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New Light and Personal Investigation

The purpose of this study is to show that new light is to ever shine forth from the throne of God
upon the scriptures to the church and that everyone of us is called upon to enter into personal
investigation of the revealed truths from the Word of Godthe Bible.
All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy
3:16-17).
Increased Light to Shine.--A spirit of pharisaism has been coming in upon the people who
claim to believe the truth for these last days. They are self-satisfied. They have said, "We have
the truth. There is no more light for the people of God." But we are not safe when we take a
position that we will not accept anything else than that upon which we have settled as truth. We
should take the Bible, and investigate it closely for ourselves. We should dig in the mine of
God's word for truth. "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart."
Some have asked me if I thought there was any more light for the people of God. Our minds
have become so narrow that we do not seem to understand that the Lord has a mighty work to do
for us. Increasing light is to shine upon us; for "the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Review and Herald, June 18, 1889)
Many Gems Yet to Be Discovered.--New light will ever be revealed on the word of God to him
who is in living connection with the Sun of Righteousness. Let no one come to the conclusion
that there is no more truth to be revealed. The diligent, prayerful seeker for truth will find
precious rays of light yet to shine forth from the word of God. Many gems are yet scattered that
are to be gathered together to become the property of the remnant people of God.--Counsels on
Sabbath School Work, p. 34. (1892.) (CW pp. 34, 35).
Precious light is to shine forth from the word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what
shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He
shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God. Whatever may be his position of authority, no one
has a right to shut away the light from the people. When a message comes in the name of the
Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims. No one
can afford to stand back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: "I know what
is truth. I am satisfied with my position. I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from
my position, whatever may come. I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know
that it cannot be truth." It is from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were
left in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them
(CSW 28.1).

Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
(Isaiah 2:22).
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed [be] the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and
whose heart departeth from the LORD (Jeremiah 17:5).
Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her
that lieth in thy bosom (Micah 7:5).
[It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. [It is] better to trust in the
LORD than to put confidence in princes (Psalms 118:8, 9).
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there
is] no light in them (Isaiah 8:20).
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And I fell at his
feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy
brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy. (Revelation 12:17; 19:10).
He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth
me despiseth him that sent me (Luke 10:16).
From the verses above God is warning man never to trust a fellow man as a spiritual, moral or
intellectual guide. He pronounces a curse on anyone who does that. Jesus in the gospel according
to Luke admonishes us that if we at any time despise the Lords messengers, we would be
despising God who entrusted them with a message meant to reconcile us to Him.
Is More Light To Be Revealed To The Seventh Day Adventist Church?
Unless those who can help in ----- are aroused to a sense of their duty, they will not recognize
the work of God when the loud cry of the third angel shall be heard. When light goes forth to
lighten the earth, instead of coming up to the help of the Lord, they will want to bind about His
work to meet their narrow ideas. Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last work in a
manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to
any human planning. There will be those among us who will always want to control the
work of God, to dictate even what movements shall be made when the work goes forward
under the direction of the angel who joins the third angel in the message to be given to the
world. God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His
own hands (TM 299.2).
Whatever may be man's intellectual advancement, let him not for a moment think that there is no
need of thorough and continuous searching of the Scriptures for greater light. As a people, we are

called individually to be students of prophecy. We must watch with earnestness that we may
discern any ray of light which God shall present to us. We are to catch the first gleamings of
truth; and through prayerful study, clearer light may be obtained, which can be brought
before others.
When God's people are at ease, and satisfied with their present enlightenment, we may be sure
that He will not favor them. It is His will that they should be ever moving forward, to receive the
increased and ever-increasing light which is shining for them.
The present attitude of the church is not pleasing to God. There has come in a self-confidence
that has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and greater light. We are living at a
time when Satan is at work on the right hand and on the left, before and behind us; and yet as a
people we are asleep. God wills that a voice shall be heard arousing His people to action. -"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. V, pages 703-709 (GW p. 300).
It is indeed the Lords desire to have a voice of alarm sounding to arouse the church at all times
and the professed people of God watching for a revelation of truth from a prayerful study of the
scriptures.
Revelation 14:6-11, 14-20
14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people,
14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his
judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters.
14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day
nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God,
and the faith of Jesus.

