Ellen White addresses the concept of late nights both in a practical sense, advising against them for health and spiritual reasons, and in a metaphorical sense, using "night" and "midnight" to symbolize times of evil, trial, and judgment. ### Practical Counsel Against Late Hours Ellen White counseled against working or studying late into the night, viewing it as detrimental to physical, mental, and moral health. * **For Students**: She gave specific advice for students to avoid "burning the midnight oil" and to establish regular sleep schedules: "Students should not form the habit of burning the midnight oil and taking the hours of the day for sleep. If they have been accustomed to doing this at home, they should correct the habit, going to bed at a seasonable hour. They will then rise in the morning refreshed for the duties of the day. In our schools the lights should be put out at half past nine" (CT 297.1). * **For Meetings**: She warned that meetings extending late into the night were not pleasing to God and could be destructive: "In the hope of reaching a decision, they continue their meetings far into the night. But life is too precious to be imperiled in this way. Let the Lord carry the burden. Wait for Him to adjust the difficulties. Give the weary brain a rest. Unreasonable hours are destructive to the physical, the mental, and the moral powers" (7T 256.2). ### Night as a Time of Spiritual Danger The night hours are sometimes depicted as a time when evil forces are particularly active. * **Satan's Attacks**: She recounted a personal experience where her son was tormented by an evil spirit at midnight: "That night we were awakened by the screams of our little Edson, who slept in the room above us. It was about midnight... We knew this was Satan's effort to annoy us, and we knelt in prayer. My husband rebuked the evil spirit in the name of the Lord, and Edson quietly fell asleep" (LS 138.1). * **Temptation and Indulgence**: A tired person is noted as having less desire for harmful habits: "And the thoroughly tired person has less inclination for secret indulgence" (HL 219.4). ### Night as a Metaphor for Evil and Judgment In a symbolic sense, "night" and "midnight" are used to describe the darkest periods of earth's history and the culmination of evil. * **The Darkest Period of History**: The Second Coming of Christ is described as taking place during the world's darkest hour: "The coming of the bridegroom was at midnight—the darkest hour. So the coming of Christ will take place in the darkest period of this earth's history... The great apostasy will develop into darkness deep as midnight, impenetrable as sackcloth of hair. To God's people it will be a night of trial, a night of weeping, a night of persecution for the truth's sake" (COL 414.3). * **A Time of Doom**: Prophetic signs foreboding disaster often occurred at night: "Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar... The great eastern gate... opened at midnight, without visible agency" (GC 29.3). * **End of Probation**: The time when humanity's opportunity for salvation closes is referred to as "night": "Every church member who has a knowledge of the truth is expected to work while the day lasts; for the night cometh, wherein no man can work. Erelong we shall understand what that night means" (9T 26.3).