The prophetic line which illustrates the testing represented by the formation of the image of the beast in the United States runs parallel with the three waymarks that represent the line of the Constitution. They run parallel to each other and they contribute specific information that addresses the other line. How is it that those who pass the image of the beast test will then be prepared to walk in the light that proceeds from the throne-room of God, during the time of persecution that begins at the Sunday law in the United States? What is it about the test of the formation of the image of the beast that seals the wise virgins into an experience which allows them to navigate through the period of persecution that begins at the Sunday law, when national apostasy is followed by national ruin, and Satan begins his marvelous works?
阐明美国形成兽像所代表之考验的那条预言路线，与代表宪法路线的三个路标是平行的。它们彼此平行，并为另一条路线提供了具体的信息。那些通过兽像考验的人，将如何预备好在美国星期日法令开启的逼迫时期，行在从上帝宝座所发出的光中？兽像形成的考验中，有什么使聪明童女被盖印，进入一种使他们能够度过那从美国星期日法令开始的逼迫时期的经历？那时，国家背道之后将随之而来国家的毁灭，撒但也开始施行他奇事异能。
“It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who shall be alive upon the earth when celestial glory and a repetition of the persecutions of the past are blended. They will walk in the light proceeding from the throne of God. By means of the angels there will be constant communication between heaven and earth. And Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work miracles of all kinds, to deceive, if possible, the very elect.” Testimonies, volume 9, 16.
“当天上的荣耀与过去迫害的再现交织在一起时，那些仍活在地上的上帝子民所要经历的情形，任何人都无法描绘。他们要在从上帝宝座发出的光中行走。借着天使，天与地之间将有不断的沟通。而撒但被恶天使环绕，自称为上帝，将行各样的神迹，若可能，连选民也要迷惑。”《证言》，第9卷，16。
Sister White comments on the message Christ presented in the synagogue in Capernaum recorded in John chapter six. Her comments are in The Desire of Ages, in the chapter titled The Crisis in Galilee. There she emphasizes that Christ made no effort to prevent the rebellion that occured in John six, though He knew full well He would lose more disciples then than at any other time in His ministry among men.
怀爱伦姐妹就约翰福音第六章所记载基督在迦百农会堂所发表的信息作了评论。她的评论见于《历代愿望》中题为“加利利的危机”的一章。在那里她强调，虽然祂十分清楚，在祂在地上从事事工的整个期间，没有任何时候会像那时一样失去那么多门徒，但祂并未作出任何努力去阻止约翰福音第六章中发生的那场叛离。
“When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill. He foresaw that in the hour of temptation every one of His beloved disciples would be severely tested. His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a most trying ordeal. Had no previous test been given, many who were actuated by merely selfish motives would have been connected with them. When their Lord was condemned in the judgment hall; when the multitude who had hailed Him as their king hissed at Him and reviled Him; when the jeering crowd cried, ‘Crucify Him!’—when their worldly ambitions were disappointed, these self-seeking ones would, by renouncing their allegiance to Jesus, have brought upon the disciples a bitter, heart-burdening sorrow, in addition to their grief and disappointment in the ruin of their fondest hopes. In that hour of darkness, the example of those who turned from Him might have carried others with them. But Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal presence He could still strengthen the faith of His true followers.
当耶稣提出那考验人的真理，致使许多门徒转身退去时，他知道自己话语会产生怎样的结果；但他有一个怜悯的目的要成就。他预见，在试探临到之时，他所爱的每一位门徒都将受到严峻的考验。他在客西马尼的痛苦，他的被出卖和被钉十字架，对他们将是一场最为严酷的考验。若先前没有这样的考验，许多仅受自私动机驱使的人就会掺杂在他们中间。当他们的主在审判厅被定罪；当那曾拥戴他为王的群众向他发出嘘声并辱骂他；当那群嘲弄的人高喊：“钉他十字架！”——当他们世俗的野心落空之时，这些自谋私利的人，因放弃对耶稣的忠诚，除了他们因最殷切希望的破灭所承受的忧伤与失望之外，还会给门徒带来苦涩、沉重的悲痛。在那黑暗的时刻，那些转离他的人所起的作用可能会带动别人也随之离去。但耶稣在他还能以亲自同在来坚固他真正跟随者信心的时候，就使这场危机临到。
“Compassionate Redeemer, who in the full knowledge of the doom that awaited Him, tenderly smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for the final test!” The Desire of Ages, 394.
