Prophets
Bible Facts Concerning The Gift Of Prophecy
1. Prophets are the means of communication between God and man
(Heb. 1: 1) “God…spake unto the fathers by the
prophets…”
(I Cor. 14: 3) “…He that prophesieth unto men to
edification, exhortation, and comfort.”
(Num. 12: 6) “…If there be a prophet among you I the
Lord will make myself known unto him
In a vision and…in a dream.”
2. Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
(Eph. 4: 8,11,12) “…When He ascended up on high,
He…gave gifts unto men.”
“and He gave…Apostles…
Prophets… Evangelists… Pastors…
and Teachers… for the edifying of the
body of Christ.”
3. All the gifts are to remain in the Church until 2nd coming.
(Jesus)
(I Cor.1:6,7) “Even as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in you so that ye come behind
in no gift; waiting for the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
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4. The Gift of Prophecy is a special sign of those that believe the truth.
(I Cor. 14: 22) “Wherefore tongues are for a sign…to
them that believe not; but prophesying
…for them which believe.”
5. Prophets are the “Eyes” of the Church.
(Isa. 29: 10) “…The Lord…hath closed your eyes; the
prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he
covered.”
(I Sam. 9: 9) “…He that is now called a prophet was
beforetime called a seer“.
6. The Gift of Prophecy helps us to identify Gods true Church
(Rev. 12: 17) “…The remnant of her seed which keep
the Commandments of God and have the
Testimony of Jesus.”
(Rev. 19: 10) “…For the Testimony of Jesus is the
Spirit of Prophecy.”
7. The Gift of Prophecy and keeping God’s Law will always be together.
(Lam. 2: 9) “…The Law is no more: Her prophets also
find no vision from the Lord.”
(Prov. 29: 18) “Where there is no vision the people
perish: But he that keepeth the Law,
happy is he.”
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8. Prophets can be men or women
(Ex. 15: 20) “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of
Aaron…”
(Judges 4: 4) “And Deborah, a prophetess…she judged
Israel at that time.”
(II Kings 20: 1) “…And the prophet Isaiah the son
Amoz.”
9. Prophets are to be tested by the Bible
(Isa. 8: 20) “To the Law and to the Testimony: If they
speak not according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them.”
(I John 4: 1) “…Believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God.”
(I Cor. 14: 32) “And the spirits of the prophets are
subject to the prophets.”
10. The Bible Tests of a true prophet
Test 1. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus
(I John 4: 2) Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”
Test 2. “To the Law and to the Testimony if they
(Isa. 8: 20) speak not according to this word, it is
because there is no light in them.”
Test 3. “When the word of the prophet shall come
(Jere. 28: 9) to pass, then shall the prophet be known,
that the Lord hath truly sent him.”
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Test 4. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall
(Matt. 7: 20) know them.”
Test 5. “…O my Lord, by the vision…I have
(Dan. 10: 16,17) retained no strength.”…There
remaineth no strength in me, neither
is there breath left in me.”
(Num. 24: 4) “He hath said, which heard the words
of God, which saw the vision of the
Almighty, falling into a trance, but
having his eyes open.”
11. The Gift of Prophecy will cause God’s people to prosper.
(IIChron.20: 20) “…Believe in the Lord your God, so
shall ye be established; Believe his
prophets, so shall ye prosper.”
12. The Gift of Prophecy will preserve God’s people.
(Hosea 12: 13) “And by a prophet the Lord brought
Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet
was he preserved.
13. The Gift of Prophecy is not to be despised.
(I Thess. 5: 19,20) “Quench not the Spirit.
Despise not prophesyings.”
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14. If we reject the Gift of Prophecy the Lord will require it of us.
(Deut. 18: 18,19)
“I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren…And he shall speak unto them all that I command him. And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Why does the Gift of Prophets and Prophecy disappear from God’s people?
Proverbs 29: 18
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Ezekiel 7: 26
26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet: but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
Lamentations 2: 9
9 Her gates are sunk into the ground: he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: The law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord.
When God’s people refuse to keep His Law
(10 Commandments), God refuses to give them the Gift of Prophecy and a Prophet!
