been the very ones who will be giving the warning which, if but heeded would have saved the world from all of its troubles.
Never in human history this side of the flood have so many of the world's population enjoyed such affluence, comfort, and plenty. They are not accustomed to living in hardship yet, this is the very generation which will be forced to feel the pinching hand of want and need. Imagine the fury which will mount toward the true people of God whom they will erroneously imagine to be the cause of all their troubles. Thus the storm clouds will gather, black and heavy for their final bursting over the heads of the true children of God. Then will the courage and faith of all be tested; then will come the time when "a large class who have professed faith in the third angel's message" will "abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition." p.608.
Of this we shall study further in the next posts.
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