What kind of character defines the Translation Generation who will be privileged--by the Spirit and power of Elijah--to proclaim a finished work, the "sealing truth" for this hour? Where are to be found the inspired messengers who are qualified to bring the closing truth, which is to breathe new hope, life, and power into a beleaguered, weary, but still patiently waiting community of faith? And where shall we look for the living testimony promised for this last generation and for the one who is "filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb ... to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1: 17, 76-79)?
Here the author sets forth--gleaned through a lifetime of observation, study, and practical experience--some of the foundational principles that provide the key to the long-expected restoration that precedes the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon a humble and repentant people. We discover that, "in the time of the end, every divine institution is to be restored" (
Prophets and Kings,
678) and that "the great reformatory movement must begin in presenting to fathers and mothers and children the principles of the law of God" (
Testimonies for the Church Vol. 6,
119).
Character by Design
aims to reveal the starting place--the Christian Home--beginning with committed parents and the babies in their arms. "Time is too short to accomplish that which might have been accomplished in past generations ... but because time is short, we should be in earnest ... to give the young an education which will be consistent with our faith" (
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students,
179).