Revelation 12: 17
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the Remnant of her seed, which keep the Commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19: 10
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.
Conclusion:
Now we see why God’s true Church has the Gift of Prophecy! Because it keeps God’s Law
(10 Commandments)!
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Can we expect a true prophet
After the Bible is closed?
(John 1: 21-23)
( Isa 40: 3 )
Prophet
John the Baptist
“None greater”
Matt. 11: 9-11
Did not write a book of the Bible
O.T.
closed
Jesus
Appears
(1st coming)
No Prophets (424 years)
Prophets re-appear
27 AD
397 BC
Malachi
26 AD
Mission:
Prepare people for Christ’s coming.
Israel did not expect there would be anymore prophets after the O.T. was closed, yet there were!
(John 8: 52,53)
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(Mal. 4: 1-5)
Prophet
“Elijah”
Could not write a book of the Bible
N.T.
closed
Jesus
Appears
(2nd coming)
No prophets
Prophets re-appear
?
96 AD
John
Mission:
Prepare people for Christ’s return.
Today, Christians do not expect that there will be anymore prophets after the N.T. has been closed, but the Bible says there will be !! (Mal. 4: 1-5)
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What will be the message of the True Prophet?
Malachi 3
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming?
Malachi 4
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Malachi 2
8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have been partial in the law.
15 And I will come near to you to judgment;…
Conclusions: The “Elijah” Message
1. A message which will prepare the people for the
2nd coming of Jesus.
2. A message which will turn the people back to the Law or Covenant of God.
3. A message of Judgment.
Will “Elijah” himself come back before Jesus comes the 2nd time?
Facts:
1. Elijah was taken to heaven
II Kings 2: 1,11
2. The Jews asked John the Baptist if he was
Elijah and John said he was not Elijah.
John 1: 19-23
3. Jesus said John was Elijah.
Matt. 17: 10-13
Either:
John or Jesus were lying
or
They were both telling the truth.
Comment:
If either were lying, we might as well pack up
and forget the Bible and go home!
If they were both telling the truth, then
John was not really Elijah but he did have the
“Elijah” Message! Luke 1: 13-17
Similarly, we can then expect “Elijah” to reappear before the 2nd coming of Christ, not as the real Elijah, but as a prophet with the “Elijah” Message!!
Malachi 4: 1-6
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When will the True Prophet appear?
Facts: Regarding all time prophecies
1. They all have to do with Judgment
2. There are always at least 2 prophets for each time prophecy.
A. First prophet gives the prophecy.
B. Second prophet arises at the end time of the prophecy,
warns the people, and gets them ready.
3. There is always a remnant that believes the message of the
prophet.
4. There are always false prophets who arise at the end time of the
prophecy to deceive.
P
rophet (Enoch) Methusaleh’s Death
Foretold
120 years
Prophet (Noah) World Judged (Flood)
Prophet (Abraham)
400 years Egyptian bondage
Prophet (Moses) Egypt Judged
Prophet (Jeremiah)
70 years Babylonian Captivity
Prophet (Daniel) Babylon Judged
457 BC
P
rophet (Daniel) Probation of 34 AD
490 years Jewish Nation
Prophet (John the Baptist)
Jew’s Judged
457 BC
Prophet (Daniel) Final 1844AD
2300 years Judgment Begins
Prophet (“Elijah”) message
Note: World Judgment
To be consistent with the rest of the Bible, Begins
a Prophet must have arisen about 1844!!
Did any prophets appear about 1844?
1. The Mormon group was started by their “prophet” Joseph Smith (1805-1844), who claimed that he received direct communication from God. Some of the “visions” Smith claimed to have received between
1820-1844 led to such practices as baptism for the dead and multiple wives. His life was cut short in 1844 when he was murdered by a mob while awaiting trial.
2. The Shakers reached their peak of influence in 1830 but continued for several decades. Their “prophet” was Ann Lee who claimed to be Christ Himself incarnate in woman’s flesh.
3. Starkweather and Gorgas were responsible for “spiritual manifestations” that caused many people to lose all confidence in visions or prophets in 1843.
