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Whenever we discuss the last days, there’s always an interplay of emotions that we experience. There is, of course, joy at the knowledge that all sin, and all pain, will be ending, that in a sense our true “lives” – the lives untouched by a sin-filled environment – will begin when we are translated or resurrected, and that all suffering ceases. At the same time, there is a sense of solemnity, an awareness of the “unknown” that, to the carnal mind, would be quite fearful. Even for the saint, we are instructed not to take the judgment lightly. As Paul writes, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12)
This is a complicated verse, especially to describe to the worldling, because we associate “fear and trembling” with negative, fleshly concerns, with fear for the future, and the expectation of pain or disappointment. This verse has been used to bring unnecessary guilt upon those who have a legalistic mindset, but at the same time, it does mean something – and something that our Father saw fit to preserve for our learning.
Paul actually uses that phrase “fear and trembling,” in two other places, actually three, with the last worded slightly differently. As always, the Scriptures must be allowed to interpret themselves, and it is especially helpful if the same author uses a term or expression more than once. We read, then:
“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.” (Eph 6:5)
“For if I have boasted anything to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.” (2Cor 7:14, 15)
“And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” (1Cor 2:3, 4)
Look for the common threads, and see what this phrase means, and what it does not mean. Paul is obviously not telling Christians who were servants of others to be terrified of their masters. That would not be in accordance with the message of freedom and peace that he labored to spread as an apostle of the Messiah. Paul is not reminding the Church in Corinth that they were “shaking in their boots” when his messenger Titus was sent to them, with his “inward affection” evident in his words and actions. Paul has been known to have written stronger letters than his personal speeches would indicate, recording what others have said of him: “For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” (2Cor 10:10) Nevertheless, when he spoke under the inspiration of the Spirit, he uses this expression, “fear and trembling” to describe the reaction of his audience.
In all these places, there is no common fear being described, but rather an acknowledgement of power and authority. A servant is subject to his master’s wishes. Titus represented Paul, who in turn represented Christ, to the Corinthian church. The Corinthians, when hearing Paul speak under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recognized that it was Yahweh Himself giving them His attention.
The “fear and trembling” of the saint is not a weakness induced by panic. It is not a loss of hope or confidence. No, it is a standing in place, while others might run away, aware that we are in the presence of unknowable majesty, and yet daring to lift our faces to the One who is before us.
When the world encounters the glorified Savior, we read, “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.’” (Rev 6:15, 16) This is what the “fear and trembling” of the world looks like, but the ones who have been awaiting the Messiah, they will not hide. They will rejoice, even with the kind of “fear and trembling” with which Paul and Titus were received by the churches.
To someone looking in on this experience, it might seem like there is a conflict between fear and joy. The reality of it is that we have two extremes in balance. The Christian does not get carried away in the “celebration” of salvation, because we are in a time of judgment. On the other hand, the Christian does not feel oppressed by the knowledge of probation’s soon close, because there is a confident expectation, founded on the promises of our Father, that we are loved, accepted, and that we are being prepared for what lies ahead.
The great failure of every Church that has come before this very last generation of the Bride of Christ, is that it never struck the proper balance between these two principles. What the CSDA Church does, what the 144,000 do, is – for the first time in history – collectively stand on that sharp edge, that perfect balance between solemnity and celebration. There are congregations of those who understand, as Enoch and Elijah understood, the great power of the Creator, and yet are called friends of this great power, like Moses and Abraham, and like all who follow Christ according to His own faith. (John 15:15)
Because we understand our Father’s divine power, to the extent that we are able, and because we are called His friends… this is the reason why we do not need a creed. We do not need an external motivator for obedience. Not only does the will of Yahweh look different for different people, but the only genuine obedience, the only obedience acceptable to Yahweh, is when we grasp a principle and make it a part of our character. When this dictates behavior, when this motivates righteous choices, then we have the true obedience that results from a genuinely born-again experience. Strict discipline is necessary, yes. Every Adventist knows there are writings that talk about strict discipline; but that discipline cannot come from our pastors, our evangelists, our spouses, or even our parents. These people, all of them, can teach us the right way so that, when they aren’t observing our behavior, we do them anyway. If our obedience was to please another, it would not survive true freedom. It would not survive a lack of observation or the absence of direct accountability. It is only when our strict discipline comes from our own understanding, and our own desire to be one with the Father and Son in spirit, then it will result in obedience that is not subject to circumstances, and will not falter in the face of trials and tribulation. It will not vanish away when we understand how free we have been made to be.