14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud [one] sat like unto the
Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat
on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the
harvest of the earth is ripe.
14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp
sickle.
14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with
a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather
the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and
cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress,
even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.
From this chapter there are six angels brought to view but only five have got messages in
exception of the angel of verse 17 unto who the angel of verse 18 cries with aloud cry .
Saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle,.. This is positive proof founded on inspiration from God
that after the famous Three Angels other angels are to follow before the close of probationary
time. Our pioneers also held the same position, as we read below:
All classes of second advent believers agree, that the angel brought to view in the 6th, and 7th
verses of this chapter, represents the advent message, to the church and world. If this is
true, then all five of the angels brought to view in this chapter, represent five distinct messages,
prior to the advent, or we are left without a rule to interpret this chapter. (1847 JW, WLF
10.5)
In which period of this Earths History is the Proclamation of these five distinct Messages?
The proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages has been located by the Word
of Inspiration. Not a peg or pin is to be removed. No human authority has any more right to
change the location of these messages than to substitute the New Testament for the Old. The Old
Testament is the gospel in figures and symbols. The New Testament is the substance. One is as
essential as the other. The Old Testament presents lessons from the lips of Christ, and these
lessons have not lost their force in any particular.
The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the
proclamation of the third; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just

as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth.
By pen and voice we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order, and the application of
the prophecies that bring us to the third angel's message. There cannot be a third without the first
and second. These messages we are to give to the world in publications, in discourses, showing
in the line of prophetic history the things that have been and the things that will be. (2SM
p.104.3)
Who Proclaimed the First and Second Angels Messages?
To William Miller and his colaborers it was given to preach the warning in America. This
country became the center of the great advent movement. It was here that the prophecy of the
first angel's message had its most direct fulfillment. The writings of Miller and his associates
were carried to distant lands. Wherever missionaries had penetrated in all the world, were sent
the glad tidings of Christ's speedy return. Far and wide spread the message of the everlasting
gospel: "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." (GC 368.1)
The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844 ... (2SM p.104).
From the quotes it is evident that Brother William Miller proclaimed the first two messages to
the world.
Who then is the third Angel?
To answer this question, let us start by reading 1SM p.104.3, The first and second messages
were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third. Here
we see that the proclamation of the third angels message finds itself with Sister White.
Is there any other Messenger after Sister E.G. White?
We are to throw aside our narrow, selfish plans, remembering that we have a work of the largest
magnitude and highest importance. In doing this work we are sounding the first, second, and
third angel's messages, and are thus being prepared for the coming of that other angel from
heaven who is to lighten the earth with his glory. (6T p. 406)
The angel who unites in the proclamation of the third angel's message is to lighten the
whole earth with his glory. A work of world-wide extent and unwonted power is here
foretold. The advent movement of 1840-44 was a glorious manifestation of the power of God;
the first angel's message was carried to every missionary station in the world, and in some
countries there was the greatest religious interest which has been witnessed in any land since the
Reformation of the sixteenth century; but these are to be exceeded by the mighty movement
under the last warning of the third angel (GC p. 611.1).

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts (Malachi 3:1).
Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Somebody is to come in the spirit and
power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: "You are too earnest, you do not
interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message."
(TM P. 475.3)
The Work of the Latter Day Elijah
We are in the great day of atonement, when our sins are, by confession and repentance, to go
beforehand to judgment. God does not now accept a tame, spiritless testimony from His
ministers. Such a testimony would not be present truth. The message for this time must be meat
in due season to feed the church of God. But Satan has been seeking gradually to rob this
message of its power, that the people may not be prepared to stand in the day of the Lord.
In 1844 our great High Priest entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, to begin the
work of the investigative judgment. The cases of the righteous dead have been passing in review
before God. When that work shall be completed, judgment is to be pronounced upon the living.
How precious, how important are these solemn moments! Each of us has a case pending in the
court of heaven. We are individually to be judged according to the deeds done in the body. In the
typical service, when the work of atonement was performed by the high priest in the most holy
place of the earthly sanctuary, the people were required to afflict their souls before God, and
confess their sins, that they might be atoned for and blotted out. Will any less be required of us in
this antitypical day of atonement, when Christ in the sanctuary above is pleading in behalf of His
people, and the final, irrevocable decision is to be pronounced upon every case?
What is our condition in this fearful and solemn time? Alas, what pride is prevailing in the
church, what hypocrisy, what deception, what love of dress, frivolity, and amusement, what
desire for the supremacy! All these sins have clouded the mind, so that eternal things have not
been discerned. Shall we not search the Scriptures, that we may know where we are in this
world's history? Shall we not become intelligent in regard to the work that is being accomplished
for us at this time, and the position that we as sinners should occupy while this work of
atonement is going forward? If we have any regard for our souls' salvation, we must make a
decided change. We must seek the Lord with true penitence; we must with deep contrition of
soul confess our sins, that they may be blotted out. (1SM pp. 124.3, 125.2}
Will this Last Messengers Message be Received?
Review Ezekiel 2:3-7

2:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious
nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me,
[even] unto this very day.
2:4 For [they are] impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou
shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
2:5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they [are] a rebellious
house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
2:6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though
briers and thorns [be] with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their
words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.
2:7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will
forbear: for they [are] most rebellious.
Then, as now, Satan was watching to bring about conditions favorable to rebellion, that the
people of Israel might make themselves as abhorrent to God as were the Canaanites. The
adversary of souls is ever on the alert to open channels for the unrestrained flow of evil in us; for
he desires that we may be ruined, and be condemned before God. {PP 688.2}
Satan was determined to keep his hold on the land of Canaan, and when it was made the
habitation of the children of Israel, and the law of God was made the law of the land, he hated
Israel with a cruel and malignant hatred and plotted their destruction.
Through the agency of evil spirits strange gods were introduced; and because of transgression,
the chosen people were finally scattered from the Land of Promise. This history Satan is striving
to repeat in our day. God is leading His people out from the abominations of the world, that they
may keep His law; and because of this, the rage of "the accuser of our brethren" knows no
bounds. "The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath
but a short time." Revelation 12:10, 12. The antitypical land of promise is just before us, and
Satan is determined to destroy the people of God and cut them off from their inheritance. The
admonition, "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38), was never more
needed than now.
The word of the Lord to ancient Israel is addressed also to His people in this age.
(Patriarchs and Prophets, p 688).
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 enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might

have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of
Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the
action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.
(Manuscript Releases Vol. 1, p. 130.3).
Has this Messenger/Message Come?
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.--- (TM p. 91.2)
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 [E.J.] Waggoner and [A.T.] 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 enemy prevented them from obtaining that
efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles
proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its
glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept
away from the world (1SM p. 234.6).

If It Was Rejected, Was It To Reapppear?


"I saw that Jones and Waggoner had their counterpart in Joshua and Caleb. As the children of
Israel stoned the spies with literal stones, you have stoned these brethren with stones of sarcasm
and ridicule. I saw that you willfully rejected what you knew to be the Truth. Just because it was
too humiliating to your dignity. I also saw that if you had accepted their message, we would
have been in the kingdom two years from that date, but now we have to go back into the
wilderness and stay forty years." Written from Melbourne, Australia, May 9, 1892.
Had this 1888 message of righteousness by faith been accepted as God had ordained, the ends of
the world would have been reached with the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the
end would have come. But like their Israelite counterparts during the Exodus chose to reject the

promises of God (GC p. 458), the SDAs through the leadership chose shut away this end time
message light from themselves and the world, and they were to wonder in the wilderness. "If the
people of God had gone to work as they should have gone to work right after the
Minneapolis meeting in 1888, the world could have been warned in two years and the Lord
would have come." --- General Conference Bulletin, 1892.
Adding 40 to 1890 we arrive at 1930, and there is only one such message which came to the
SDA church calling for a reformation. This message reappeared as the Shepherds Rod (Micah
6:9), and as the Third angel warned that it would still be rejected, the Leadership of the church
rejected the message calling it error.
It is this very message given by the FOURTH angel which is connected with the outpouring of
the Latter Rain which the church is seeking even after rejecting its herald. As the pen of
inspiration admonishes us that:
Those who follow in the light need have no anxiety lest that in the outpouring of the latter rain
they will not be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If we would receive the light of the glorious
angel that shall lighten the earth with his glory, let us see to it that our hearts are cleansed,
emptied of self, and turned toward heaven, that they may be ready for the latter rain. Let us be
obtaining a fitting up to join in the proclamation of the angel who shall lighten the earth with his
glory. Let us be colaborers with Christ. Now is the time for us to let self die, to crucify the flesh,
with the affections and lusts, to deny the cravings of appetite and passion. The minds of many
are channels for impure thoughts. They do not have a realizing sense of the offensive character
of sin. I call upon you to clear the King's highway. Weighty responsibilities are resting upon you;
for you are to represent the character of your Lord to the world. Faith without works is dead.
There must be corresponding works, or the faith is worthless, a mere pretension, an empty
profession. You are to manifest your faith by a life of integrity, making it evident that Christ is
abiding in the heart, and that you are able to show forth what is the hope of his calling. (Signs of
the Times, August 1, 1892 par. 14)
Will the Fourth Angels Message be Accepted When He Appears Again?
There is to be in the churches a wonderful manifestation of the power of God, but it will not
move upon those who have not humbled themselves before the Lord, and opened the door of
their heart by confession and repentance. In the manifestation of that power which lightens
the earth with the glory of God, they will see only something which in their blindness they
think dangerous, something which will arouse their fears, and they will brace themselves to
resist it. Because the Lord does not work according to their expectations and ideal, they will
oppose the work. "Why," they say, "should we not know the Spirit of God, when we have been
in the work so many years?" Because they did not respond to the warnings, the entreaties, of the
messages of God, but persistently said, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing."

