Questions on the Sealing Message

PREFACE

The presentation of the following pages to our people, I deem to be in harmony with what is stated in Testimonies for the Church 7:288: “As those who have spent their lives in the service of God draw near the close of their earthly history, they will be impressed by the Holy Spirit to recount the experience they have had in connection with His work. The record of His wonderful dealings with His people,” etc. QSM 3.1

Of the benefit to be derived from the bringing of such things to the attention of our people, we read from the pen of Sister E. G. White, in the South African Missionary of February 20, 1911, “We have nothing to fear from the future, except we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teachings in our past history.” QSM 3.2

In reference to the subject matter of this book-the sealed 144,000-I have been greatly moved by the Spirit of God to write and publish the facts as to how the sealing message was obtained-not only from the Bible, but by direct instruction in visions of Sister E. G. White; also as to how the message was received and taught by our ministers and people down to the year 1894, when the “new light” theory found its advocate in one who afterwards apostatized from the faith, and died without seeing the fulfillment of his expectation that he would live to the end of time, and hence be one of the 144,000. His claim was that later testimonies of Sister White taught that all the 144,000 would be made up of those who had never died. QSM 3.3

When I found that some were teaching that “all of the 144,000 who will be sealed are now living,” I thought it time that someone should speak, and show that it is not the manner of God’s prophets to make positive statements at one time, and afterwards teach entirely contrary to them. Such surely was not the course of Bible prophets. The whole of this “new light” is produced by taking words out of their connection, and away from the things of which they are spoken, and giving them a general application, as you will see when we come to the analysis of the matter. QSM 4.1

I presented the substance of this tract in two discourses on the Stockton camp ground. Those who heard the discourses, requested that it might be published, so that they could have the reading of it. As the subject is one on which there is some controversy, I thought our publishers would not wish to print the matter in their papers, or take the responsibility of publishing it in any form. So I have decided to bring it out as a small book, to be obtained through the mail, from the author. I first thought I might get it into a five-cent pamphlet; but since revising for print, and enlarging, I find that five cents would not pay the expense of printing and postage. So I have placed the price at ten cents, with the promise to the Lord that all that may accrue from sales, after tithing, shall be divided between Eastern city work and foreign missions. May the Lord make the reading of the book a blessing, even as the searching out the copy for the same, in the past few months, has been to the author, J. N. Loughborough. Lodi, California, July 1, 1916. QSM 4.2

“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us.... Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy, will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat.”-“Testimonies,” volume 5, page 81. QSM 6.1