ellen g. white's writings - their role and function

7/29/2019 Ellen G. White's Writings - Their Role and Function

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Satan whispers that the Spirit of Prophecy is not

important. (Does this sound familiar?) He tells us wedont need to read it. He sends his agents to cleverly

hint that the books have been changed, that they

were written by someone else, or that they are old-fashioned and do not apply to our modern world.

Anything to downgrade the Spirit of Prophecy,yetthat is what we see all around us in the church

today!


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Then, having set the Spirit of prophecy books back in

the shadow,it becomes quite easy for him toparade the world right on into the church! Gods

Written Word, the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, and

accept both as the highest authority governing ourlives and our Church.

Some say the Church is going to the dogs. Others say

everything is doing just fine. But I tell you the only

hope of the Church is returning to the Bible and

Spirit of Prophecy


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Many questions have been raised in recent

years relating to the proper function of EllenWhite's writings. What relation do her

writings bear to the Bible? Was everything

she wrote inspired? Does she have doctrinalauthority? What is proper and what is

improper in using her writings? It is crucial

that we understand the proper place of theministry of Ellen G. White to the Seventh-day

Adventist Church.


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The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes that God

has given divine inspiration to Ellen G. White. We do

not mean by this occasional prophetic utterances,

but this person claims that her entire life was guided

by inspiration. Now a person who claims to be aprophet or to receive prophetic messages and visions

must be judged by a different standard than

individual Christians who try to interpret theScriptures. We must be fair and evaluate the claims

that are made by the claimant to a prophetic office.


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If a person claims to have received visions or direct

guidance from God, either this person is under inspiration or

he is not. We do not have the gray areas that we seem to

find in other speakers for God. For a prophet who lies or is

misguided misleads a whole people. God does not speak

some truth and some error through the same messenger, orwe would have no way of knowing which parts of the

messages have been given from God and which come from

the prophet's own ideas. I believe that God exercises very

strict control over the content He reveals to His messengers.Either all that the messenger speaks is truth, or the prophet

is impelled by Satan or his own ideas.


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In the case of Ellen White, the last option--her own ideas--is

ruled out by the physical phenomena which could not havebeen self-induced. Thus her visions had to come either from

God or from Satan. Either her visions are genuine or they are

a masterpiece of deception, and should be shunned as

coming from Satan. No other option is open for one who

claims the prophetic gift and has experienced the physical

phenomena which Ellen White did. In fact, she herself states

that her visions come either from God or from Satan. Thuswe must accept or reject the messenger as a whole.


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All From God?We must begin with some statements by Ellen Whiteherself, because it is only fair to evaluate the claims

made by the person who supposedly received

messages from God. We must not make up our own

claims for the work of a prophet, but we must

evaluate the prophet's own claims. Just what did

Ellen White claim for herself?

ll d ?


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"I speak that which I have seen, and which

I know to be true." (Letter 4, 1896) She

claimed that she was told "In all your

communications, speak as one to whom

the Lord has spoken. He is your authority."

(Letter 186, 1902) "Sister White is not theoriginator of these books. They contain

the instruction that during her lifework

God has been giving her. They contain the

precious, comforting light, that God has

graciously given His servant to be given to

the world." (CM 125)

All From God ?

Colporteur Ministry,page 125

All G d ?


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"I do not write one article in the paper

expressing merely my own ideas. They are

what God has opened before me in vision--theprecious rays of light shining from the throne."

(51 67) "Weak and trembling, I arose at three

o'clock in the morning to write to you. God was

speaking through clay. You might say that thiscommunication was only a letter. Yes, it was a

letter, but prompted by the Spirit of God, to

bring before your minds things that had been

shown me. In these letters which I write, in the

testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that

which the Lord has presented to me."

All From God ?

Signs of the Times, page 67


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I conclude, after reading these statements, that she claims

that she is not the source of her articles and her letters. Thatdoes not mean that she could not have used materials from

other writers in writing out the messages God had given to

her. We are concerned here about the source, the

originating point of her messages. Did they come from God,or did they come from her own opinions or the ideas of

others? She expressly says that her messages come from

God, that the originating point is God. So let us remember

that her claim is that the messages she writes are God'smessages, not her messages.


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There will be a hatred kindledagainst the testimonies which is

SANTANIC. The workings of Satan will

be to unsettle the faith of the

churches in them, for this reason:

Satan cannot have so clear a track to

bring in his deceptions and bind up

souls in his delusions if the warningsand reproofs and counsels of the

Spirit of God are heeded.

