that took place at the end of the world and throughout time if Israel had been faithful this warfare would have been successful even in the time of ancient Israel. But all these examples are more clearly fulfilled here at the end of the world. Gideon developed a counterfeit ephod and breastplate counterfeiting the consecration of God's people and the purpose of God's people when he stumbled in his experience. Signs of the Times, July 28, 1881 says this, Gideon led the people to look upon this ephod and the breastplate as possessing special sacredness in themselves. In this he erred. All that could make them sacred was the fact that they were employed in the solemn service of God as he had directed. The high priest alone was authorized to wear them when he went in before the Lord. One of the characteristics that comes down to us today from the logic of Gideon is that when he made this ephod and breastplate he attached to it a special sacredness and the people were led to believe that, but what makes the people and the items associated with genuine worship and service among God's people sacred, what makes them sacred, the people and the items that they're involved with, is that they are used as God directs and God never directed for another ephod and breastplate to be made. So we have here illustrated a setting up of a religion that is a counterfeit, counterfeit in the sense that it's not a new design for high priest garment, it's a copy of the original and the one thing that is emphasized by the spirit of prophecy that makes it unaffected is that what makes anything in divine, sacred things powerful is if they are used in obedience to the Lord's word and no human invention can change that. If we're not being obedient to the Lord's word there's no power in what we're doing. Testimonies to Ministers, page 81, the Lord has often made manifest in his providence that nothing less than revealed truth, the word of God, can reclaim man from sin or keep him from transgression. That word which reveals the guilt of sin has a power upon the human heart to make man right and keep him so. The Lord has said that his word is to be studied and obeyed. It is to be brought into the practical life. That word is the truth.