How do we do this? How do we come to this balanced point between solemnity and joy, between perfect freedom and perfect obedience? It is by understanding our emotions, by processing our thoughts, and by examining ourselves without being afraid of what we will find. I have friends and relatives who, every time I try to bring up a spiritual subject, become visibly uncomfortable, and I am not a judgmental or forceful person. I certainly don’t press my ideas on others if they are not receptive, but the discussion of heavenly things does not bring them happiness, or even really any comfort. They know that they are out of harmony with the Creator’s will, and so whenever He is brought before them, they feel ashamed, and fearful. Because they do not wish to confront these emotions, which they don’t know how to deal with, they will cover it up by making a joke, or dismissing it entirely. A few will say, “I don’t feel like talking about that,” but these are all escapist behaviors.
And now, here is a great secret… there are many who will hide these same emotions, the fear, the uncertainty, the lack of peace, by jumping into it with great enthusiasm. This is where the “religion of works” comes from… Whenever someone is uncertain about his acceptance, his connection with the Father and Son, they often say, “If I can do enough, if I can shout ‘Amen’ loud enough, if I can fight for my beliefs fervently enough, then perhaps I will be judged as acceptable.” There are many people like this in the Churches, who appear to be very zealous, but you can know them, because the way that they react to the first angel tells you their character with unmistakable clarity.
The one who fights for a doctrine, or is constantly uttering praises, invite them to examine themselves. This is the very thing their hyperactive behavior is intended to avoid. You may ask, “Have you accepted the Savior into your heart so that, dwelling there, He has set you free from all known sin?” The reactions will tell the tale, as long as they understand what you are asking them. We have seen people grow angry, fearful, frustrated, distant… all these things, because it touches the spot they have been trying to cover up for the entirety of their Christian experience. Because they do not know what it feels like to be free, because they cannot imagine what it would be like to be free, because they do not believe that they are accepted already, which should be the source of their good works, they will often attack the messenger for apparently making light of their experience, which is not a pleasant one despite its outward appearance.
Last week, Sister P. asked a question in the discussion portion of our meeting. She asked, “What is the meaning of the Former and Latter Rain?” I am not sure if she got an answer to that question yet, and not everyone here has an Adventist background, so I think it is reasonable to give an answer to this question, because it is relevant to what I am talking about today, especially to those of us who seek to win the hearts of people who are familiar with Adventism.
The phrase comes from verses such as this one: “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know Yahweh, His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” (Hos 6:3)
That verse already gives you the most important information about this rain. It is written that He, Yahweh Himself, comes upon us, just as the rain falls upon the earth. The former and latter rain represent the giving of the Holy Spirit to human beings, because that is just the way that Yahshua described it: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever – even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)
The Holy Spirit is the means by which the Father and Son abide with us, and dwell within us. But the Former and Latter Rain are not just the event of being filled with the Spirit at the time of individual conversion or in periodic episodes. No, these describe some very specific events that take place with regard to the entire Church as a collective unit, as a single Body receiving an outpouring for a particular purpose. We read, “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Yahweh your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.” (Deu 11:13, 14) “In his due season;” at the right time.
Much of what is spiritual in the Bible is presented in the form of a parable. Yahshua did this when speaking to farmers and fishermen, clothing eternal truths in what would be, to them, everyday experiences and ideas. This is what was being done with Israel as a nation in passages like this one from Deuteronomy. On the surface level, this is talking about the season of rain that falls when the seeds are first being planted, to get them to come to life, and then again at the very end right before the harvest “that though mayest gather in.”
In plain reality, the “Seed” was first planted when Yahshua sacrificed Himself, and He spoke of Himself, saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)
So, follow the parable that the Father has been telling us all the way through the Bible. Yahshua, being a single individual, was like a “seed,” and He, being crucified and planted into the ground, not only rose up Himself in glory, but also brought forth “much fruit” in the redemption of all the willing. If the parable is accurate, you would expect a great “rain,” a great outpouring of the Spirit, at the beginning of this process when the seed was first planted. And so it was, we read this of the beginning of the New Testament Church: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)
This matches the parable. At the beginning of the Church age, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This would be the former, or the previous, rain. For the sake of consistency, we would expect, then, that there would be an outpouring of a similar nature at the very end, right before Christ returns to gather His harvest. And yes, we have a prophecy of exactly that. The second chapter of the Prophet Joel’s book begins, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Yahweh cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” (Joel 2:1) So this sets the stage, the beginning of the time of judgment, and here we see a call to solemnity, to “fear and trembling” knowing the great times in which we are living. The rest of the chapter describes what this will look like, and as we go down through the prophecy we encounter this: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.” (Joel 2:28, 29) Here is the anticipated Latter Rain.
