The Advent movement could not have begun in any other nation in 1844. The freedom to preach the First, Second and Third Angels’ messages of Revelation chapter 14 could occur only in a land which accepted no sovereign but the Creator. It was only the United States of America at that time which guaranteed the liberties that would allow for the free proclamation of the gospel. The Declaration of Independence, released July 4, 1776, declared that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Rights given by the Creator could only be taken away by Him. In other nations, the rights of citizens were granted by governments and sovereigns. That which government gives, government can take away. Yet that which the Creator has given, no government could remove.

To ensure that these principles of Creator-given freedom would form the foundation for a limited government on June 21, 1788, the Constitution of the United States was ratified. The first three words of the Constitution, “We the People,” created a new dynamic where the government served the people, not the people serving the state or any sovereign. The people were sovereign, since the freedom of each person is granted to them by their Creator. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”2

But still there was a temptation for these rights to be trampled on. Governments could arise that might disregard these freedoms. Additions were made to the constitution to ensure that this would not be the case. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are collectively termed the Bill of Rights. The first of these amendments codifies six freedoms:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”3

These six freedoms are classed in three sets of two: treedom of religion and its exercise; freedom of speech and the press; and freedom to assemble and directly petition the government. It is understood that the one cannot exist without the other. Freedom of religion includes the right to worship. Freedom of speech includes the right to publish that speech. Freedom to assemble includes citizen assembly to directly address those in positions of authority. And all six of these freedoms cannot exist without each other. Freedom of religion includes freedom to publish the teachings of that religion and gather to discuss the same teachings. Once one of these freedoms is withdrawn, they are all in danger. Without freedom of speech there will be no freedom of religion, and so on with all six of these freedoms.

The founders of the United States confirmed that the United States would be known by the principles established in this Constitution. John Adams, who served as the second president of the United States stated that “we are a nation of laws and not of men.” Patrick Henry, who famously stated “give me liberty or give me death” when the assembly of Virginia was deciding if it would join in the call for independence, also stated that “liberty ought to be the direct end of your government.” Such were the thoughts of those who would form the new nation.

Over 233 years have passed since the United States Constitution was ratified (1787). During this time the nation has seen amazing prosperity and has also been rocked by crisis. It has endured a devastating civil war and suffered until the shackles of slavery could be removed. It has fought in two world wars and stood up to the horrors of communism. It has expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast and opened the way for every person on the planet to be connected “online.” It suffered a great depression and is currently in the midst of a massive pandemic. Through each point of its journey, both the highs and the lows, the Constitution has been the touchstone to guide officials. The oath of office taken by most government officials includes a pledge that they will defend the Constitution of the United States. The oath of the president makes the protection of the Constitution of paramount importance to the office: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”4

And yet this document is now under direct assault. The enemy of souls sees that freedom of expression must be repressed. Truth is a hinderance to his plans of deceiving humanity. Today we see a call to repress the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. The idea that the state is the source of rights is gaining hold. We live in a time when the truth is now called “hate speech.”

An example of this is the Supreme Court ruling of June 2015 that legalized same-sex marriage. In this ruling the court made up a sweeping right that same-sex marriage is guaranteed by the Constitution. In his dissent to this decision, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Samuel Alito, warned: “Today’s decision. . . . will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy . . . [It] will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent. . . . Those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools. . . . By imposing its own views on the entire country, the [court] majority facilitates the marginalization of the many Americans who have traditional ideas.”5

The founders of the nation could not have imagined that their words would ever be used in this way. On June 15, 2020, five years after the decision that marriage was not as Scripture defined it, between a man and a woman, the court went further, stating that the term “sex” needed to be redefined. The court decreed that in discrimination law, “sex” means more than biology. Sex is now interpreted to mean one’s personal preference and identity. Women can claim to be men and men can claim to be women, and everyone is legally obligated to accept such obvious falsehoods as true and be punished if they do not.

