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​​The SPIRIT of PROPHECY

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The book of Revelation teaches that God's end-time remnant church keeps "the commandments of God" and has "the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev 12:17)
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In a later chapter of that book, we are told that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"

 

The apostle Paul also employs such language, using the phrases "testimony of Christ," "testimony of God," and "testimony of our Lord" (1 Cor 1:6; 2:1; 2 Tim 1:8).

 

 

Similarly, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah uses the expression "the law and the testimony" (Isa 8:19-20) to refer to the messages given by God's true prophets in earlier times.

Thus, for Seventh-day Adventists, the reference to the "commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 12:17; cf. Rev 20:4) suggests that God's end-time people will be characterized by keeping the commandments of God (all ten of them, including the seventh-day Sabbath) and by the testimony of Jesus, that is, the everlasting gospel given through God's true prophets (including Ellen G. White). Thus, our Fundamental Beliefs #17 states in part: "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."

 

Should all Adventists believe in the Spirit of Prophecy?

Yes, indeed! The Bible says we should accept the Spirit of Prophecy. In 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21 we are told, "Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." First Corinthians 12 also says there are many gifts in the church, including the gift of prophecy. All these gifts will be present in the church until Jesus comes (Eph 4:7-13). If we accept the other gifts of the Spirit, we must accept the gift of prophecy as well. In fact, as we have noted, the Bible singles out this gift as one identifying characteristic of the end-time church (Rev 12:17; 19:10). Whenever God gives a gift to His people, they must respectfully accept it.

Moreover, belief in the Spirit of Prophecy is one of the Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, the body of doctrines identifying us as a church. Therefore, before one is baptized, it is important to be carefully instructed to subscribe to all 27 of the Fundamental Beliefs, including the teaching on the Spirit of Prophecy. If after baptism a member cannot conscientiously adhere to this or any other doctrine, the church should respect the right of that person to withdraw from membership.

At times, when members or church employees blatantly oppose our understanding of this biblical doctrine, the church may have to encourage them to honorably withdraw from its fellowship, or even insist that they do so. To be a Seventh-day Adventist and to remain one requires a belief in this biblical teaching and, at minimum, a respect for the church's conviction that the genuine gift of prophecy was manifested in the life and work of Ellen G. White. When one of its members begins to undermine its teachings, the church should diligently try to win that member back to full agreement with the body of believers or, if this is not possible, take steps to help the person find another denomination whose beliefs are more like his own.

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the writings of Mrs. White, as a genuine manifestation of the Spirit of prophecy, are a precious gift from God, to be cherished and appreciated. These writings, like the Bible, are to help prepare us for heaven. Even now, as they lift our gaze toward things eternal, they give us a foretaste of what God has prepared for those who love Him.

 

What is the relationship between the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible?

 

Ellen G. White understood that the Bible alone constitutes the Christians standard or norm for teaching and practice. She wrote, "The Word of God is the great detector of error; to it we believe everything must be brought. The Bible must be our standard for every doctrine and preaching. We must study it reverentially. We are to receive no one's opinion without comparing it with the Scriptures. Here is divine authority which is supreme in matters of faith. It is the Word of the living God that is to decide all controversies" (The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, pp. 44, 45; cf. The Great Controversy, p. 595).

 

Studying the Bible for ourselves is of utmost importance

Sister White herself beautifully explained the relationship between her writings and the Bible, referring to her works as the "lesser light" pointing to the Bible, the "greater light."

 

"As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God's word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another's mind. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we know `what saith the Lord'" (The Desire of Ages, p. 390).