4. Baha’u’llah claimed to be the “messenger of God”. He declared his mission in Iran in 1844. He claimed to be the promised one of all religions. Baha’u’llah is the “prophet” of the Baha’i faith.
5.Ellen G. (Harmon) White was a young girl who received her first “vision” at the age of 17 in December, 1844. A serious injury caused her to leave school after the third grade. The remarkable “visions” she received during her lifetime have proven to be completely reliable. With her limited education, her knowledge in a wide variety of fields was far ahead of her time and could have come only from God. She became involved in the world wide Second Advent Movement of the 1840’s and later became instrumental in helping to found what was to become the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
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The Bible Tests of a Prophet
Applied to Ellen G. White
Test # I
I John 4: 2 “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”….
What did Ellen White believe about Jesus?
Here are a few samples:
Desire of Ages, p. 19.
“We are believers in Christ,…in His divinity and in His pre-existence.” 6 T 58.
Ellen White believed in Christ, in His virgin birth, in His death for mankind. She taught that we are saved by the blood of Jesus, and thus easily passes this important test.
Test # 2
Isaiah 8: 20
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
In the book The Great Controversy, Ellen White said: “The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standards of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience.” (Introduction to GC, p. vii.)
Ellen White believed in the Bible. Her writings are in perfect accord with God’s Holy Word. In fact, here is how she viewed her writings in relation to the Bible:
“…The Lord has given a lesser light.” (Colporteur Evangelist, p. 37).
Ellen White saw her writings as a “lesser light” to lead men and women to the “greater light,” which is the Bible. The Holy Scriptures have been ignored by millions; but Ellen White’s writings are dedicated to helping those millions discover or rediscover God’s Word. Every sentence she wrote is in perfect harmony with the Bible. On this basis, the writings of Mrs. White pass the test of Isaiah 8: 20.
Test # 3
Jeremiah 28: 9 “When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.”
Have Ellen White’s predictions come to pass?
This is a fundamental test in ascertaining the validity of a prophet, and one which Mrs. White must pass. Let’s find out.
TOBACCO
In the year 1864, Ellen White wrote:
“Tobacco is a poison of the most deceitful and malignant kind, having an exciting, then a paralyzing influence upon the nerves of the body. It is all the more dangerous because its effects upon the system are so slow, and at first scarcely perceivable. Multitudes have fallen victims to its poisonous influence. They have surely murdered themselves by this slow poison,” Temperance, p. 57.
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That was over 100 years ago! The world laughed at her, but today it no longer laughs. This unusual prediction, made at a time when smoking was considered harmless, proves that Ellen White was far ahead of her time. And no wonder—God, who knows all secrets, knew that smoking was dangerous, and sent word through His humble messenger that mankind should not smoke.
DISASTER
In the book Evangelism, pages 403, 404, Ellen White made this prediction:
“Not long hence these cities will suffer under the judgment of God. San Francisco and Oakland are becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Lord will visit them in wrath.”
Quite a statement! Yet many believed her message and moved from the two cities specifically mentioned as the targets of God’s wrath, Her prediction was penned in 1902: on April 18, 1906, San Francisco was largely destroyed by an earthquake. Fire followed in the wake of the earthquake, and Oakland and other nearby cities suffered greatly.
ANARCHY
In 1903, a book written by Mrs. White made a startling prediction:
“At the same time anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, not only divine, but human. The centralizing of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the enriching of the few at the expense of many; the combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their interest and claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; the world-wide dissemination of the same teachings that led to the French Revolution,--all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France.” Education, p. 228
CANCER A VIRUS
Ellen White made a daring statement in the year 1905.
Here it is:
“People are continually eating flesh that is filled with tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Tuberculosis, cancer, and other fatal disease are thus communicated.” (Ministry of Healing, p. 313).
Two factors stand out in the above statement: first, that cancer is caused by a virus or germ; and secondly, that it is infectious, or can be transmitted from one body to another.
