Bible Study Guides – Testing the Prophet’s Claims

November 4, 2007 – November 10, 2007

Key Text

“Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 5, 671–676; Selected Messages, Book 2, 63–100.

Introduction

“Christ warned His disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ [Matthew 7:15-20.] Here is a test, and all can apply it if they will. Those who really desire to know the truth will find sufficient evidence for belief.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 671, 672.

1 By what unerring standards must the teachings of any who lay claim to the gift of prophecy be measured? Isaiah 8:20.

note: “In these days of peril we are not to accept everything that men bring to us as truth. As professed teachers from God come to us declaring that they have a message from God, it is proper to inquire carefully, How do we know that this is truth? Jesus has told us that ‘false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.’ [Matthew 24:11.] But we need not be deceived; for the Word of God gives us a test whereby we may know what is truth. The prophet says, ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ [Isaiah 8:20.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 951.

2 Did Ellen White’s work call people to God or away from God?

note: “While conflicting doctrines and theories abound, the law of God is the one unerring rule by which all opinions, doctrines, and theories are to be tested.” The Great Controversy, 452.

“I [Ellen White] recommend to you, dear reader, the Word of God as the rule of your faith and practice. By that Word we are to be judged. God has, in that Word, promised to give visions in the ‘last days’; not for a new rule of faith, but for the comfort of His people, and to correct those who err from Bible truth.” Early Writings, 78.

“Even the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart is to be tested by the Word of God. The Spirit which inspired the Scriptures, always leads to the Scriptures.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 43.

3 By what standard or test do some oppose the truth? 1 Timothy 6:20.

note: “When a man feels so very wise that he dares to dissect God’s Word, his wisdom is, with God, counted foolishness. When he knows more, he will feel that he has everything to learn. And his very first lesson is to become teachable.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 42.

4 What is another crucial test of a prophet’s work? Deuteronomy 18:20-22; Jeremiah 28:9. See also 1 Samuel 9:6; Lamentations 3:37.

note: “Jeremiah . . . cited the men of Judah to the prophecies of Hosea, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and others whose messages of reproof and warning had been similar to his own. He referred them to events which had taken place in fulfillment of prophecies of retribution for unrepented sin. In the past the judgments of God had been visited upon the impenitent in exact fulfillment of His purpose as revealed through His messengers.” Prophets and Kings, 445.

Although Ellen White’s work was not basically that of a forecaster of future events, yet in some instances she predicted conditions and events the fulfillments of which give evidence of her prophetic gift. For example, in 1904 she wrote: “The time is fast coming when the controlling power of the labor unions will be very oppressive.” Country Living, 9. In 1906, she wrote thus of calamities: “I am bidden to declare the message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme, will be destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by flood.” Evangelism, 27.

In other instances, the predictive nature of her statements is not so evident, but she stated insights into the society of her day that have become increasingly descriptive of present-day society: (1) Decadence―Testimonies, vol. 9, 13; (2) Anarchy―Education, 228; (3) Urban problems―Testimonies, vol. 7, 82; (4) Youth dissipation―Temperance, 274.

5 In applying the test of fulfilled predictions, what must be taken into consideration? Jeremiah 18:9, 10.

note: “[Jeremiah 18:1-10 quoted.] This presents before us God’s way of dealing with His people. He sends warnings. He pleads with them to cease to do evil and learn to do well. Hear the words of Christ, for they are spoken to all who claim to be His people. Blessings are promised to all who follow the Lord to do righteousness, but those who walk in their own ways show that under the trying circumstances liable to occur anywhere, they will prove unfaithful, and God cannot bless them.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1156.

“The angels of God in their messages to men represent time as very short. Thus it has always been presented to me [Ellen White]. It is true that time has continued longer than we expected in the early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear as soon as we hoped. But has the word of the Lord failed? Never! It should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 67.

6 What does John state as another mark of a true prophet? 1 John 4:1, 2.

note: “In this age of the world we see every grade and degree of skepticism. There are rank infidels, those who believe in the lying wonders of Spiritualism, and those who reject the claims of divine truth. All these are placed among the class that John has written of, and are controlled by the spirit of antichrist. Ignorance of the character of God, pride of understanding, and the love of sin, are the source of infidelity. Men deny the divinity of Christ, cast away the Bible, and thus seek to free themselves from personal accountability to God. They bring the Bible into conflict with ‘science, falsely so called.’ [1 Timothy 6:20.] These doubters can start inquiries which the most humble and pious Christian would be perplexed to know how to answer. But because their queries cannot be answered, is no evidence that the Bible is not true. A little child has asked questions in regard to God, the soul, and the future, that the most learned could not answer. The truth of God’s word will be revealed to those who are of a lowly heart, who will comprehend its duties and obey its precepts. It is pride of opinion that leads to skepticism, and to the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ.” The Signs of the Times, September 3, 1894.

