Satan’s Warfare Against The Movement

The vision on Patmos further pictures the wrath of Satan against this movement to call men and women back to loyalty to God’s commandments. In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, the church through all the ages is symbolized by the woman clothed with the sun, against whom Satan has fought, first through pagan Rome in the first centuries, then through papal Rome during all the long prophetic period of the 1260 years, reaching to “the time of the end.” And now, as the last, or “remnant,” church bears the special closing message of the gospel, the enemy of truth is moved to special opposition: “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.SPIAM 19.3

Here is another distinguishing feature. The remnant church, the people of the advent movement, were to keep the commandments, as did the New Testament church, and they were to have the gift of the Spirit of prophecy, one of those gifts bestowed upon the New Testament church. For the angel specifically defines this term, “the testimony of Jesus,” as used in the prophecy, “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10.SPIAM 19.4