“慈悲的救赎主，你在深知有厄运等待着自己时，仍温柔地为门徒铺平道路，使他们为那至关重要的试炼作好准备，并坚固他们去面对最后的考验！”《世代的渴望》，第394页。
The Sunday law is the final test where character is manifested. Before the final test Christ, who never changes, allows a test by which His people’s eternal destiny will be decided. It is a test they must pass before they are sealed, and before their probation closes at the Sunday law. It is a prophetic test that prepares the wise virgins “for their crowning trial, and strengthens them for the final test!” Their “crowning trial” is their crowning test, for the wise virgins are those who are “purified, made white and tried.” The final test is their crowning trial, and in that testing time, the wise virgins “will walk in light proceeding from the throne of God”. What is it within the testing process represented as “the formation of the image of the beast” that prepares the wise virgins for the crowning trial and allows them to walk in the light proceeding from the throne of God. What is the light that proceeds from the throne of God?
星期日法令是显明品格的最终考验。在最终考验之前，那永不改变的基督允许有一道考验，藉此祂子民的永恒命运将被决定。这是他们在受印之前、并且在星期日法令时他们的恩典期结束之前必须通过的考验。这是一项预言性的考验，使聪明的童女“为他们的加冕之试炼作好准备，并坚固他们以应对最后的考验！”他们的“加冕之试炼”就是他们的加冕之考验，因为聪明的童女是那些“得以洁净、洁白并受试炼”的人。最终的考验就是他们的加冕之试炼；在那考验的时期，聪明的童女“将行在从上帝宝座发出的光中”。在被称为“兽像的形成”的考验过程中，究竟是什么，使聪明的童女为加冕之试炼作好准备，并使他们能行在从上帝宝座发出的光中？从上帝宝座发出的光是什么？
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:1–5.
当他打开第七印的时候，天上约有半小时的寂静。我看见那站在神面前的七位天使，赐给他们七支号角。又有一位天使手拿金香炉，来到祭坛旁站立；有人把大量的香交给他，好让他把这些香与所有圣徒的祷告一同，献在宝座前的金坛上。那香的烟雾与圣徒的祷告相伴，从天使的手里升到神面前。天使拿起香炉，装满祭坛上的火，投在地上；随即有声音、雷鸣、闪电，并且地震。启示录 8:1-5。
In the last days, in the period where the parable of the ten virgins is being fulfilled and the one hundred and forty-four thousand are being sealed, the seventh seal is unsealed and it identifies fire being cast to the earth in answer to the prayers of the saints. The fire that is cast down in the final and perfect fulfillment of the parable of the ten virgins is the message of the midnight cry, as typified by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the Exeter camp meeting, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which was there represented as fire. Notice Sister White’s commentary on the message of the midnight cry.
在末后的日子，在十童女的比喻正在应验、十四万四千人正在受印的时期，第七印被揭开，指出作为对圣徒祈祷的回应，有火被投在地上。十童女比喻最终且完全的应验中，被投下的那火就是午夜呼声的信息；这在埃克塞特营会上的圣灵倾降中有所预表，也在五旬节的圣灵倾降中得到体现，当时圣灵以火显现。请注意怀爱伦姐妹对午夜呼声信息的论述。
“Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two former messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no light in the third angel’s message, which shows the way into the most holy place. I saw that as the Jews crucified Jesus, so the nominal churches had crucified these messages, and therefore they have no knowledge of the way into the most holy, and they cannot be benefited by the intercession of Jesus there. Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, they offer up their useless prayers to the apartment which Jesus has left; and Satan, pleased with the deception, assumes a religious character, and leads the minds of these professed Christians to himself, working with his power, his signs and lying wonders, to fasten them in his snare.” Early Writings, 259–261.
拒绝第一道信息的人，无法从第二道信息得益；他们也未从午夜呼喊得益，这呼喊原是要预备他们凭信心与耶稣一同进入天上圣所的至圣所。并且，由于拒绝了前两道信息，他们的悟性就如此昏暗，以至于在第三位天使的信息中看不见任何亮光，而这信息正指示通往至圣所的道路。我看见，正如犹太人把耶稣钉在十字架上，那些名义上的教会也把这些信息钉了十字架；因此他们对进入至圣所的道路毫无认识，也不能从耶稣在那里所作的代求中得益。像那些献上无用祭物的犹太人一样，他们把无用的祈祷献给耶稣已经离开的那一间；撒但因这欺骗而心满意足，披上宗教的外衣，引导这些自称为基督徒之人的心归向他自己，并以他的能力、神迹和虚假的奇事作工，要将他们牢牢捆缚在他的罗网之中。《早期著作》，259-261。
In the Millerite history the test of the message of the midnight cry “was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary.” The message of the midnight cry that is now being developed is also represented as the testing of the formation of the image of the beast. They are both the test that leads to the close of probation where character is manifested. When the Millerites entered into the Most Holy Place by faith, their faith was once again tested. The faith of the one hundred and forty-four thousand will be tested at the Sunday law, but they are promised that they will be safe, for they will walk “in the light proceeding from” the seventh seal, which was opened when the message of the midnight cry began to be unsealed in July of 2023.