Now, for a number of us, this is something of a review, but I really want us to be able to have a clear picture of this, because there are a number of misunderstandings that people have about the Latter Rain, about the Holy Spirit, and about Joel’s prophecies.
First of all, Yahweh says that before He sends His rain, or His Spirit, in these outpourings, this must already be happening: “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love Yahweh your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul…” That’s from Deuteronomy 11. And in the fulfillment, we see, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” That’s from Acts 2. Since people don’t understand the Church, its importance, and their role in it as intended members, many will not make a proper distinction between an individual indwelling of the Spirit, and the collective outpouring.
They may think, “When the latter rain falls, in this predicted time, then I will make myself ready for judgment. I will put away all sin, I will find a body of believers who are in harmony with my understanding, and I will cleanse my character from all of its defects, knowing that the time is at hand.”
Unfortunately, they have it entirely backward from what the Bible describes. The Almighty gives to everyone “the measure of faith,” (Rom 12:3) That is not “a measure of faith,” as in a varying amount, some with more and others with less. No, everyone gets “the measure,” the fullness of the Holy Spirits’ power. That is individual conversion. When we are converted, the Holy Spirit fills us with the presence of the Father and Son. It is not a partial filling. It is not a part-time filling. It is an eternal covenant between the spirit and flesh to bring forth the very life of Christ again upon the earth. When a seed is planted, the tree that grows from it is of the same type as that seed. You do not plant an apple seed and then see a fig tree grow. You do not plant a grape seed and see an apple tree grow. For those who are truly born again, they arise, and grow, after the type of the seed that was planted. That seed, bring Christ, produces a tree after His own kind. From Genesis to Revelation we are told that reproduction is only after one’s own kind. When this is understood, then immediately and forever the Christian will put away the anxiety, the lack of confidence, and any doubts about his acceptance. He is Christ’s own tree, grown from His own Seed after His own kind. When this is understood, the only “fear and trembling” left will be that of the acknowledgement of Yahweh’s majesty. That is when the balance we have been discussing is found, when we are diligent in the judgment, but at the same time know that we are accepted, forever, in love.
But all this takes place before the experience of the Latter Rain. The obedience to Yahweh’s Law comes with conversion. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin. That is the beginning of the process. The first angel must be accepted, and with it the commitment to examine one’s self, and to process one’s thoughts. When this is done, false doctrines and ideas are found and put away. The Second Angel of Revelation guides this process, because this is how Babylon, confusion, falls. And then, like the apostles, there is a coming together in unity. There is a gathering together in one “place.” This is not a physical place, not any longer, because there will be Christians all over the world. But they are gathered together at one spiritual “place,” and that is the covenant of membership. They are not independent atoms. They are not diverse and conflicting ministries, personalities, and unassociated groups. No, under the second angel all tendencies toward disorder, disorganization, and sectarianism are cleansed away – remember that Babylon was about confusion, but it was also about separation.
Those who do not strive for unity, to be members of one Body, have not yet accepted the Second Angel, because they are still living under the shadow of the Tower of Babel, where the gentiles were divided, and each little group, speaking its own language, went off by itself. Remember that from Genesis 11? Yahweh did that, for a time, so that we would not build a global monument to false religion, but now it is time to be One before Him.
Once the Second Angel is accepted, and this Babylonian tendency toward separation has been put away, the Third Angel guides us into unity against a common foe, the Beast and his Image. Against all Satanic policies and principles in the human world, we protest. Against all attempts to force the conscience of the believer to accept a false religion, we resist. This can only be done as a single People, and when we do this, when we have accepted the commandments of Yahweh, the faith of Yahshua, and the unity for which the Son prayed to the Father, then the Latter Rain will fall in a visible downpour.
It is only then, when we have ceased to sin, when we live in harmony with the Law, when we are in covenant with our fellow believers, that we find the balance between “fear and trembling,” and the joy of Yahshua’s soon appearing. The Latter Rain does not cause any of these things. It is the seal, the final sign, that these things have been done. Now, it is all done by Yahweh’s Spirit. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith Yahweh of hosts.” (Zech 4:6) But it must first be done by individuals, with the “measure of faith” given at conversion. In other words, we do not wait for anything. We are not waiting for the Latter Rain to accept any of the Three Angels’ Messages. We have victory, purity, and unity now, this very minute. Any and all who desire them may accept them and declare them without any uncertainty.
