"Representations have been made to me, showing that the Lord will carry out His plans through a variety of ways and instruments. It is not alone the most talented, not alone those who hold high positions of trust, or are the most highly educated from a worldly point of view, whom the Lord uses to do His grand and holy work of soulsaving. He will use simple means; He will use many who have had few advantages to help in carrying forward His work. He will, by the use of simple means, bring those who possess property and lands to a belief of the truth, and these will be influenced to become the Lord's helping hand in the advancement of His work." Selected Messages Book 1 PG- 128

A Great Work by Simple Means.--The striking feature of divine operations is the accomplishment of the greatest work that can be done in our world by very simple means. It is God's plan that every part of His government shall depend on every other part, the whole as a wheel within a wheel, working with entire harmony. He moves upon human forces, causing His Spirit to touch invisible chords, and the vibration rings to the extremity of the universe.-- Manuscript 22, 1897. Evangelism PG- 93

"Here we see the simple means by which character is often tested. Those who in a time of great peril were intent upon supplying their own wants, were not the men to be trusted in an emergency. The men of God's choice were the few who would not permit their own wants to hinder them in the discharge of duty. Not only did they possess courage and self-control, but they were men of faith. They had not defiled themselves by idolatry. God could direct them, and through them he could work deliverance for Israel. The Lord designed to show his people that he was their source of strength. By the simplicity of the means employed, he designed to rebuke their pride and self-exaltation." The Signs of the Times 06-30-81

The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli's house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined. The ark was never returned to the tabernacle here, the sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem, and Shiloh fell into insignificance. There are only ruins to mark the spot where it once stood. Long afterward its fate was made use of as a warning to Jerusalem. "Go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh," the Lord declared by the prophet Jeremiah, "where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel. . . . Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by My name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh." Jeremiah 7:12-14. Patriarchs and Prophets PG- 514

The Lord commanded Jeremiah to say to the people: "Thus saith the Lord; If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My law, which I have set before you, to hearken to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth." They understood this reference to Shiloh and the time when the Philistines overcame Israel and the ark of God was taken. Testimonies for the Church Volume Four PG- 166

The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli's house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined. Through the providence of God, the ark was returned, uninjured, to the Israelites, and was placed in the house of a Levite at Kirjath-jearim, nine miles distant from Jerusalem. There it remained for many years, until David, at the head of a triumphal procession, with sacrifices, and dancing, and music, brought the ark to Jerusalem, and deposited it in the tent that had been prepared for its reception. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 11-09-05
 
 

The dying words of Jacob filled them with hope: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." Gen. 49:10. The waning power of Israel testified that the Messiah's coming was at hand. The prophecy of Daniel pictured the glory of His reign over an empire which should succeed all earthly kingdoms; and, said the prophet, "It shall stand forever." Dan. 2:44. While few understood the nature of Christ's mission, there was a widespread expectation of a mighty prince who should establish his kingdom in Israel, and who should come as a deliverer to the nations. The Desire of Ages PG- 34

The Shekinah had departed from the sanctuary, but in the Child of Bethlehem was veiled the glory before which angels bow. This unconscious babe was the promised seed, to whom the first altar at the gate of Eden pointed. This was Shiloh, the peace giver. It was He who declared Himself to Moses as the I am. It was He who in the pillar of cloud and of fire had been the guide of Israel. This was He whom seers had long foretold. He was the Desire of all nations, the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star. The name of that helpless little babe, inscribed in the roll of Israel, declaring Him our brother, was the hope of fallen humanity. The child for whom the redemption money had been paid was He who was to pay the ransom for the sins of the whole world. He was the true "high priest over the house of God," the head of "an unchangeable priesthood," the intercessor at "the right hand of the Majesty on high." Heb. 10:21; 7:24; 1:3. The Desire of Ages PG- 52

With awed yet exultant spirit he searched in the prophetic scrolls the revelations of the Messiah's coming,--the promised seed that should bruise the serpent's head; Shiloh, "the peace giver," who was to appear before a king should cease to reign on David's throne. Now the time had come. A Roman ruler sat in the palace upon Mount Zion. By the sure word of the Lord, already the Christ was born The Desire of Ages PG- 103.

