Confessions Made Too Late When a crisis finally comes, as it surely will, and God speaks in behalf of His people, those who have sinned, those who have been a cloud of darkness and who have stood directly in the way of God’s working for His people, may become alarmed at the length they have gone in murmuring and in bringing discouragement upon the cause; and, like Achan, becoming terrified, they may acknowledge that they have sinned. But their confessions are too late and are not of the right kind to benefit themselves, although they may relieve the cause of God. Such do not make their confessions because of a conviction of their true state and a sense of how displeasing their course has been to God. God may give this class another test, another proving, and let them show that they are no better prepared to stand free from all rebellion and sin than before their confessions were made. They are inclined to be ever on the side of wrong. And when the call is made for those who will be on the Lord’s side to make a decided move to vindicate the right, they will manifest their true position. Those who have been nearly all their lives controlled by a spirit as foreign to the Spirit of God as was Achan’s will be very passive when the time comes for decided action on the part of all. They will not claim to be on either side. The power of Satan has so long held them that they seem blinded and have no inclination to stand in defense of right. If they do not take a determined course on the wrong side, it is not because they have a clear sense of the right, but because they dare not. {3T 271.2}

Bekendelserne kommer for sent
Når et vendepunkt til sidst kommer, som der med sikkerhed vil og Gud taler til fordel for sit folk, kan, dem som har syndet, dem som er blevet omtåget af mørke og som har stået direkte i vejen for Guds arbejde for hans folk, foruroliges over den lange tid de har knurret og bragt modløshed over sagen; og, ligesom Akan, blive forfærdet, så de kan indrømme at de har syndet. Men deres bekendelser gøres for sent og er ikke af rette slags til deres gavn, selvom de kunne hjælpe Guds sag. Sådanne gør ikke deres bekendelser af overbevisning, for deres sande tilstand og en fornemmelse af hvor misbilligende deres opførsel har været over for Gud. Gud kan give denne klasse en anden (272) prøve og lade dem vise at de ikke er bedre til at frigøre sig fra oprør end før deres bekendelser blev gjort. De viser tilbøjelighed til altid at være på den forkerte side. Og når kaldet lyder for dem som vil være på Herrens side for at gøre bestemte fremskridt der forsvarer det rette, vil de vise deres sande ståsted. Dem, som har været styret af en fremmed ånd i næsten hele deres liv - en anden ånd end Guds Ånd - ligesom Akan, de vil stå passive når der skal handles. De vil ikke kunne påberåbe sig at være på nogen af siderne. Satans kraft har så længe holdt i dem, at de synes forblændede og kan ikke forsvar det rigtige. Hvis de ikke tager ståsted på den forkerte side, er det ikke fordi de har en klar fornemmelse af rigtigt og forkert, men fordi de ikke tør