"In the broad road all are occupied with their persons, their dress, and the pleasures in the way. They indulge freely in hilarity and glee, and think not of their journey's end, of the certain destruction at the end of the path. Every day they approach nearer their destruction; yet they madly rush on faster and faster. Oh, how dreadful this looked to me! 1T 128.1"
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:"
The EGW passage directly references the concept of the 'broad road' leading to destruction, which is a clear allusion to Matthew 7:13. The description of people on the broad road aligns with the verse's warning.
"I saw many traveling in this broad road who had the words written upon them: “Dead to the world. The end of all things is at hand. Be ye also ready.” They looked just like all the vain ones around them, except a shade of sadness which I noticed upon their countenances. Their conversation was just like that of the gay, thoughtless ones around them; but they would occasionally point with great satisfaction to the letters on their garments, calling for the others to have the same upon theirs. They were in the broad way, yet they professed to be of the number who were traveling the narrow way. Those around them would say: “There is no distinction between us. We are alike; we dress, and talk, and act alike.” 1T 128.2"
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:"
The EGW passage explicitly mentions 'the broad road' and contrasts it with the 'narrow way,' directly alluding to Matthew 7:13. The context in EGW's writing further reinforces this connection.
"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Both passages describe a form of godliness without the substance. The EGW passage depicts individuals who outwardly profess faith but live like the world, while 2 Timothy 3:5 speaks of those who have a form of godliness but deny its power. The connection lies in the shared theme of hypocrisy.
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
The EGW passage includes the phrase "Be ye also ready," which is a direct quote from Matthew 24:44. The context of being ready for the end times also aligns.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
Both passages address the discrepancy between outward profession and inward reality. The EGW passage describes those who claim to be 'dead to the world' but live like the worldly, while Matthew 7:21 speaks of those who call Jesus 'Lord, Lord' but do not do the Father's will. The connection is thematic, not a direct quote or allusion.
"Then I was pointed back to the years 1843 and 1844. There was a spirit of consecration then that there is not now. What has come over the professed peculiar people of God? I saw the conformity to the world, the unwillingness to suffer for the truth's sake. I saw a great lack of submission to the will of God. I was pointed back to the children of Israel after they left Egypt. God in mercy called them out from the Egyptians, that they might worship Him without hindrance or restraint. He wrought for them in the way by miracles, He proved and tried them by bringing them into strait places. After the wonderful dealings of God with them, and their deliverance so many times, they murmured when tried or proved by Him. Their language was: “Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt.” They lusted for the leeks and onions there. 1T 128.3"
"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:"
Both passages discuss God's 'peculiar people' and their relationship with Him. The EGW passage draws a parallel between the Israelites' murmuring after being delivered from Egypt and the perceived lack of consecration among God's people in her time. Exodus 19:5 establishes the concept of a 'peculiar treasure,' which is relevant to the EGW quote.
"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."
Both passages refer to God's people as a 'special people' or 'holy people.' The EGW passage laments the perceived decline in consecration among God's people, contrasting it with the initial calling and purpose described in Deuteronomy 7:6.
"Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;"
Both passages address the theme of God's people witnessing miracles and yet still failing to fully trust and obey Him. The EGW passage draws a parallel between the Israelites' experience after the Exodus and the perceived spiritual state of believers in her time. Numbers 14:22 highlights the Israelites' repeated testing of God despite witnessing His power.
"And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no."
The EGW passage discusses God proving and trying the Israelites, which is precisely what Deuteronomy 8:2 describes. The connection is strong because both passages focus on the purpose of the wilderness experience as a test of faith.
"And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites."
The EGW passage directly references the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt and their subsequent murmuring, which is the context of Exodus 3:8. The verse speaks of God's promise to deliver them, which is the backdrop to their later complaints.