The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 269

given wisdom, power, and authority to declare His truth during the whole
of this time.
“And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth,
and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must
in this manner be killed.” Revelation 11:5. Men cannot with impunity
trample upon the word of God. The meaning of this fearful denunciation
is set forth in the closing chapter of the Revelation: “I testify unto every
man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man
shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book
of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in
this book.” Revelation 22:18, 19.
Such are the warnings which God has given to guard men against
changing in any manner that which He has revealed or commanded.
These solemn denunciations apply to all who by their influence lead men
to regard lightly the law of God. They should cause those to fear and
tremble who flippantly declare it a matter of little consequence whether
we obey God’s law or not. All who exalt their own opinions above divine
revelation, all who would change the plain meaning of Scripture to suit
their own convenience, or for the sake of conforming to the world, are
taking upon themselves a fearful responsibility. The written word, the
law of God, will measure the character of every man and condemn all
whom this unerring test shall declare wanting.
“When they shall have finished [are finishing] their testimony.” The
period when the two witnesses were to prophesy clothed in sackcloth,
ended in 1798. As they were approaching the termination of their work
in obscurity, war was to be made upon them by the power represented
as “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.” In many of the
nations of Europe the powers that ruled in church and state had for
centuries been controlled by Satan through the

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