There must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are
living up to the light they have will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the
exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the
Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or
receive it. (Maranatha p. 219.2)
The third angel's message (Sister White) will not be comprehended, the light (the fourth
angel) which will lighten the earth with its glory will be called a false light, by those who
refuse to walk in its advancing glory. The work that might have been done, will be left undone
by the rejecters of truth, because of their unbelief. 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. God holds you to whom this light has come, responsible for the use you
make of it. Those who will not hear will be held responsible; for the truth has been brought
within their reach, but they despised their opportunities and privileges. (RH, May 27, 1890 par,
6)
Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Somebody is to come in the spirit and
power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: "You are too earnest, you do not
interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message."
(TM P. 475.3)
What Happens to Those Who Reject The Message?
All who venture to have their own way, who do not join the angels who are sent from heaven
with a message to fill the whole earth with its glory, will be passed by. The work will go
forward to victory without them, and they will have no part in its triumph. (1888 Materials,
765.9)
What the Lord Requires of You
Men, women, and youth, God requires you to possess moral courage, steadiness of purpose,
fortitude and perseverance, minds that . will investigate for themselves before receiving or
rejecting, that will study and weigh evidence, and take it to the Lord in prayer. (Testimonies,
Vol. 2, p. 130).
Precious light is to shine forth from the Word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what
shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He
shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God. Whatever may be his position of authority, no one
has a right to shut away the light from the people. When a message comes in the name of the
Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims. No one
can afford to stand back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: I know what
is truth. I am satisfied with my position. I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from

my position, whatever may come. I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know
that it can not be truth. It was from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were left
in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them. (TSS p. 65.1)
When a doctrine is presented that does not meet our minds, we should go to the word of
God, seek the Lord in prayer, and give no place for the enemy to come in with suspicion
and prejudice. We should never permit the spirit to be manifested that arraigned the priests and
rulers against the Redeemer of the world. They complained that He disturbed the people, and
they wished He would let them alone; for He caused perplexity and dissension. The Lord sends
light to us to prove what manner of spirit we are of. We are not to deceive ourselves.
Every soul must look to God with contrition and humility, that He may guide and lead and bless.
We must not trust to others to search the Scriptures for us. (GW 301.3)
In your study of the word, lay at the door of investigation your preconceived opinions and your
hereditary and cultivated ideas. You will never reach the truth if you study the Scriptures to
vindicate your own ideas. Leave these at the door, and with a contrite heart go in to hear what the
Lord has to say to you. As the humble seeker for truth sits at Christ's feet, and learns of Him, the
word gives him understanding. To those who are too wise in their own conceit to study the Bible,
Christ says, You must become meek and lowly in heart if you desire to become wise unto
salvation.
Do not read the word in the light of former opinions; but, with a mind free from prejudice, search
it carefully and prayerfully. If, as you read, conviction comes, and you see that your cherished
opinions are not in harmony with the word, do not try to make the word fit these opinions. Make
your opinions fit the word. Do not allow what you have believed or practiced in the past to
control your understanding. Open the eyes of your mind to behold wondrous things out of the
law. Find out what is written, and then plant your feet on the eternal Rock. (Messages to Young
People, p. 260)
Let us candidly study the messages as they come, comparing scripture with scripture and
prayerfully petition our Father to reveal the truth and unmask error, as we are living in perilous
times, lest we lose the benefit of eternal life.

Yours for the finishing work of the gospel of the kingdom of glory,
Messianic Advent Herald

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