在米勒派历史中，午夜呼声信息的考验，“是要预备他们凭着信心与耶稣一同进入天上圣所的至圣所”。现今正在展开的午夜呼声的信息，也被表述为对“兽像”形成的考验。这两者都是导致恩门关闭、使品格显明的考验。当米勒派信徒凭信进入至圣所时，他们的信心再次受到考验。十四万四千人的信心将在星期日法令时受到考验，但他们蒙应许将得以保全，因为他们将行在“从第七印发出的光”中；这第七印是在2023年7月，当午夜呼声的信息开始被揭开时被揭开的。
The message that was unsealed at that time is established through the methodology of line upon line, which is the methodology of the latter rain. The latter rain began to sprinkle in 2001, and the final testing of Adventism began. In July of 2023 the final period in the testing process that concludes at the Sunday law began when the message of the midnight cry, which is also the latter rain, which is also the increase of knowledge that is produced when the seventh seal is removed, and is also the unsealing of the seven thunders as well as the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All the lines that represent an unsealing of prophetic light are identified as being unsealed in the hidden history of verse forty of Daniel chapter eleven.
当时被开启的信息是通过线与线相叠加的方法确立的，这正是晚雨的方法。晚雨在2001年开始洒落，复临运动的最终考验也开始了。到2023年7月，随着“午夜呼声”的信息开始——这信息也是晚雨，也是第七印被揭开时所带来的知识增长，也是七雷的开启，并且也是耶稣基督的启示——以星期日法令为终点的试验过程的最后阶段便开始了。所有代表预言之光开启的各条线，都被指认为是在《但以理书》十一章四十节的隐藏历史中被开启的。
In that hidden history the line of the Constitution’s three primary waymarks is represented. It is the line when church and state come together to form the image of the beast. It contains a prophetic line that addresses the presidents of the United States which illustrate the dynamics of the political struggles that occur in the history of the Republican horn of the earth-beast. That line includes the parallel histories of both major political parties of the United States. That line is closely related to the horn of apostate Protestantism from its beginning in 1844, until it usurps the control of the civil government at the Sunday law.
在那段隐秘的历史中，宪法的三个主要路标所构成的那条线被呈现出来。它就是教会与国家联合、形成兽像的那条线。它包含一条针对美国总统的预言线，说明发生在地上兽的共和角之历史中的政治斗争动态。那条线包括美国两大政党的平行历史。那条线与背道新教的那只角密切相关，从1844年的开端起，直到在星期日法之时篡夺对民事政府的控制权。
The prophetic role of apostate Protestantism includes the witness of the Hasmonaean Dynasty as a symbol of apostate Protestantism. In the backdrop of the line of the horn of apostate Protestantism you also have the line of the Laodicean Seventh-day Adventist church. From the line of Laodicean Adventism you have the line of the one hundred and forty-four thousand. That hidden history also has the line of Islam of the third woe. Russia has a line, the United Nations has a line and of course, the papal power has a line.
背道新教在预言中的角色，包括哈斯蒙尼王朝作为背道新教象征的见证。在背道新教的角这条脉络的背景下，还有老底嘉的基督复临安息日会的脉络。从老底嘉的基督复临安息日会这条脉络中，又有十四万四千的脉络。那段隐藏的历史也包含第三祸中的伊斯兰这条脉络。俄罗斯有一条脉络，联合国有一条脉络，当然，教皇权也有一条脉络。
If a student of prophecy applies himself as a Berean living in the last days, he will feed upon the lines that are identified in the hidden history of verse forty. The student of prophecy will take the book out of the angel’s hand and eat it. Then when the final test of the Sunday law arrives, he will not only have come to understand the message of the midnight cry that was unsealed, but he will fully understand how the image of the beast was formed in the United States.