Once again in dissent, Justice Alito warned that this decision ignored “briefs filed by a wide range of religious groups—Christian, Jewish, and Muslim—express deep concern that the position now adopted by the Court ‘will trigger open conflict with faith-based employment practices of numerous churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions.’ ”6 Basically understood, the decision that “sex” was more than biology would force those who hold to Biblical definitions of male and female to hire or keep as employees individuals who deny these Biblical definitions.

Slowly but surely the principles of the Constitution as protecting a “protestant and republican government” are being redefined. We still have the freedom to speak out against these changes, but for how long? The way is being prepared for the testimony of the servant of the Lord to come to pass.

Pay attention to the prophetic warning. When the United States “shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.”7

What does it mean to “repudiate”? Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines repudiate as “to cast away; to reject; to discard.” As the social fabric is torn away and the signs in nature intensify the destruction to the planet, the fallen churches will seek to silence the little company speaking the truth. What stands in their way to silence us? Nothing but four parchment pages and the words written on them. That is all that stands between the free proclamation of the truth and its suppression.

Now let us look more carefully at the Testimony. Will the constitution itself be repudiated? No. The statement declares the enemies of truth will “repudiate every principle” of it. As a document the pages will remain, but the principles that make possible the freedoms granted by the Constitution will be cast aside and a new “safe space” will be created where error can reign supreme and the proclamation of truth can be suppressed.

The two examples given of Supreme Court decisions show how the seeds of error planted are producing a harvest that is growing. As Hosea warned Israel when they went into error, “they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). What but societal chaos can result from these decisions that break the very principles of the Constitution?

Over 100 years ago, the warning was given and the signs began to appear of this societal chaos. The servant of the Lord wrote: “The signs of the times—the wars and rumors of wars, the strikes, murders, robberies and accidents—tell us that the end of all things is at hand. God’s Word declares, ‘As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ (Matthew 24:37–39). How true a description this is of the condition of the world today. The daily papers are full of notices of divorce and marriage after divorce—the marriage condemned in the words of the Saviour—full of accounts of amusements and games, of pugilistic contests in which human beings maim and disfigure one another to exhibit their brutal strength.”8

And here we are. Society in chaos, supposedly Christian churches bowing to the chaos, and nothing but more social upheaval on the way. The prophecy given of the removal of constitutional rights was a warning to spur the people of God to action. Things are not going to simply turn around and go back to “normal” at this point! Can you not see the signs?

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob’s trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs’ graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent vaults: ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’

“The Lord is doing His work. All heaven is astir. The Judge of all the earth is soon to arise and vindicate His insulted authority. The mark of deliverance will be set upon the men who keep God’s commandments, who revere His law, and who refuse the mark of the beast or of his image.

“God has revealed what is to take place in the last days, that His people may be prepared to stand against the tempest of opposition and wrath. Those who have been warned of the events before them are not to sit in calm expectation of the coming storm, comforting themselves that the Lord will shelter His faithful ones in the day of trouble. We are to be as men waiting for their Lord, not in idle expectancy, but in earnest work, with unwavering faith. It is no time now to allow our minds to be engrossed with things of minor importance. While men are sleeping, Satan is actively arranging matters so that the Lord’s people may not have mercy or justice. The Sunday movement is now making its way in darkness. The leaders are concealing the true issue, and many who unite in the movement do not themselves see whither the undercurrent is tending. Its professions are mild and apparently Christian, but when it shall speak it will reveal the spirit of the dragon. It is our duty to do all in our power to avert the threatened danger. We should endeavor to disarm prejudice by placing ourselves in a proper light before the people. We should bring before them the real question at issue, thus interposing the most effectual protest against measures to restrict liberty of conscience. We should search the Scriptures and be able to give the reason for our faith. Says the prophet: ‘The wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.’ ?”9

Let us read these words as God intended them to be read. Let us understand that the time of the end is upon us. Let us hold on to our faith in the present truth as never before. Let us be prepared to say the words God gave His people to say at the appearing of our Lord and Saviour: “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).