In one of the earliest prophecies of Christ it is written, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be." Gen. 49:10. The people were gathering to Christ. . . . The Desire of Ages PG- 205
 
 

In every page, whether history, or precept, or prophecy, the Old Testament Scriptures are irradiated with the glory of the Son of God. So far as it was of divine institution, the entire system of Judaism was a compacted prophecy of the gospel. To Christ "give all the prophets witness." Acts 10:43. From the promise given to Adam, down through the patriarchal line and the legal economy, heaven's glorious light made plain the footsteps of the Redeemer. Seers beheld the Star of Bethlehem, the Shiloh to come, as future things swept before them in mysterious procession. In every sacrifice Christ's death was shown. In every cloud of incense His righteousness ascended. By every jubilee trumpet His name was sounded. In the awful mystery of the holy of holies His glory dwelt. The Desire of Ages PG- 211
 
 

Reports have reached the rulers in Jerusalem that Jesus is approaching the city with a great concourse of people. But they have no welcome for the Son of God. In fear they go out to meet Him, hoping to disperse the throng. As the procession is about to descend the Mount of Olives, it is intercepted by the rulers. They inquire the cause of the tumultuous rejoicing. As they question, "Who is this?" the disciples, filled with the spirit of inspiration, answer this question. In eloquent strains they repeat the prophecies concerning Christ:

"Adam will tell you, It is the seed of the woman that shall bruise the serpent's head.

"Ask Abraham, he will tell you, It is "Melchizedek King of Salem," King of Peace. Gen. 14:18.

"Jacob will tell you, He is Shiloh of the tribe of Judah.

"Isaiah will tell you, "Immanuel," "Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isa. 7:14; 9:6.

"Jeremiah will tell you, The Branch of David, "the Lord our Righteousness." Jer. 23:6.

"Daniel will tell you, He is the Messiah.

"Hosea will tell you, He is "the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is His memorial." Hosea 12:5.
 
 

"John the Baptist will tell you, He is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.

"The great Jehovah has proclaimed from His throne, "This is My beloved Son." Matt. 3:17.

"We, His disciples, declare, This is Jesus, the Messiah, the Prince of life, the Redeemer of the world.

"And the prince of the powers of darkness acknowledges Him, saying, "I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God." Mark 1:24." The Desire of Ages, pg 578.
 
 

The lion, king of the forest, is a fitting symbol of this tribe, from which came David, and the Son of David, Shiloh, the true "Lion of the tribe of Judah," to whom all powers shall finally bow and all nations render homage. Patriarchs and Prophets PG- 236
 
 

"Thou art My battle ax and weapons of war," says the Lord to Israel of today (those who are to compose the infant kingdom), "for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;...with thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers." Jer. 51 :20-23.Tract 9, pg. 43.

Thus as the stone, supernaturally cut out of one mountain, supernaturally turns into another mountain, then fills the whole earth, it reveals the process of the prophecy's turning into history: that the stone (in that it is to grow) is symbolical of the first-fruits in the kingdom; that the infant kingdom begins with the 144,000 "servants of God" (Rev. 7:3); that consequently the church of Laodicea (in that it is the last in which the wheat and the tares commingle, and therefore the one in which the wheat, the 144,000 first fruits, is harvested) is necessarily the mountain out of which the stone, the first fruit of the kingdom, is cut or taken from.

Further, it is seen that their being "cut out without hands," without human aid, obviously points out the fact that they are garnered by the angels; that their increasing, then, as the growth of the stone reveals, is the result subsequently of the gathering of the second fruits out of all nations, causing the mountain or kingdom, to fill the earth; and that this super-natural work of cutting out the stone, of separating the 144,000, the nucleus of the kingdom, is the purification of the church.

Finally, since the stone, as has been seen, is cut out -- the infant kingdom set up -- "in the days of these kings" (the toe-kings), not after their days, and since the 144,000 "servants of God" stand on mount Zion (Rev. 14:1), it conclusively follows that the stone kingdom in its beginning is set up in the Holy Land, while the toe-kings are yet in existence." Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 46, pg. 30.

"Who would dare question that in prophecy these are the people and this is the church that completes the work -- the only people and the only church that will possess all the gifts of the spirit, from the gift of prophecy to the gift of government and gift of miracles; that these gifts are given them for the achieving of their crowning work of lightening the earth with glory (Rev. 18:1), of "preaching this gospel of the kingdom in all the world for a witness unto all nations," thereby gathering God's people, the second fruits, tare-free ("My people"), out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4). Out of every nation and kindred and tongue and people (whom Babylon rules), they bring "their brethren" into the church purified (Isa. 66:19, 20), the kingdom of God on earth in its infant restoration." Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 46, pg. 32.