如果一位研究预言的学生像生活在末后的日子里的庇哩亚人那样殷勤查考，他就会藉着在第四十节的隐藏历史中所辨识出来的那些脉络得着喂养。这位研究预言的学生会把书从天使的手中取过来，并把它吃下去。然后，当星期日法令的最终考验临到时，他不仅已经明白那被解封的午夜呼声的信息，而且会完全明白兽像是在美国如何形成的。
The light of the seventh seal proceeds from the throne and in the context of the parable of the ten virgins it is the message of the midnight cry. The message of the midnight cry is what prepares the wise virgins for the period when the persecutions of the past are repeated.
第七印的光发自宝座，在十童女的比喻中，它就是午夜呼声的信息。午夜呼声的信息使聪明的童女为过去的逼迫重演的时期做好准备。
“In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what God has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Testimonies to Ministers, 31.
回顾我们以往的历史，细数我们一步步迈向今日地位的每一次进展，我可以说：赞美上帝！当我看见上帝所成就的一切，我满怀惊叹，并对作为我们领袖的基督充满信心。我们对未来没有什么可惧怕的，除非我们忘记了主怎样带领我们，以及祂在我们过去历史中的教导。——《给牧者的证言》，31。
The Lord is leading His people in the testing process that began in July 2023. His leading included opening up the prophetic word in relation to the hidden history of verse forty. That history identifies how the image of the beast is formed in the United States, and of course much more than simply that element of end-time events. When we find ourselves in the crowning trial at the Sunday law, when the persecutions of the past are beginning to repeat, we “have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”
主正在引导祂的子民，经过自2023年7月开始的试炼过程。祂的带领包括开启与经文第四十节的隐藏历史相关的预言话语。那段历史指出兽像在美国如何形成，当然远不止于末时事件中的这一方面。当我们身处周日法令的终极考验之时，过去的迫害开始重演，我们“对于未来没有什么可怕的，除非我们忘记了主怎样带领我们，以及祂在我们过去历史中的教导。”
At the Sunday law the “past history” will be repeated in the period of the formation of the image of the beast in the United States. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has unsealed the final message and led His people to the hidden history of verse forty. There He taught His people to not simply understand His prophetic word, but also the privilege and responsibility to attain an experience qualified to be among those of His people who were to be His representatives in the final crisis.
当星期日法令临到时，“过去的历史”将于美国形成兽像的时期被重演。犹大支派的狮子已经揭开了末后信息的封印，并引领祂的子民来到第四十节中所隐藏的历史。在那里，祂教导祂的子民，不仅要明白祂的预言之道，也要认识并承担获得一种经历的特权与责任，使他们有资格成为祂子民中那些将在最后的危机中作祂代表的人。
One of the prophetic characteristics of those people is that they know how to walk by the light proceeding from the throne. That light is the light of the hidden history of verse forty, which describes in minute detail the religious, political, social and economic dynamics involved in erecting the image of the beast in the United States. The light which is recognized concerning this sacred history is produced through the application of line upon line, from here a little and there a little, and it is the light that describes the history when the persecutions of the past are once again initiated.
那些人的先知性特征之一，是他们知道如何按着从宝座发出的光而行。那光是关于经文第四十节中隐藏历史的光，它细致入微地描述了在美国树立兽像所涉及的宗教、政治、社会和经济动态。人们对这段神圣历史所认识的那道光，是通过运用一行又一行、这里一点、那里一点的方法而产生的；而当以往的迫害再次发动时，正是这道光在描绘那段历史。
Those who understand the increase of knowledge are the wise, and the increase of knowledge is upon the formation of the image of the beast, and the wise will understand the history of the formation of the image of the beast in the world in advance of the arrival of that history. Jesus, as Alpha and Omega, always illustrates the end of a thing with the beginning of a thing.
明白知识增长的人就是智慧人，而知识的增长发生在兽像形成的过程中；智慧人会在那段历史到来之前，预先明白兽像在世上形成的历史。耶稣作为阿尔法和欧米伽，总是用一件事的开头来说明它的结局。
It is worth noting that the passage where Sister White identifies that God’s people will walk in light proceeding from the throne is the conclusion of the first chapter in Testimonies, volume nine. The chapter begins on page eleven, so the chapter begins at nine-eleven and it ends describing the Sunday law. It describes the period where the image of the beast is formed and the one hundred and forty-four thousand are manifested, but only if you have the faith to see that chapter in such a fashion.
