We believe without a doubt that Christ is soon coming. This is not a fable to us; it is a reality. We have no doubt, neither have we had a doubt for years, that the doctrines we hold today are present truth, and that we are nearing the judgment. We are preparing to meet Him who, escorted by a retinue of holy angels, is to appear in the clouds of heaven to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove thei…
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Both passages discuss the importance of being prepared for the coming of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 speaks of being sanctified wholly and preserved blameless, while the EGW passage emphasizes that Christ will not cleanse us of our sins at His coming, but that this work must be done beforehand. Both highlight the need for holiness and preparation before Christ's return.
"We embrace the truth of God with our different faculties, and as we come under the influence of that truth, it will accomplish the work for us which is necessary to give us a moral fitness for the kingdom of glory and for the society of the heavenly angels. We are now in God's workshop. Many of us are rough stones from the quarry. But as we lay hold upon the truth of God, its influence affects us. It elevates us and removes from us every imperfection and sin, of what ever nature. Thus we are prepared to see the King in His beauty and finally to unite with the pure and heavenly angels in the kingdom of glory. It is here that this work is to be accomplished for us, here that our bodies and spirits are to be fitted for immortality. 2T 355.2"
"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Both passages describe the process of sanctification and preparation for heaven. Ephesians 5:26-27 speaks of Christ cleansing the church with the washing of water by the word, so that it might be holy and without blemish. The EGW passage uses the metaphor of God's workshop, where rough stones are transformed by the influence of truth, removing imperfections and sins. Both emphasize the transformative power of God's word and the necessity of becoming holy and without blemish before entering the kingdom of glory.