“The Word of God is solid rock, and we may plant our feet securely upon it. Every soul must needs be tested, every faith and doctrine must needs be tried by the law and the testimony. Take heed that no man deceive you. The warnings of Christ on this matter are needed at this time; for delusions and deceptions will come in among us, and will multiply as we near the end.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 952.

7 What reasonable test should be applied to anyone professing to exercise the prophetic gift? Matthew 7:15-20.

note: “Christ warned His disciples: [Matthew 7:15-20 quoted]. Here is a test, and . . . you can apply it if you will. You need not go in uncertainty and doubt. Satan is at hand to suggest a variety of doubts, but if you will open your eyes in faith you will find sufficient evidence for belief. But God will never remove from any man all causes for doubts. Those who love to dwell in the atmosphere of doubt and questioning unbelief can have the unenviable privilege. God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe; but he who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things which he cannot make plain to his finite understanding will be left in the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and questioning doubts, and will make shipwreck of faith. You have seemed to consider it a virtue to be on the side of the doubting rather than on the side of the believing. Jesus never praised unbelief; He never commended doubts. He gave to His nation evidences of His Messiahship in the miracles He wrought, but there were some who considered it a virtue to doubt and who would reason these evidences away and find something in every good work to question and censure.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 232, 233.

8 What invitation did Ellen White give to investigators who sought to examine the fruitage of her prophetic visions?

note: “Let the Testimonies be judged by their fruits. What is the spirit of their teaching? What has been the result of their influence? ‘All who desire to do so can acquaint themselves with the fruits of these visions.’ . . .

“ ‘God is either teaching His church, reproving their wrongs and strengthening their faith, or He is not. This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work . . . bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 671.

9 How did Mrs. White explain her experience as God’s messenger?

note: “As the Lord has manifested Himself through the spirit of prophecy, ‘past, present, and future have passed before me [Ellen White]. I have been shown faces that I had never seen, and years afterward I knew them when I saw them. I have been aroused from my sleep with a vivid sense of subjects previously presented to my mind; and I have written, at midnight, letters that have gone across the continent and, arriving at a crisis, have saved great disaster to the cause of God. This has been my work for many years. A power has impelled me to reprove and rebuke wrongs that I had not thought of. Is this work of the last thirty-six years from above or from beneath?’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 671.

10 What warning does John sound to guard the church from deception? 1 John 4:1. See also Matthew 7:15.

note: “There will be false dreams and false visions, which have some truth, but lead away from the original faith. The Lord has given men a rule by which to detect them: ‘To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ [Isaiah 8:20.] If they belittle the law of God, if they pay no heed to his will as revealed in the testimonies of his Spirit, they are deceivers. They are controlled by impulse and impressions, which they believe to be from the Holy Spirit, and consider more reliable than the inspired word. They claim that every thought and feeling is an impression of the Spirit; and when they are reasoned with out of the Scriptures, they declare that they have something more reliable. But while they think that they are led by the Spirit of God, they are in reality following an imagination wrought upon by Satan.” The Signs of the Times, March 27, 1884.

11 Are we justified in testing those who claim divine enlightenment by the messages given through the spirit of prophecy?

note: “In these days of peril we are not to accept everything that men bring to us as truth. As professed teachers from God come to us declaring that they have a message from God, it is proper to inquire carefully, How do we know that this is truth? Jesus has told us that ‘false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.’ [Matthew 24:11.] But we need not be deceived; for the Word of God gives us a test whereby we may know what is truth. The prophet says, ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ [Isaiah 8:20.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 951.

12 What does Paul admonish Christians to do? 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21.

note: “The Lord does not want us to have a blind credulity, and call that the faith that sanctifies. The truth is the principle that sanctifies, and therefore it becomes us to know what is truth. We must compare spiritual things with spiritual. We must prove all things, but hold fast only that which is good, that which bears the divine credentials, which lays before us the true motives and principles which should prompt us to action.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 56.