Thank you for those thoughts/words of caution. I agree we need to beware. A false revival amoung SDA's before the end is predicted.

In case someone missed it, I'll requote two of the statements from Ellen White that confirm we are indeed being judged/measured today. While Ellen White does not call this the "Judgment of the Living" it is, without a doubt, a judgment of us who are living. This judgment is actually the more important of the two because it's the one where we have a vital part to play. In fact, Ellen White herself underscores this point calling (see quote below) it 'the grand judgment.' Scripture and Ellen White agree that when this one is over, it is over: The decision made at the "judgment of the living" will only reflect our earlier course of conduct and the character we've developed during our probationary time.

Twenty or more years ago, Emilio Knectlie (sp?), one of the most effective SDA evangalists who lived and worked in the last half of the last century, made a study of the parable of the Ten Virgins. He concluded that the 10 virgins represented the Adventist church and that the un-wise were Adventists who, when the Loud Cry is given, will find the door of salvation is shut to themselves but open to the world.

He concluded basically that there are two latter rains: The one Adventists are in now, and the one that will fall on the rest of the world when the time comes for the Loud Cry to be given. Knectlie said that this second latter rain will do the unwise virgins no good when it comes because they don't have the oil of the Holy Spirit to begin with. His conclusion agrees, of course, with that interesting vision of the angel with the measuring line I found and posted earlier today and Ellen White's many urgent cautions and statments that it will be too late for Adventists to obtain oil then when the latter rain is poured out on the world if they don't have it beforehand themselves. And the only way we'll have it beforehand is if our sins have gone to judgment beforehand. For the last 160 years, it's like the Lord is waving the red flag up and down as we float gently down stream to a huge fall saying, "Bail out now and start swimming upstream. Only those who prefect character and swim upstream will not go over the falls. Character prefection is a prerequisite in order for the church to recieve the second, Loud Cry latter rain."

Knectlie took his study to the professors at the Seminary at Andrews University and asked them what they thought. They agreed with him that the unwise virgins are Adventists and that the door shuts earlier for us.

Knechtle.

I think someone has mentioned previously in this discussion that the latter rain is happening now. What EGW quotes are used to support this? I see just one latter rain, and that is in the future.

She wrote in several places that the latter rain began with the 1888 message, but that message was resisted. We'd have no way of knowing it's going on now.

Here's one example:

That may have been the case back then as EGW also said the 2nd Coming was also supposed to have happened back then, however, as a result of the rejection of the 1888 message, the 2nd Coming never happened in the same sense that the children of Israel never crossed into the promised land the first time.

As some of the OT prophecies had conditions, some of the writings of EGW also had conditions.

I agree.

Given that the rejection of the message resulted in a delay in Christ's coming, it seems reasonable to assume that the first step in reviving things would be accepting that message. After all, the truth hasn't changed with time.

With the condition not being met, the falling of the latter rain may have ground to a sudden halt, just as other issues had also ground to a halt, which could have also included the judging of the living, which would have begun back then, if the condition had been met.

Mark, in the article from which the TM passage was extracted - RH, March 2, 1897 - the context makes clear that the latter rain is still future. EGW says, for instance:

Many have in a great measure failed to receive the former rain. They have not obtained all the benefits that God has thus provided for them. They expect that the lack will be supplied by the latter rain. When the richest abundance of grace shall be bestowed, they intend to open their hearts to receive it. They are making a terrible mistake. The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving his light and knowledge, must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement, and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning him. It is God who began the work, and he will finish his work, making man complete in Jesus Christ. But there must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are living up to the light they have, will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. {RH, March 2, 1897 par. 4}

As to the quotes referring to 1888, I agree with Daryl.