The Church, collectively, reflects the experience of the members, individually. When Yahweh sees that His people have received, and really, become, the Three Gospel Angels, then He pours out His Spirit, and that, for two reasons. Before I mention those reasons, though, I must point out that in order to properly reflect the divine presence, the spiritual “camp” of Israel, the Church and its members, must be cleansed, and must be living in a state of mutual trust.
The Latter Rain is not the means by which we overcome sin. That is the Holy Spirit given to us individually at conversion. The Latter Rain is not the means by which doctrines are reformed. That is by the Holy Spirit working through committed brethren who study and live by the Word. The Latter Rain is not the means by which the Church is united. That is by the Holy Spirit inspiring the born-again believers to be one covenanted Body because they are in harmony with the Law, loving the Father and Son above all else, and their neighbors as themselves.
Once that is done, then the Church has prepared Herself to receive the gift of Her Bridegroom, that extra and glorious outpouring of the Spirit, and that, again, for two main reasons.
First, it is for our protection during the final harvest. It is because when the Enemy sees that we are united in love, and working as one with Christ to save souls from condemnation, he will unleash his greatest and most powerful attacks. The Latter Rain keeps us from drying out under the heat of his fury. For all that we can do when inspired by the Holy Spirit, we cannot of ourselves withstand the attacks of an army of demons. Only the Church, as one, under the protection of the holy angels, can survive the final onslaught of trials, tribulations, and temptations.
Second, when we read the effects of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring under the time of the Former Rain, we see that there were crowds converted in a single day. We see that there were miracles of healing, divine wisdom given to teachers, and a great rush of interest in the risen Messiah. This matches what was written, in parable, in Deuteronomy: “that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.”
If there are any of the last generation who will be saved, there will be a final call to the world. It will be given, not by a disconnected scattering of independent ministries, not by isolated groups, or individual practitioners. No, it will be given by a nation of priests, by a people who have stood in the light of Yahweh’s judgment “with fear and trembling,” reverent in their joyful expectation. All sins have been confessed and put away, and they stand together as one, fulfilling Yahshua’s prayer to His Father in John 17, and being the perfect example of practicing all that they preach to the world.
Now, personally, what does this mean? Why is it important to understand this Bible-long parable of the death of the seed (which is Christ), the growth of the plant (which is the Church) and the Former and Latter Rain (which is the attention given by the Gardener)? We are here to edify one another, and even as we reach out to the world, we know that we are before the Throne of our Father in this most solemn time. We must help one another to grow. We must teach each other that the righteousness of Christ is available now, even this moment, without any visible signs or special events. We must teach one another that the judgment, though a solemn experience, is the path to life everlasting.
It is natural that the sensibilities of the mind will feel pressure… to ensure we are in harmony with our Father’s will, to be about His work, to be willing to “die daily,” as Paul wrote, to strive, even to be in danger, for the sake of the Gospel.
It is not an external pressure from creeds or Church rules, as the nominal religions do it. It is not for fear of punishment, as those who have a religion of works would have you believe. Rather, it is a pressure that arises from an inner desire to be clean and pure before Yahweh. This also is a gift of the Spirit. This drives us to Him, and it also drives us together, as in the upper room with the followers of Christ in the Book of Acts. There is a seeking of confirmation that we, who cannot see our own faults, are not judged as sinners by the Church, or falling short in some area. To those who are carnal in their thoughts, this idea, of subjecting one’s self to the accountability of the brethren, might well cause them “fear and trembling,” but such fear comes from a lack of trust in the Body, and the Father who gave that Body to us as a gift.
By contrast, those who feel the weight of judgment, and for the correct and balanced reason of an internal drive, that gift of the Spirit to desire to be clean before the Holy Throne, they actually want that accountability. They seek it out. They see it as no barrier to their individual expression of faith and life, but desire to be in harmony with both the Creator and His People.
