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The Seventh-day Adventist Church is described as an entity that may appear to be on the verge of collapse, yet it is divinely sustained. While the outward appearance might suggest a state of failure or decline, the promise is that it does not fall (LDE 180.5). Instead, the church undergoes a necessary and rigorous process of purification where those who are not truly committed are separated from the faithful, ensuring that the institution itself remains (LDE 180.5). Despite facing internal challenges such as a lack of individual piety and a shortage of devoted laborers, the movement continues to expand its reach globally (PH078 32.2).

The work often moves slower than intended because many members are not fully aroused to their responsibilities, yet the mission to unfurl the banner of truth in difficult places continues (ChS 97.3). The church is expected to encounter "troublous times" and must battle against heresy and apostasy, but it is destined to triumph through divine assistance (1TT 590). A critical aspect of the church's stability is its adherence to the "old landmarks" and fundamental principles that established the movement (CW 52.3).

There is a firm instruction that no line of truth which defined the Seventh-day Adventist people should be weakened or changed (6T 17.2). This includes maintaining a distinct identity separate from worldly confederacies and standing firmly in defense of established principles (2TT 372.1). The preservation of the church is also linked to its commitment to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (3SM 318.5).

Believers are encouraged to hold their confidence firm until the end, resisting deceptive fallacies and traps set by the adversary to cause discouragement (3MR 255.3). Ultimately, God will have a people as "true as steel" who serve as His witnesses and instruments during the final days of earth's history (1TT 590).

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The concept of the church "falling" at the harvest is addressed by emphasizing a distinction between the institution itself and the individuals within it. While the church may appear to be on the verge of collapse during intense periods of trial, the promise is that it does not fall (LDE 180.5). Instead, the harvest period involves a "terrible ordeal" of sifting where the "sinners in Zion" are removed, leaving the church itself to remain as a purified body (LDE 180.5). This process is often described as a shaking of the sieve, where the chaff is separated from the wheat (LDE 173.1).

During this time, many who appeared to be "rich wheat" will be blown away like dry leaves or clouds of chaff (LDE 180). This separation is necessary because iniquity abounds and the love of many has grown cold, but the genuine believers will actually become strongest during this crisis (LDE 173.1). Rather than a literal fall of the church, the harvest is depicted as a time of spiritual ripening and divine intervention. For the church to reach its full potential, members must not rely on their own efforts but must seek the "latter rain" or showers of grace that God alone can provide to ripen the harvest (TM 508.1).

When the people of God claim these promises by faith, they move from a state of spiritual feebleness to one of power, resulting in a "harvest of joy" as they gather souls for the kingdom (PCL 29.3). Furthermore, the harvest is a time of intense activity and mission. The church is encouraged to use every opportunity, such as camp meetings and specific campaigns like the Harvest Ingathering, to reach the world (CS 190). Even when the laborers seem few and the task great, the call is for every family to put forth untiring efforts to proclaim the truth and gather the sheaves before the end (SpM 396.4).

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The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is inextricably linked to the final events of earth's history, with the movement intended to carry the last message of mercy to a fallen world (19MR 176.1). This work is described as a global endeavor that will continue until the very end, as believers are called to acquaint others with the truths necessary to stand blameless in the day of judgment (Gazette September 1, 1914, par. 2). The promise of spiritual success is compared to the natural laws of seedtime and harvest, ensuring that the spiritual sowing performed by the church will not be in vain but will result in a joyful gathering of sheaves (Ev 490.3).

However, the endurance of the people within the movement depends heavily on their individual consecration and faithfulness to the light they have received. There is a solemn warning that if the church becomes lukewarm or yields its principles through worldly concessions, it risks losing its standing before God, just like other fallen denominations (19MR 176.1). If those who have been given the truth remain idle and fail to do the work appointed to them, the time will come when their opportunity will pass forever, and God will turn to others to complete the mission (PH012 4.7). The ultimate destiny for the faithful members of the Seventh-day Adventist church is to see the completion of their labor and the literal opening of the gates of the city of God (NPUGleaner March 23, 1910, par. 11).

While the work may move slowly due to a lack of individual piety or the challenges of poverty and hardship, the movement is destined to progress and unfurl the banner of truth in the darkest places of the earth (PH078 32.2; SpM 221.3). The church is urged to move in harmony with divine providence until the nations that have kept the truth enter into their eternal inheritance (NPUGleaner March 23, 1910, par. 11).

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