1 selected messages,48.4


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Satan and his angels are busycreating a paralyzed condition

of the senses so that

cautions, warnings, andreproofs shall not be heard;

or, if heard, that they shallnot take effect upon the heart

and reform the life.

{Adventist Home page, 401.4}


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However, her claim becomes clear

and specific. "God is either teachingHis 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 for the Church ,Vol. 4,page 230


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Why will not men see and live the truth?

Many study the Scriptures for the purpose

of proving their own ideas to be correct.

They change the meaning of God's Word

to suit their own opinions. And thus theydo also with the testimonies that He

sends. They quote half a sentence, leaving

out the other half, which, if quoted, would

show their reasoning to be false. God has acontroversy with those who wrest the

Scriptures, making them conform to their

preconceived ideas. --Manuscript 22,

1890. {3 Selected Messages 82.3}


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I'm very thankful that she is that honest

with us. She is willing to say that we haveto make up our own minds about her

writings. She lays out a specific principle

to guide our decision here. She says that

this work is either God's work or it is

Satan's work, because if Satan wereoperative in the prophet God would cease

speaking.


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God does nothing in partnership with Satan--that's

the principle. This means that her writings musteither come from God or they must come from

Satan.They cannot be partly from God and partly

from Satan, or even partly her own opinions. She is

either controlled by God or by Satan. Let us be sure

that we are evaluating her own claims. We must not

put another claim in the place of the one she has

made herself. She has asked us to judge her workand then attribute it to either God or Satan, and I

believe that we must accept her challenge.


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This crucial statement expresses again the principle she is

asking us to take seriously. If we say that her messages didcome from God, but that mixed in with these messages are

Ellen White's opinions and judgments, that means we

become the final arbiter of what is inspired and what is not

inspired in the writings of Ellen White; we define what is herhuman judgment and what is the word of the Lord. Whether

we decide on an emotional or an intellectual basis, we are

determining which parts of Ellen White's writings are

authoritative because they are messages from God, andwhich parts of Ellen White's writings are not authoritative

because they are simply her own opinions.


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"Many times in my experience I have

been called upon to meet the attitude

of a certain class, who acknowledged

that the testimonies were from God,

but took the position that this matterand that matter were Sister White's

opinion and judgment. This suits those

who do not love reproof and

correction, and who, if their ideas

were crossed, have occasion to explain

the difference between the human

and the divine.


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If the preconceived opinions or

particular ideas of some are crossed in

being reproved by testimonies, they

have a burden at once to make plain

their position to discriminate betweenthe testimonies, defining what is Sister

White's human judgment, and what is

the word of the Lord. Everything that

sustains their cherished ideas is divine,

and the testimonies to correct their

errors are human-Sister White's opinions.

(Manuscript, E. G. White. 16, 1889)


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After Ellen White says that some make their

own decisions about what is her humanjudgment and what is the word of the Lord,

she concludes her statement with this crucial

sentence. "They [the ones making thesedistinctions] make of none effect the counsel

of God by their tradition." Remember, these

are the ones that acknowledge that thetestimonies are from God.


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They say, "Yes, Ellen White is an inspiredmessenger from God. I believe in the

inspiration of Ellen White." But when it comes

to a specific point that Ellen White makes,many people say, "Well, that was just her

opinion. That was her own idea." Ellen White

says that this attitude makes of none effect thecounsel of God.

All From God ?


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All From God ?The very last deception of Satan

will be to make of none effect the

testimony of the Spirit of God.

"Where there is no vision, the

people perish" (Proverbs 29:18).

Satan will work ingeniously, in

different ways and through

different agencies, to unsettle theconfidence of God's remnant

people in the true testimony.

(Manuscript Releases, Vol. 10, p. 311)

All From God ?


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All From God ?He will bring in spurious visions to

mislead, and will mingle the false

with the true, and so disgust

people that they will regard

everything that bears the name of

visions as a species of fanaticism;

but honest souls, by contrasting

false and true, will be enabled todistinguish between them.

(Manuscript Releases ,Vol. 10, p. 311)

All From God ?


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All From God ?(1) It is Satan's plan to weaken the faith of God's people in

the Testimonies.

