The Spiritual Decline and Apostasy of S. S. Snow

S. S. Snow’s apostasy and spiritual decline were the result of rejecting the light and truth he once preached, leading him to adopt erroneous views that eventually separated him from the work of God.

The Nature of Apostasy

Apostasy is a process that often begins with seeds of doubt which, if nourished, bear the fruit of infidelity and total departure from the faith2MCP 676.5. It involves a "moral fall" where individuals become habituated to a spirit that opposes the truth and the Spirit of GodOFAH 38.1+1. Those who turn away from Christ and His principles essentially dismiss Him from their lives, similar to how the Jewish nation fell by rejecting the First AdventLYL 89.2+1. S. S. Snow's course followed this path as he moved from being an instrument of the "Midnight Cry" to one who held positions that undermined the very foundations of the faithBP2 72.1+2.

Departure from Prophetic and Law-based Truth

• Rejecting the Moral Law: One of the most significant steps in this decline was Snow’s eventual position that the ten commandments were abolishedARSH July 2, 1851, page 95.2. By refusing to engage in the work of repairing the breach in the law of God, he took a crafty course to dispose of the Sabbath questionARSH July 2, 1851, page 95.2.

• Loss of Spiritual Discernment: When a person turns their heart away from the "science of salvation," they become swallowed up in idolatry and profane things, regardless of their past knowledgeBEST July 5, 1897, page 210.13. Snow began to speak of the law of God with contempt, calling it a "yoke of bondage" and ridiculing those who found delight in itARSH July 2, 1851, page 95.2.

• Division and Backsliding: His rejection of the "shut door" position and the past experiences of the 1844 movement led him into a state of backsliding where he and others sought to do the work over again on a different platformBP2 104.2. This departure from the truth is characterized as a "new persuasion" that does not come from God but leads to strife and bickering within the churchGTI 218.2.

The Consequences of Unbelief

Snow’s experience serves as a warning that one must hold fast to the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end Hebrews 3:14. To deny that God has fulfilled His word in the Advent movement can drive a person beyond simple infidelity and even into the depths of AtheismADTE March 1846, page 4.8. Eventually, those who take the side of rebellion receive the wages of sin, which is death19MR 90.3. Despite his earlier prominence and the light he had received, his later actions proved that he was no longer walking in the "light that shineth in a dark place" 2 Peter 1:194SP 214.2. He became like the foolish virgins who went away to buy oil too late and found the door shut against them Matthew 25:10-12BP2 72.1.

The Lord continues to call to those who have wandered, saying, "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings" Jeremiah 3:22ST February 8, 1883, par. 14. However, those who persist in apostasy and "make a lie appear as truth" find themselves in a perilous condition facing the visitation of God's wrath12LtMs, Lt 143, 1897, par. 9.