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The Impending Conflict - The Great Controversy, Chapter 36

Welcome to The Impending Conflict chapter of The Great Controversy eBook

In Short:

The last great conflict between:

truth and error
the religion of the Bible and religion of fable and tradition

The impending conflict between truth and error concerning the Law of God is the final battle of the long-standing controversy.

Upon this we are now entering - a battle between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition.

Satan has perverted the doctrines of the Bible and led mankind to transgress God's Law.

One that offends in one point, manifests contempt for the whole law.

His or her influence and example are on the side of transgression.

They become guilty of all. James 2:10.

Whether this be accomplished by casting aside the law altogether, or by rejecting one of its precepts, the result will be ultimately the same.

God's law is no longer binding upon humankind

Many ministers are teaching today that the Law of God has been changed or abrogated. Thus in trampling upon the Law they deny the authority of the Lawgiver.

Can it be even thought of that the Creator of heavens and earth has no law to govern the beings He has made? Would we know the result of making void the Law of God?

The experiment has been tried. Terrible were the scenes enacted in the time of the French revolution.

It was then demonstrated to the world that when the standard of righteousness is set aside, the way is open for the prince of evil to establish his power.

The bottom line is that those who refuse to submit to the government of God are wholly unfitted to govern themselves.

Thus when the restraint imposed by the divine law is no longer binding, human laws would soon be disregarded.

Read on

The Law Of God Is Holy And Immutable – A Transcript Of His Character

The claims of the fourth commandment

Religious leaders teach that the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath is no longer binding. In stead of that they will soon claim that:

the fast-spreading corruption is largely attributable to the desecration of the so-called “Christian Sabbath”
enforcement of Sunday observance would greatly improve the morals of society.

In the end of time Sunday movement will:

promote the highest interest of society connected to Sunday sacredness
identify those who refuse to unite with it and denouncing them as the enemies of temperance and reform.

The leaders of the Sunday movement will advocate reforms which the people need and principles which are in harmony with the Bible.

Yet while there is with these a requirement which is contrary to God's law, His servants cannot unite with them.

Nothing can justify them in setting aside the commandments of God for the precepts of men.

Read on

The Law Of God Is Holy And Immutable – A Transcript Of His Character

The two great deceptions used by Satan

the immortality of the soul
Sunday sacredness.

The immortality of the soul lays the foundation of Spiritualism. Satan will appear as an angel of light.

Through the agency of Spiritualism miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed.

The spirits will profess faith in the Bible and manifest respect for the institutions of the church.

That's why their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.

Thus nominal Roman-Catholics and Protestants will be deceived.

While appearing to humans as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, Satan will bring diseases and natural disasters.

Moreover, he will convince people that those who are obedient to God's commandments are causing these evils.

Obeying God rather than men

It will be declared that humans are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath.

Furthermore, that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced.

Those who present the claims of the fourth commandment are destroying reverence for Sunday.

They are the troubling people, preventing the restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.

Thus the accusation urged of old against the servants of God will be repeated.

Read on

Setting Aside Thus Saith The Lord For Thus Says The Church

And it came to pass, 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 thy father's house,

in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. 1 Kings 18:17, 18.

The miracle-working power manifested through Spiritualism will exert its influence against those who choose to obey God rather than men.

Spirits will declare that God has sent them to convince all who reject Sunday sacredness of their error.

Furthermore, to affirm them that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God.

Religious teachers will lament that the wickedness and degraded state of morals in the world is caused by the desecration of Sunday.

Great will be the indignation to follow against all who refuse to accept their testimony.

Satan's dealing with God's people in the final conflict

He uses the same method as in the beginning of the great controversy in Heaven.

While, Satan pretends to promote stability of the divine government, he secretly wants to overthrow it.

Furthermore, the very work which he was thus seeking to accomplish, he charged upon the loyal angels.

Satan is seeking today to destroy those who honor God's law. Ironically he accuses them as law-breakers, as people who are dishonoring God, and bringing judgments upon the world.

Satan's method of gaining control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce is by coercion. Through fear or force he seeks to rule the conscience and secures homage to himself.

To accomplish this he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in confrontation to the law of God.