(2) Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of

our faith,

(3) the pillars of our position,:

( Sanctuary message, health message,3 Angels Message, Law of

God/Sabbath, Spirit Of Prophecy, State of the Dead, Nature of Christ )

(4) then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures,

(5) and then the downward march to perdition..

Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, p.211.1

All From God ?


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All From God ?When the Testimonies, which

were once believed, are doubtedand given up, Satan knows the

deceived ones will not stop at

this; and he redoubles his effortstill he launches them into open

rebellion, which becomes

incurable and ends in

destruction.

Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, p.211.1


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Do you remember that she also said that the last deception

of Satan will be to make of none effect the messages which

have come through her? (1 SM 48) Not to deny, pleasenotice, but to make of none effect. Perhaps the greatest

danger we face is not from those who deny the inspiration

of the Spirit of Prophecy, but from those who profess to

believe in the inspiration of Ellen White. When it comes tospecific points, they take great pains to declare that these

were her judgments and opinions. OR PERSONS WILL HAVE

HER BOOKS AND DONT READ THEM, This is the last

deception of Satan--making God's testimony of none effect

by attributing parts of it to her opinion and accepting only

those parts which square with our opinions.

All From God ?


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All From God ?"Do not by your criticisms take out all

the force, all the point and power,

from the Testimonies. Do not feel thatyou can dissect them to suit your own

ideas, claiming that God has given you

ability to discern what is light fromheaven and what is the expression of

mere human wisdom. If the

Testimonies speak not according to theWord of God, reject them. Christ and

Belial cannot be united."

TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH, VOLUME 5, PAGE 691

All From God ?


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All From God ?For Christs sake do not confuse the

minds of the people with human

sophistry and skepticism, and make ofnone effect the work that the Lord

would do. Do not, by your lack of

spiritual discernment, make of thisagency of God a rock of offense

whereby many shall be caused to

stumble and fall, and be snared, andbe taken.

TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH ,VOLUME 5, PAGE 691


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We dare not make distinctions between

messages from heaven and her opinions. But ifher opinions are mixed into these writings, if in

fact she does present her own ideas as the

word of God, then her counsel to us is very

clear. We are to reject the testimonies, not just

those parts which we feel are her own

opinions, but all of the testimonies, because

Christ and Satan cannot be united.


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As a messenger speaking for God, a prophet claims ahigher authority than an interpreter trying to

understand the word of God. A prophet claims to

have direct revelation from God, direct

communication from God, regarding God's will for

our lives. Thus we must decide whether a prophet's

writings come from God or from Satan. We cannot

credit part of the writings to God and part of thewritings to human opinion.


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This means that part of aprophet's responsibility is

not to speak when the Lordhas not spoken. In one

instance, Ellen White said,

All From God ?


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All From God ?"I have no light on the subject

[who would constitute the144,000]. . Please tell my

brethren that I have nothing

presented before me regardingthe circumstances concerning

which they write, and I can set

before them only that which hasbeen presented to me."

(Quoted in a letter by C. C. Crisler to E. E. Andross, Dec. 8, 1914)


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That is a major responsibility of a prophet.

A prophet cannot give his own opinion. A

prophet cannot suggest what he/she

thinks is true, because his listenerswould assume that his opinion is the word

of the Lord on that subject. So if the Lord

has not spoken, the prophet must not

speak.

All From God ?


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All From God ?In writing to an individual wanting

guidance, she said, "I am not at liberty

to write to our brethren concerningyour future work. . I have received no

instruction regarding the place where

you should locate... If the Lord givesme definite instruction concerning you,

I will give it you; but I cannot take

upon myself responsibilities that the

Lord does not give me to bear." (Letter

96, 1909)


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Once again, she had to remain silent

when the Lord had not spoken. She

could speak only when the Lord had

spoken. If a prophet speaks withprophetic authority when the Lord has

not spoken, then the prophet must berejected as a false prophet.

All From God ?


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All From God ?"This morning I attended a meeting where a

select few were called together to consider

some questions that were presented tothem by a letter soliciting consideration and

advice on these subjects. Of some of these

subjects I could speak, because at sundry

times and in diverse places many thingshave been presented to me... As my

brethren read the selections from letters, I

knew what to say to them; for this matter

has been presented to me again and again...

I have not felt at liberty to write out the

matter until now."

(Southern Work-pp. 97,98)


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Notice her words, "Ofsome of these subjects I

could speak." She couldonly speak when the Lord

had spoken.