This new concept strongly contradicted the thinking of scientists of 1905 who maintained that cancer was not caused by a virus or germ, and denied that cancer was infectious. However, the June 18, 1956, issue of Newsweek declared:
“In Detroit last week, at a meeting of the third National Cancer Conference, Dr. Wendell Stanley, University of California virologist and Nobel Prize Winner, went so far as to state without qualification that he believes ‘viruses cause most or all human cancers’…”.
He further declared that a virus is a “miniature germ.”
The New York Times of September 29, 1960, gave this account:
“A virus has been linked with eight human cancers in findings to be reported today by scientists at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.”
Next, the National Institute of Health, located at Bethesda, Maryland, “There isn’t the slightest doubt in our minds that human cancers are caused by viruses. To this extent, they are simply infectious diseases.” Newsweek, March 27, 1961.
These statements show conclusively that Ellen White was far ahead of her time. How did she know this? There could be only one answer—because God showed her, so He could communicate this to humanity.
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Electrical currents in the Nervous System
Ten full years before Edison invented the incandescent lamp, Ellen G. White wrote of the electric currents in the brain and nervous system. Her statement was first published in 1869 in a pamphlet, later included in volume 2 of the Testimonies:
“Whatever disturbs the electrical currents in the nervous system lessens the strength of the vital powers, and the result is a deadening of the sensibilities of the mind.” Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 347.
Three years later she referred to “the electrical force of the brain” as a factor in the resistance of disease.(Testimonies,vol.3, p. 157) See also Education, pages 197 and 209.
When Ellen White wrote thus nearly a century ago, little was known of physiology and still less of the properties of electricity. The idea of electrical currents in the body was quite foreign to the thinking of physicians. It was not until 1929 —fourteen years after Ellen White laid down her facile pen, and sixty years after she had made her initial statement concerning “electrical currents in the nervous system,” – that scientific work in this field was made public; and another decade or so before it was taken seriously. For the record, we quote briefly from an article by W. Grey Walter:
“Twenty-five years ago Hans Berger, a German psychiatrist working in Jena, began to publish some strange little pictures consisting of nothing but wavy lines. They should have caused great excitement among his colleagues, because he claimed that they showed the electrical activity of the human brain. But in fact no one took them seriously. For several years no one even bothered to repeat his experiments.”
In the quarter of a century since then the study of his little wavy lines has grown into a new department of science called “electroencephalography.” Today several hundred laboratories in the United States and a similar number in Europe are recording and interpreting charts of the electrical discharges of human brains. Their total annual output of charts would girdle the earth. Hospitals all over the world have accumulated thousands upon thousands of brainprints, -- Scientific American, June, 1954, p. 54.
Rapid Increase in Disasters in the Natural World
In words penned and first published in 1884, and included in the 1888 edition of Great Controversy, Mrs. White forecast a rapid increase in calamities in the natural world, and explained why this will be:
In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hail-storms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. — Great Controversy, pp. 589,590.
Another forecast was made in testimonies published in 1900:
The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, fire and flood, disasters by sea and land, follow each other in quick succession. Science seeks to explain all these. The signs thickening around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to any other than the true cause. Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed; but when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be a scene of strife as no pen can picture. – Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 408.
Scenes of Commotion in the Economic World
There are not many, even among educators and statesmen, who comprehend the causes that underlie the present state of society. Those who hold the reins of government are not able to solve the problem of moral corruption, poverty, pauperism, and increasing crime. They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis. If men would give more heed to the teachings of God’s Word, they would find a solution of the problems that perplex them. – Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 13. Italics supplied.
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Developments We May Expect in Religion
Hands across the gulf
…When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan, and that the end is near. -- Testimonies, vol. 5 (1885), p.451.
Italics supplied.
Sunday laws
In the movements now in progress in the United States to secure for the institutions and usages of the church the support of the state, Protestants are following in the steps of papists. Nay, more, they are opening the door for the papacy to regain in Protestant America the supremacy which she has lost in the Old World. And that which gives greater significance to this movement is the fact that the principle object contemplated is the enforcement of Sunday observance, -- a custom which originated with Rome, and which she claims as the sign of her authority. It is the spirit of the papacy, -- the spirit of conformity to worldly customs, the veneration for human traditions above the commandments of God, -- that is permeating the Protestant churches, and leading them on to do the same work of Sunday exaltation which the papacy has done before them. – Great Controversy, p. 573. Italics supplied.
