L E T T E R S by Tryphena N. Elliot

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 22, 1858

L E T T E R S .

By Tryphena N. Elliot

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another”

From Sister Elliot.

DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: The word of God teaches that we ought to exhort one another daily, and so much the more as we see the day approaching. We are living in a solemn time, in the days of the sounding of the last message of mercy that this generation will ever hear, and it is evident from the word of God and events transpiring around us, that it is fast drawing to a close: "that the great decisive day is at hand." I have great reason to thank the Lord for the light of the first and second Angel's Messages, and that I have not been left to reject the third.

I ever believed that God led his people out on the tenth of the seventh month, 1844, and that they did his will in preaching time. I then expected to see my Saviour coming with clouds, in power and great glory, to take the throne of his father David, and reign forever and ever; but the two thousand and three hundred days ended, and the Lord did not come. But as I had come out of Babylon, I had no desire to return again, therefore the last five verses of the 10th of Hebrews were very precious to me. "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward; for ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 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."

The third Angel is now following the first two, and he must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. How sweet was the light of this angel when first I received it! It was like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. How very plain the Scriptures teach us that there is a sanctuary in heaven, (of which the earthly one in the Jewish dispensation was a type) which the Lord pitched and not man. We find St. John in the year 96 of the Christian era, and 63 years after the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary had ceased, describing a sanctuary which he saw in heaven. He says, I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. &c. And I turned to see the voice which spake with me, and being turned I saw seven golden candle-sticks, and in the midst of the seven candle-sticks one like unto the Son of man clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Rev. i, 10, 12, 13. And another angel came and stood before 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 is 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 off the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. Rev. viii, 3-5. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. Rev. xi, 19. And after that I beheld, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. Rev. xv, 5. St. John has here described not heaven itself, but something which he saw in heaven, even so to speak, the sanctuary and great High Priest of the Gentile dispensation, and not of ours only but where saints of all ages, since the ending of the prophetic days, have been and are now standing in their lot, that their sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

“The solemn moment is at hand, When we who have his name confessed, Each in his lot must singly stand And pass the final searching test. “Jesus! we hope in thee alone; In mercy now upon us look, Confess our names before the throne, And blot our sins from out thy book.”

According to the word of God the church have shortly got to pass through fiery trials, especially when the Dragon begins to make war with the remnant of the woman's seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ; but Michael will stand up, and his people will be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever, and ever.

The fig tree is budding, everything is proclaiming in glowing language that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and if we would escape the strong delusion which is sent to those who reject the truth, let us do the commandments of God that we may have a right to the tree of life and enter through the gates into the city.

Yours in hope, TRYPHENA N. ELLIOT. Johnson Vt., June 24th, 1858.