God will prove His people. Jesus bears patiently with them, and does not spew them out of His mouth in a moment. Said the angel: “God is weighing His people.” If the message had been of as short duration as many of us supposed, there would have been no time for them to develop character. Many moved from feeling, not from principle and faith, and this solemn, fearful message stirred them. It wrought upon their feelings, and excited their fears, but did not accomplish the work which God designed that it should. God reads the heart. Lest His people should be deceived in regard to themselves, He gives them time for the excitement to wear off, and then proves them to see if they will obey the counsel of the True Witness. {1T 186.2}

[Gud vil prøve sit folk. Jesus bærer tålmodigt over med den og udspyr dem ikke af sin mund på et øjeblik. Engelen sagde: "Gud vejer sit folk." Havde budskabets forkyndelse varet kort tid, således som mange mente, (187) ville der ikke have været tid for dem, til at udvikle en karakter. Mange handlede på grundlag af følelser, ikke af princip og tro og dette højtidelige, frygtelige budskab greb dem. Det indvirkede på deres følelser og vakte frygt hos dem, men udrettede ikke den gerning, som det efter Guds hensigt skulle have gjort. Gud læser, hvad der er i hjertet. For at hans folk ikke skal være hildet i bedrag angående sig selv, giver han dem tid, således at dem bevægede stemning kan afslides og derefter prøver han dem for at se, om de vil lyde det sanddru vidnes råd.