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Test # 4
Matthew 7: 20
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
What was Ellen White like? Did she have a burden for souls? Was anyone led to Christ through her?
Here’s what one writer said about Mrs. White, just twelve months before her death:
“This remarkable woman, though almost entirely self--educated, has written and published more books and in more languages, which circulate to a greater extent than the written works of any woman in history,” George Wharton Jones in California-Romantic
and Beautiful, p. 320.
This statement becomes even more remarkable when we consider that Ellen White had only a third grade education!
At the close of Ellen White’s long life, a newspaper writer editorialized:
“Her death marks the calling of another noted leader of religious thought and one whose almost ninety years were full to overflowing with good deeds, kind words, and earnest prayers for all mankind.” Saint Helena, California Star, July 23, 1915.
The editor of a leading religious journal commented, upon her death:
Ellen White’s life was spent in writing, counseling, and guiding men and women to the Saviour. When she died, many people spontaneously gave their testimony concerning the faithfulness of her life.
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1. No breathing
Test # 5 Physical 2. No strength (of their own)
3. Eyes open
Mr. And Mrs. A. F. Fowler
The following statements relate to an examination made while Mrs. White was in vision in Waldron’s Hall, Hillsdale, Mich., in the month of February, 1857. Doctor Lord, a physician of Hillsdale of fifty years practice, made a most careful examination, concerning which I present the following testimonials:
“We were present when (in February, 1857) Sister E. G. White had a vision in Waldron’s Hall, Hillsdale. Dr. Lord made an examination, and said, ‘Her heart beats, but there is no breath. There is life, but no action of the lungs; I cannot account for this condition.’” Signed, “A. F. Fowler, Mrs. A. F. Fowler, Hillsdale, Mich., Jan.1, 1891.”
George I. Butler – 1874
“While she is in vision, her breathing entirely ceases. No breath ever escapes her nostrils or lips when in this condition. This has been proved by many witnesses, among them physicians of skill, and themselves unbelievers in the visions, on some occasions being appointed by a public congregation for the purpose. It has been proved many times by tightly holding the nostrils and mouth with the hand, and by putting a looking glass before them so close that any escape of the moisture of the breath would be detected. In this condition she often speaks words and short sentences, yet not the slightest breath escapes.
Often she loses her strength temporarily and reclines or sits; but at other times she stands up. She moves her arms gracefully, and often her face is lighted up with radiance as though the glory of heaven rested upon her. She is utterly unconscious of everything going on around her while she is in vision, having no knowledge whatever of what is said and done in her presence.
When she comes out of this condition she speaks and writes from time to time what she has seen while in vision; and the supernatural character of these visions is seen even more clearly in what she thus reveals than in her appearance and condition while in vision, for many things have thus been related which it was impossible for her to know in any other way.
All we ask is that people shall be reasonable. We are prepared to support by hundreds of living truthful witnesses all that we shall claim, so far as facts are concerned, of the manifestation itself, for this thing has not been done in a corner. For nearly thirty years past these visions have been given with greater or less frequency, and have been witnessed by many, oftentimes by unbelievers as well as those believing them. They generally, but not always, occur in the midst of earnest seasons of religious interest while the Spirit of God is specially present, if those can tell who are in attendance. The time Mrs. White is in this condition has varied from fifteen minutes to one hundred and eighty. During this time the heart and pulse continue to beat, the eyes are always wide open, and seem to be gazing at some far-distant object, and are never fixed on any person or thing in the room. They are always directed upward. They exhibit a pleasant expression. There is no ghastly look or any resemblance of fainting. The brightest light may be suddenly brought near her eyes, or feints made as if to thrust something into the eye, and there is never the slightest wink or change of expression on that account;
These things can be proved by any amount of testimony, and we confidently affirm that they are of such a character that they could not be accomplished by deception.” – Review and Herald, June 9, 1874.