值得注意的是，怀特姊妹指出上帝的子民将行走在从宝座发出的光中的那段文字，是《证言》第九卷第一章的结尾。该章始于第十一页，因此它起于九卷十一页（九一一），并以对星期日法令的描述作结。它描述了兽像形成的时期，以及十四万四千人的显现，但只有当你有信心以这样的方式来看待那一章时，才能如此理解。
Being the first section of volume nine, it opens with that identification, and employs the title, For the Coming of the King. It is clearly referencing not only the Second Coming of Christ, but also the parable of the ten virgins, for the section title then quotes Paul.
作为第九卷的第一节，它开头就作出这样的标识，并采用“为君王的降临”这一标题。它显然不仅指向基督再临，也涉及十童女的比喻，因为该部分的标题随后又引用了保罗的话。
“Section 1—For the Coming of the King
第一节——为国王的到来
“‘Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.’ Hebrews 10:37.”
“再过不多时，那要来的就来，并不迟延。”希伯来书 10:37。
The following two verses are left off, but they contribute to the light in the passage.
以下两节被省略了，但它们对该段落中的光有所贡献。
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:37–39.
因为还要有一点时候，那要来的必来，并不迟延。只是，义人必因信而活；若有人退后，我的心必不喜悦他。我们却不是那退后以致灭亡的人，乃是那有信心以致灵魂得救的人。希伯来书 10:37-39。
Paul was referring to Habakkuk where the faithful wise virgins are contrasted with those who Paul says “draw back unto perdition.” Habakkuk said it this way:
保罗指的是哈巴谷书，其中把忠心又聪明的童女与那些他所说“退后以致沉沦”的人形成对比。哈巴谷是这样说的：
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4.
看哪，他自高自大的心在他里面并不正直；惟有义人必因他的信得生。哈巴谷书 2:4。
Habakkuk’s tarrying time is the tarrying time of the ten virgins, and the chapter of the coming King, in connection with Paul’s words from Hebrews, identifies the perfect fulfillment and application of this chapter in the period of the sealing of the one hundred and forty-four thousand. That period began on September 11, 2001 and ends at the Sunday law, which is Laodicean Adventism’s last crisis, which in the parable of the ten virgins is the manifestation of character at the Sunday law. The last paragraphs of the chapter address the Sunday law, and the chapter begins by addressing September 11, 2001.
哈巴古的迟延时期就是十童女的迟延时期；而“降临之王”这一章，结合保罗在《希伯来书》中的话，指出本章在十四万四千人盖印时期中的完全应验与应用。那一时期始于2001年9月11日，终于星期日法令；这乃是老底嘉时期复临教会的最后危机，在十童女的比喻中则是在星期日法令时品格的显明。该章的最后几段论及星期日法令，而该章的开头则论及2001年9月11日。
“The Last Crisis
最后的危机
“We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude.
我们正生活在末时。那些迅速应验的时代征兆宣告基督的复临已近在眼前。我们所处的日子庄严而重要。上帝的灵正逐渐而确实地从地上收回。瘟疫和审判已经临到藐视上帝恩典的人。陆海上的灾难、社会局势的动荡不安、战争的警讯，都是不祥的预兆。它们预示着空前重大的事件即将来临。
“The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.
邪恶的势力正在合并力量并加以巩固。他们正为最后一场重大危机而增强实力。我们的世界不久将发生巨变，而最后的进程将会十分迅速。
“The condition of things in the world shows that troublous times are right upon us. The daily papers are full of indications of a terrible conflict in the near future. Bold robberies are of frequent occurrence. Strikes are common. Thefts and murders are committed on every hand. Men possessed of demons are taking the lives of men, women, and little children. Men have become infatuated with vice, and every species of evil prevails.
当今世界的局势表明，动荡的时日已然临到我们头上。各大日报充斥着不久将有可怕冲突的种种迹象。公然抢劫频频发生。罢工司空见惯。盗窃与谋杀在各处屡屡发生。被恶魔附身的人正在夺走男人、女人和幼小孩童的生命。人们沉湎于罪恶，各种罪恶猖獗。
“The enemy has succeeded in perverting justice and in filling men’s hearts with the desire for selfish gain. ‘Justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.’ Isaiah 59:14. In the great cities there are multitudes living in poverty and wretchedness, well-nigh destitute of food, shelter, and clothing; while in the same cities are those who have more than heart could wish, who live luxuriously, spending their money on richly furnished houses, on personal adornment, or worse still, upon the gratification of sensual appetites, upon liquor, tobacco, and other things that destroy the powers of the brain, unbalance the mind, and debase the soul. The cries of starving humanity are coming up before God, while by every species of oppression and extortion men are piling up colossal fortunes.
