May 27, 2022 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Hello, friends! In a previous video we spoke about spiritual gifts that are given to us by God. One very special gift that God promises to Church is the gift of prophecy. In referring to the remnant, or God’s last day Church, we read in Revelation 12:17 that “the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” And Revelation 19:10 tells us that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Our Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief #18, titled “The Gift of Prophecy” explains more about this special gift. It reads as follows:
“The Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant Church and we believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic authority and provide comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction to the church. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.”
As Seventh-day Adventists, all of our beliefs are based firmly on Scripture, and you can read more about the Gift of Prophecy, including the many Scripture references upon which it is based, by visiting the URL shown at the bottom of the screen [www.adventist.org/gift-of-prophecy/the-gift-of-prophecy/].
When Aaron and Miriam rebelled against Moses’ leadership, God said to them: “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream” (Num. 12:6). Throughout Old Testament times the prophetic gift was in operation. The first person called “a prophet” in the Bible was Abraham (Gen. 20:7). In the history of Israel, Moses was the greatest of the prophets; he communicated with God “face to face” (Deut. 34:10). Shortly before his death he told the Israelites: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear” (Deut. 18:15). This prophecy was initially fulfilled through Joshua and the prophets who followed him. It found its ultimate fulfillment in the appearance of the Messiah who was the prophet who would lead God’s people from the slavery of sin into the heavenly Canaan.
The New Testament writers as well as several other individuals mentioned in the New Testament had the gift of prophecy. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that the gift of prophecy would remain in the church “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13). In the book of Revelation, therefore, the remnant church in the time of the end is said to have “the testimony of Jesus” (12:17), which according to Revelation 19:10 is “the spirit of prophecy.”
As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe that God bestowed this prophetic gift on a woman by the name of Ellen G. White.
Who is Ellen White? In brief, she was a woman of remarkable spiritual gifts who lived most of her life during the nineteenth century, yet through her writings she is still making a revolutionary impact on millions of people around the world. During her lifetime she wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books; but today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English, and many others in multiple languages. In fact, she is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender.
Her writings cover a broad range of subjects, including religion, education, social relationships, evangelism, prophecy, publishing, nutrition, and management. Her life-changing masterpiece on successful Christian living, Steps to Christ, has been published in more than 140 languages.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was more than a gifted writer; we believe she was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world’s attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ’s second advent. From the time she was 17 years old until she died 70 years later, God gave her approximately 2,000 visions and dreams. The visions varied in length from less than a minute to nearly four hours. The knowledge and counsel received through these revelations she wrote out to be shared with others. Thus, her special writings are accepted by Seventh-day Adventists as inspired, and their exceptional quality is recognized even by casual readers.
However, as stated in the book, Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , “The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture. They cannot be placed on the same level. The Holy Scriptures stand alone, the unique standard by which her and all other writings must be judged and to which they must be subject” (p. 227).
And as Ellen White herself noted in The Great Controversy, “The fact that God has revealed His will to men through His Word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour to open the Word to His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings” (p. vii).
Ellen G. White was truly a remarkable woman who, meeting all the tests of a true prophet as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, helped found the Seventh-day Adventist church. And through the counsels given through this special messenger, God has blessed us immensely. As we read in 2 Chronicles 20:20, “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
Friend, I invite you to embrace this incredible blessing that God has gifted to His Church. I have found the more I read the Spirit of Prophecy, the most blessed I am. And today, all of her writings are available, not only in hard copy, but online. Just go to egwwritings.org, choose your language, and start reading today. I am sure you will be blessed!
Let’s pray together. Let’s pray together. Father in heaven. Thank you for the gift of prophecy. You have provided that all the way down through history. The Old Testament. The New Testament and more recently through the writings and Ministry of Ellen G. White. Thank you for this marvelous instruction. That you have given to us in the spirit of prophecy. And now, Lord, we ask that you will avail ourselves, help us to avail ourselves of the Scripture, which is profoundly from your hand itself, and the revelations through Ellen White of the Spirit of Prophecy, which is also from your hand. We ask that you will help us to understand fully the benefits of your instruction. Thank you for providing this to us. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.