We fully believe that God, in His wisdom, designed that His people should meet with a disappointment, which was well calculated to reveal hearts and develop the true characters of those who had professed to look for and rejoice in the coming of the Lord. Those who embraced the first angel’s message (see Revelation 14:6, 7) through fear of the wrath of God’s judgments, not because they loved the truth and desired an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, now appeared in their true light. They were among the first to ridicule the disappointed ones who sincerely longed for and loved the appearing of Jesus. {1T 53.1}

Vi tror fuldt ud, at Gud i sin visdom havde bestemt, at hans folk skulle møde en skuffelse, som var beregnet til at åbenbare hjerter og udvikle den sande karakter hos dem, som havde bekendt sig til at vente på og glæde sig til Herrens komme. De, som tog imod den første engels budskab (se Åbenbaringen 14, 6.7) af frygt for Guds dommes vrede, og ikke fordi de elskede sandheden og ønskede en arv i himmeriget, viste sig nu i deres sande lys. De var blandt de første til at latterliggøre de skuffede, som oprigtigt længtes efter og holdt af Jesu tilsynekomst.