敌人已经成功地扭曲了公义，并使人心充满自私逐利的欲望。“公义站在远处，因为真理在街上仆倒，正直不得进入。”以赛亚书59:14。在大城市里，有无数人生活在贫困与苦难之中，几乎缺乏食物、栖身之所和衣物；而在同样的城市里，却有人拥有超出心所能求的一切，奢华度日，把钱花在陈设华丽的房屋、个人的装饰上，更有甚者，为满足感官的欲望，花在酒、烟草以及其他摧毁脑力、扰乱心智、败坏灵魂的东西上。饥饿之人的呼声正上达上帝面前，而人们却以各种压迫与勒索堆积起庞大的财富。
“On one occasion, when in New York City, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify their owners and builders. Higher and still higher these buildings rose, and in them the most costly material was used. Those to whom these buildings belonged were not asking themselves: ‘How can we best glorify God?’ The Lord was not in their thoughts.
有一次，我在纽约市，夜间被召唤去观看那些建筑一层又一层地向天升起。这些建筑被保证是防火的，它们被建造出来是为荣耀其所有者和建造者。它们越建越高，其中使用了最昂贵的材料。这些建筑的所有者并没有自问：“我们怎样才能最荣耀上帝？”主并不在他们的心中。
“I thought: ‘Oh, that those who are thus investing their means could see their course as God sees it! They are piling up magnificent buildings, but how foolish in the sight of the Ruler of the universe is their planning and devising. They are not studying with all the powers of heart and mind how they may glorify God. They have lost sight of this, the first duty of man.’
“我想：‘哦，要是那些这样运用他们财力的人，能像上帝那样看清他们所走的路就好了！他们在堆砌宏伟的建筑，然而在宇宙之主眼中，他们的筹划与谋算是多么愚昧。他们并没有用尽心智的一切力量去思考如何荣耀上帝。他们已经忽略了这一点——这是人的首要本分。’”
“As these lofty buildings went up, the owners rejoiced with ambitious pride that they had money to use in gratifying self and provoking the envy of their neighbors. Much of the money that they thus invested had been obtained through exaction, through grinding down the poor. They forgot that in heaven an account of every business transaction is kept; every unjust deal, every fraudulent act, is there recorded. The time is coming when in their fraud and insolence men will reach a point that the Lord will not permit them to pass, and they will learn that there is a limit to the forbearance of Jehovah.
随着这些高耸的建筑相继落成，业主们得意洋洋、踌躇满志，为自己手中有钱可以满足私欲、惹得邻里眼红而欢欣。他们如此投入的许多资金，是通过苛索、压榨穷人得来的。他们忘了，天上记录着每一笔商业交易；每一桩不义的买卖、每一个欺诈的行为，都在那里被记在册。时候将到，在他们的欺诈与狂傲中，人会走到一个主不容许他们越过的界限，他们就会明白，耶和华的宽容是有度的。
“The scene that next passed before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fire-proof buildings and said: ‘They are perfectly safe.’ But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines.
接下来呈现在我眼前的情景是火警警报响起。人们望着那些高耸、号称防火的建筑，说：“它们绝对安全。”然而这些建筑却仿佛是用沥青制成的，被焚毁殆尽。消防车无力阻止这场毁灭，消防员也无法操作这些机器。
“I am instructed that when the Lord’s time comes, should no change have taken place in the hearts of proud, ambitious human beings, men will find that the hand that had been strong to save will be strong to destroy. No earthly power can stay the hand of God. No material can be used in the erection of buildings that will preserve them from destruction when God’s appointed time comes to send retribution on men for their disregard of His law and for their selfish ambition.
我蒙指示：当上帝所定的时候来到，如果那些骄傲、野心勃勃之人的心仍未改变，人们就会发现，那曾大能拯救的手，也必大能毁灭。世上的任何权势都不能拦阻上帝的手。无论用何种材料建造房屋，都不能在上帝所定降下报应之时保全不毁；那时，上帝要因人藐视他的律法，并因他们自私的野心而施行惩罚。
“There are not many, even among educators and statesmen, who comprehend the causes that underlie the present state of society. Those who hold the reins of government are not able to solve the problem of moral corruption, poverty, pauperism, and increasing crime. They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis. If men would give more heed to the teaching of God’s word, they would find a solution of the problems that perplex them.