As someone who has done this more than once, I can tell you that it is only a confirmation of our freedom in Christ. At times, I have taken my concerns to members, sometimes Pastor, sometimes another. And I ask them, “Concerning this thing I am doing, or I have done, or I am planning to do, is my conscience correct? Is it too sensitive? Is it not sensitive enough?” And as I listen, as I learn, my conscience is sharpened and formed according to the divine mold. This is true fellowship. For lone practitioner, they will always feel that their opinion is right; nobody will correct them, and therefore they will often fall short of genuine righteousness. They will not see their defects of character, and will not be able to stand before the Throne, at least not without the sting of death stripping away their mortality. For those who are satisfied with fellowship but not membership, they will find that they were never truly accountable, never committed to the kind of unity that we see in the upper room, which led to the reception of the Latter Rain. And this is how the Scriptures describe it… those who are not willing to be accountable to those who have the Holy Spirit on earth will not be willing to truly be subject to He who has the Holy Spirit in Heaven. It is a matter of surrendering one’s fear, one’s mistrust, one’s carnal and selfish tendencies, and in freedom, to obey: “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1Pet 5:5)
I posted a message on Facebook last week, or the week before, of which I am sharing a portion for the context of the conversation that followed it: “God has a special work for the men of experience to do. They are to guard the cause of God. They are to see that the work of God is not committed to men who feel it their privilege to move out on their own independent judgment, to preach whatever they please, and to be responsible to no one for their instructions or work. Let this spirit of self-sufficiency once rule in our midst, and there will be no harmony of action, no unity of spirit, no safety for the work, and no healthful growth in the cause.” [The Review and Herald, May 29, 1888]
Well, immediately, there was a comment from someone (I believe he was an Adventist) declaring this to be false inspiration. I pointed out that this was Ellen White’s commentary, and the individual who protested was willing to go so far as to say that her inspiration on this was faulty. So committed are some people to their idols that they will not submit themselves to the judgment of others, not an acknowledged prophet of God, nor the least among the brethren, even though the least among us, Paul says, has been given divine wisdom to judge matters here on earth. (1Cor 6:1-5)
But those who are fearful, those who are carnal, those who feel the weight of judgment only from external sources, and not from an inner desire to be clean, they cannot bear this idea. They cannot conceive of trusting God’s people enough to subject themselves to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit through them. They work at cross purposes with Christ’s own prayers, even while claiming to be His messengers, and so they catch themselves in a lie. They prove that they have been running away from the judgment, and masking their carnal fear. They cannot have the Latter Rain, because they have not obeyed the commandments of Yahweh, and they have not come into unity with the brethren. If they would not have received the Former Rain in the days of the apostles, it is impossible that they will receive the Latter Rain now, which is a confirmation that they have gone through this process of preparation for the harvest.
But we are those who are not ashamed of our characters. We are not afraid to stand in the light of judgment. We are subject to one another in love, as a true family. We have Yahshua within us, and our brethren around us, so that, even though we ultimately stand before the Throne of Yahweh as individuals, we have with us the seal of our tribe, and the character of our divine nation. We have learned the balances: freedom and obedience, fear and joy, individuality and accountability… all these things we have discussed today. We have learned love, not just tolerance, but love, for the work that our Father has set before us, and in all these things, we are perfectly free, and perfectly content.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“Here is where thousands fail; they do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally, individually. They do not take God at His word. It is the privilege of all who comply with the conditions to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended for every sin. Put away the suspicion that God's promises are not meant for you. They are for every repentant transgressor. Strength and grace have been provided through Christ to be brought by ministering angels to every believing soul. None are so sinful that they cannot find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. He is waiting to strip them of their garments stained and polluted with sin, and to put upon them the white robes of righteousness; He bids them live and not die.” [Steps to Christ, p. 52]
“He [Satan] is working with all his insinuating, deceiving power, to lead men away from the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with mighty power. If Satan sees that the Lord is blessing His people and preparing them to discern his delusions, he will work with his master power to bring in fanaticism on the one hand and cold formalism on the other, that he may gather in a harvest of souls. Now is our time to watch unceasingly. Watch, bar the way to the least step of advance that Satan may make among you.” [Selected Messages, Book 2, p. 19]
“When the individual members of the church shall act as true followers of the meek and lowly Saviour, there will be less covering up and excusing of sin. All will strive to act as if in God’s presence. They will realize that His all-seeing eye is ever upon them and that the most secret thought is known to Him. The character, the motives, the desires and purposes, are as clear as the light of the sun to the eye of the Omnipotent.” [Testimonies for The Church, Volume 5, p. 147]
“I speak to our people. If you draw close to Jesus and seek to adorn your profession by a well-ordered life and godly conversation, your feet will be kept from straying into forbidden paths. If you will only watch, continually watch unto prayer, if you will do everything as if you were in the immediate presence of God, you will be saved from yielding to temptation, and may hope to be kept pure, spotless, and undefiled till the last. If you hold the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end, your ways will be established in God; and what grace has begun, glory will crown in the kingdom of our God. The fruits of the Spirit are “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” If Christ be within us, we shall crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts.” [Testimonies for The Church, Volume 5, p. 148]