F. C. Castle
We give the following statement from an individual who witnessed a medical examination of Mrs. White while in vision at Stowe, Vermont, in summer of 1853. He says:
“A physician was present, and made such examination of her as his wisdom and learning dictated, to find the cause of the manifestation. A lighted candle was held close to her eyes, which were wide open; not a muscle of the eye moved. He then examined her in regard to her pulse, and also in regard to her breathing, and there was no respiration. The result was that he was satisfied that it could not be accounted for on natural or scientific principles.” Signed, “F. C. Castle.”
Conclusions:
You have seen that the Bible confirms, that the Gift of Prophecy will be evident in God’s True Remnant Church. You have also seen that the True Prophetic Gift will only be manifested where the 10 Commandments are kept!
Ellen White met all the Bible Tests of a prophet and thus was a True Prophet of God.
For over 150 years Seventh-Day Adventists have had an advantage over others with regard to their knowledge of: Healthful living, education, world wide missionary work, knowledge of the future, and knowledge of Spiritual things and church unity, due to the Prophetic guidance of God through Ellen White!!!
No doctrine taught or believed by Seventh-Day Adventists is based on the writings of Ellen White.
All doctrine is based entirely on the Bible!
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The Names / Subjects
Of some of Ellen G. White’s Books
Steps to Christ
Desire of Ages
The Great Controversy
Acts of the Apostles
Ministry of Healing
Education
The Adventist Home
Messages to Young People
Counsels on Diet and Foods
Testimonies to the Church
Christ’s Object Lessons
Counsels on Health
Child Guidance
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The inspiration and authority of the
Ellen G. White writings
A statement of present understanding
1. The Holy Scriptures
The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history. (2 Peter 1: 20, 21; 2 Tim. 3: 16,Ps. 119: 105; Prov. 30: 5, 6; Isa.8: 20; john 17: 17; I Thess. 2: 13; Heb. 4: 12.)
17. The Gift of Prophecy
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord’s messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard buy which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2: 28, 29; Acts 2: 14-21; Heb. 1: 1-3; Rev. 12: 17; 19: 10.)
The following affirmations and denials speak to the issues which have been raised about the inspiration and authority of the Ellen White writings and their relation to the Bible. These clarifications should be taken as a whole. They are an attempt to express the present understanding of Seventh-day Adventists. They are not to be construed as a substitute for, or a part of, the two doctrinal statements quoted above.
“Continued”
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Affirmations
We believe that Scripture is the divine revealed Word of God and is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the canon of Scripture is composed only of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.
We believe that Scripture is the foundation of faith and the final authority on all matters of doctrine and practice.
We believe that Scripture is the Word of God in human language.
We believe that Scripture teaches that the gift of prophecy will be manifested in the Christian church after New Testament times.
We believe that the ministry and writings of Ellen White were a manifestation of the gift of prophecy.
We believe that Ellen White was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that her writings, the product of that inspiration, are applicable and authoritative especially to Seventh-day Adventists.
We believe that the purpose of the Ellen White writings include guidance in understanding the teaching of Scripture and application of these teachings, with prophetic urgency, to the spiritual and moral life.
We believe that the acceptance of the prophetic gift of Ellen White is important to the nurture and unity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
We believe that Ellen White’s use of literary sources and assistants finds parallels in some of the writings of the Bible.
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Denials
1. We do not believe that the quality or degree of inspiration in the writings of Ellen White is different from that of Scripture.
2. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are an addition to the canon of Sacred Scripture.
3. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White function as the foundation and final authority of Christian faith as does the Scripture.
4. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White may be used as the basis of doctrine.
5. We do not believe that the study of the writings of Ellen White may be used to replace the study of Scripture.
6. We do not believe that Scripture can be understood only through the writings of Ellen White.
7. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White exhaust the meaning of Scripture.
8. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are essential for the proclamation of the truths of Scripture to society at large.
9. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are the product of mere Christian piety
10. We do not believe that Ellen White’s use of literary sources and assistants negates the inspiration of her writings.
We conclude, therefore, that a correct understanding of the inspiration and authority of the writings of Ellen White will avoid two extremes: (1) regarding these writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or (2) considering them as ordinary Christian literature.
Adventist Review, December 23, 1982
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