即使在教育家和政治家当中，能理解当今社会状况背后原因的人也不多。执政者也无法解决道德败坏、贫困、赤贫以及日益增加的犯罪问题。他们徒劳地挣扎，试图使商业运作建立在更稳固的基础上。若人们更多留心上帝话语的教导，他们就会找到困扰他们的问题的解决之道。
“The Scriptures describe the condition of the world just before Christ’s second coming. Of the men who by robbery and extortion are amassing great riches, it is written: ‘Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.’ James 5:3–6.
圣经描述了基督再来之前世界的光景。关于那些以抢夺和勒索聚敛巨财的人，经上记着说：“你们为末后的日子积聚财宝。看哪，你们克扣那为你们收割田地之人的工价，这工价在呼号；那收割之人的哀声已经进入万军之主的耳中。你们在世上奢华宴乐，放纵；你们养肥你们的心，如同在宰杀的日子。你们定了义人的罪，把他杀了；他也不抵挡你们。”雅各书5:3-6。
“But who reads the warnings given by the fast-fulfilling signs of the times? What impression is made upon worldlings? What change is seen in their attitude? No more than was seen in the attitude of the inhabitants of the Noachian world. Absorbed in worldly business and pleasure, the antediluvians ‘knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away.’ Matthew 24:39. They had heaven-sent warnings, but they refused to listen. And today the world, utterly regardless of the warning voice of God, is hurrying on to eternal ruin.
但是，有谁去阅读那些正在迅速应验的时代征兆所给出的警告呢？这在世俗之人心中留下了什么印象？他们的态度有何改变？与挪亚时代的居民并无二致。沉迷于世俗的生意和享乐，洪水以前的人“并不知，直到洪水来了，把他们全都冲去”。马太福音24:39。他们得到了从天而来的警告，却拒绝倾听。而今天，这个世界全然不顾上帝警戒的声音，正急速奔向永恒的灭亡。
“The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecy of the eleventh chapter of Daniel has nearly reached its complete fulfillment. Soon the scenes of trouble spoken of in the prophecies will take place.
全世界都被战争的气氛所激荡。《但以理书》第十一章的预言几乎已经完全应验了。不久，预言中所说的患难景象将要出现。
“‘“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof…. Because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate…. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.’ Isaiah 24:1–8.
“看哪，耶和华使地空虚，使其荒废，翻转大地，并分散其上的居民……因为他们违背律法，更改典章，破坏永约。因此，咒诅吞噬了大地，住在其上的人尽都荒凉……手鼓的欢声止息，欢腾者的喧嚷终止，琴的喜乐也止息。”以赛亚书 24:1-8。
“‘Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come…. The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down, for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.’ ‘The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” Joel 1:15–18, 12.
“哀哉，这日子！因为耶和华的日子临近了；它要像从全能者来的毁灭一样临到……种子在土块下腐烂了，粮仓荒凉，谷仓拆毁，因为庄稼枯干了。牲畜何等哀号！牛群惊惶失措，因为没有牧场；连羊群也都遭了荒凉。” “葡萄树枯干，无花果树衰残；石榴树、棕榈树，还有苹果树，连田间一切树木都枯萎了，因为人间的喜乐已经消失。” 约珥书 1:15-18，12。
“‘I am pained at my very heart; … I cannot hold my peace, because thou has heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled.’ Jeremiah 4:19, 20.
“我心疼痛……我不能静默不言；因为你已经听见了，我的心哪，号角的声音，战争的警报。毁坏临到毁坏；全地都被毁坏。” 耶利米书 4:19、20。
“‘I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down.’ Verses 23–26.
“我观看大地，不料，地是空虚混沌的；又观看诸天，竟无光明。我观看群山，不料，它们都在颤抖，众丘陵也微微摇动。我观看，不料，地上无人，天空的一切飞鸟都已逃去。我观看，不料，那肥沃之地已成荒野，其中所有的城邑都毁坏了。”第23至26节。
“‘“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7.
“唉！因为那日甚大，无与伦比；那正是雅各遭难的时候，但他必从中得救。”耶利米书30:7。
“Not all in this world have taken sides with the enemy against God. Not all have become disloyal. There are a faithful few who are true to God; for John writes: ‘Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ Revelation 14:12. Soon the battle will be waged fiercely between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. Soon everything that can be shaken will be shaken, that those things that cannot be shaken may remain.
这个世界上并非所有人都站在仇敌一边与上帝为敌。也并非所有人都变得不忠。仍有少数忠心的人忠于上帝；因为约翰写道：“在这里，是那些遵守上帝的诫命，并持守耶稣的信心的人。”启示录14:12。不久，服事上帝的人与不服事他的人之间将爆发激烈的争战。不久，凡能被震动的都要被震动，好使那不能被震动的可以存留。
“Satan is a diligent Bible student. He knows that his time is short, and he seeks at every point to counterwork the work of the Lord upon this earth. It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who shall be alive upon the earth when celestial glory and a repetition of the persecutions of the past are blended. They will walk in the light proceeding from the throne of God. By means of the angels there will be constant communication between heaven and earth. And Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work miracles of all kinds, to deceive, if possible, the very elect. God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles, for Satan will counterfeit the miracles that will be wrought. God’s tried and tested people will find their power in the sign spoken of in Exodus 31:12–18. They are to take their stand on the living word: ‘It is written.’ This is the only foundation upon which they can stand securely. Those who have broken their covenant with God will in that day be without God and without hope.
“撒但是一位勤奋的圣经学生。他知道自己时候不多，他在各方面都竭力破坏主在这地上的工作。当天上的荣耀与昔日迫害的重演交织在一起之时，将要活着在地上的神的子民所要经历的情形，无法描述。他们要行在从神宝座发出的光中。借着天使，天与地之间将有不断的沟通。而撒但在恶天使的环绕之中，自称为神，施行各样神迹奇事，要迷惑人，若可能，连那选民也要迷惑。神的子民的安全并不在于行神迹，因为撒但会仿冒将要施行的神迹。那些受过试炼与考验的神的子民，将在出埃及记31:12-18所说的记号上得着能力。他们要立足于那活泼的道：‘经上记着。’这是他们能够稳固站立的唯一根基。凡与神背约的人，到那日必无神，也无指望。”
“The worshipers of God will be especially distinguished by their regard for the fourth commandment, since this is the sign of God’s creative power and the witness to His claim upon man’s reverence and homage. The wicked will be distinguished by their efforts to tear down the Creator’s memorial and to exalt the institution of Rome. In the issue of the conflict all Christendom will be divided into two great classes, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark. Although church and state will unite their power to compel all, ‘both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,’ to receive the mark of the beast, yet the people of God will not receive it. Revelation 13:16. The prophet of Patmos beholds ‘them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God,’ and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Revelation 15:2.
敬拜上帝的人将特别因他们对第四条诫命的重视而与众不同，因为这是上帝创造大能的记号，也是为他对人类所当献上的敬畏与崇敬之主权作见证。恶人则会因他们竭力废除造物主的纪念，并高举罗马的制度而被辨识出来。到这场冲突的结局时，整个基督教世界将分为两大类：一类是遵守上帝的诫命并有耶稣的信心的人，另一类是敬拜兽和兽像并受它的印记的人。尽管教会与国家会合并他们的权力，强迫所有人——“无论大小、富足或贫穷、自由人或为奴的”——接受兽的印记，然而上帝的子民却不会接受。启示录13:16。拔摩岛上的先知看见“那些胜了兽、和兽像、和它的印记、并它名的数字的人，站在玻璃海上，拿着上帝的琴”，并唱摩西之歌和羔羊之歌。启示录15:2。
“Fearful tests and trials await the people of God. The spirit of war is stirring the nations from one end of the earth to the other. But in the midst of the time of trouble that is coming,—a time of trouble such as has not been since there was a nation,—God’s chosen people will stand unmoved. Satan and his host cannot destroy them, for angels that excel in strength will protect them.” Testimonies, volume 9, 11–17.
可怕的考验和试炼正等待着上帝的子民。战争之灵正从地极到地极搅动列国。然而，在那即将到来的患难时期——一个自有国以来从未有过的患难时期——上帝所拣选的子民将毫不动摇地站立得稳。撒但和他的军旅不能毁灭他们，因为大有能力的天使必保护他们。《证言》第九卷，第11—17页。
The one hundred and forty-four thousand, who are “God’s tried and tested people” His “chosen people” “will stand unmoved” when “the persecutions of the past” are repeated. The light they will “walk in” is the light of the message of the seventh seal, which is the midnight cry, which is the light identifying the formation of the image of the beast.
那十四万四千人，是“上帝经过试炼和考验的子民”，祂的“选民”，当“昔日的迫害”重演时，“将屹立不动”。他们将要“行在”的光，是第七印信息的光，就是午夜呼声，也是用以识别兽像形成的光。