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The bottom line of this discussion is that we cannot

pick and choose what we think is inspired out of her

writings and leave the rest alone. The same principle

applies to her that applies to Bible writers. If John

and Paul were inspired, then their writings weretotally inspired, and they brought us messages

directly from God. There are no degrees either of

inspiration or revelation. If Ellen G. White is inspired,then her writings are totally inspired, and her

messages come directly from God.


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There is one more point we must address. If

Ellen White includes her own messages among

God's messages and thus confuses God's

people as to when God is speaking and when

He is not, then the movement she guided--the

Seventh-day Adventist Church--is also suspect

because of her tremendous impact upon thismovement. In that case, this movement may

not be the remnant church at all.


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If you find anything in her writings which contradicts

the Bible, it is your responsibility to reject her as amessenger of God. In light of her dramatic claims, it

is impossible to accept her as a good woman while

believing that certain things she wrote are contraryto the teachings of the Bible. I recently came across

the opinion that Ellen White could be a prophet and

yet be in error on doctrinal matters of some

consequence. Then how would we make our

judgments as to what is error and what is truth?


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If we determine that Ellen White or any other

claimant to the gift of prophecy is teaching error on

any significant Bible doctrine, then we must followthe Biblical counsel that there is no light in that

messenger. Ellen White must stand or fall on the

basis of her agreement with Scripture, which meanstotal harmony with previous revelation. If she is in

error on one Biblical doctrine, then it is unsafe to

follow her on any doctrine.If her messages are notfrom God, then we must reject her work, and it is

imperative that we take a second look at the

movement that she was so prominent in guiding.


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However, if her messagesare from God, then it is

extremely dangerous toreject her work.


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"It does not become anyone to drop a word of doubt

here and there that shall work like poison in other

minds, shaking their confidence in the messageswhich God has given, which have aided in laying the

foundation of this work, and have attended it to the

present day, in reproofs, warnings, corrections, and

encouragements. To all who have stood in the way of

the Testimonies, I would say, God has given a

message to His people, and His voice will be heard,

whether you hear or forbear. Your opposition has not

hindered me; but you must give an account to the

God of heaven, who has sent these warnings andinstructions to keep His people in the right way. You

will have to answer to Him for your blindness, for

being a stumbling block in the way of sinners."

(1 Selected Messages ,page 43)


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"I saw the state of some who stood on present

truth, but disregarded the visions,--the way God had

chosen to teach in some cases, those who erredfrom Bible truth. I saw that in striking against the

visions they did not strike against the worm--the

feeble instrument that God spake through--but

against the Holy Ghost. I saw it was a small thing to

speak against the instrument, but it was dangerous

to slight the words of God. I saw if they were in

error and God chose to show them their errors

through visions, and they disregarded the teachings

of God through visions, they would be left to taketheir own way, and run in the way of error, and

think they were right, until they would find it out

too late."

(1 Selected Messages, page 40)


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If God is speaking, and weslight God's words, we're not

really slighting the prophet,

we are rejectingGod.


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"What reserve power has the Lord

with which to reach those who have

cast aside His warnings and reproofs,and have accredited the testimonies

of the Spirit of God to no higher

source than human wisdom? In theJudgment, what can you who have

done this, offer to God as an excuse

for turning from the evidences He hasgiven you that God was in the work?"

Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, page 466


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I believe that we must take Ellen White'schallenges seriously. If her messages do not

come from God, then we must reject her claim

to be a messenger of the Lord. But if hermessages are from God, then we must listen

very, very carefully to what God says, because

to reject her message is to reject God'smessage.


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What Does Lesser Light Mean?


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If we believe that these writings are inspired by God, what

is the proper relationship of these writings to the Bible? We

must remember that she said that her messages were givenbecause God's people were not faithful students of the

Bible, so God sent these messages to lead them back to the

Bible. (5T 665) Thus her function is not to be another Bible,

r to be part of the canon. Her function is to lead us to theBible, so that we may better understand the messages

ontained in Scripture. She characterized her work as a

lesser light to lead people to the greater light--the Bible.

(CM 125) Her function is to direct attention to the Bible, tohelp us understand the Bible, and to apply Bible principles

o our lives.


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It is crucial that we

understand exactly what she

means when she uses the

term lesser light, to explain

her relationship to the Bible.


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"The written testimonies are not to give new

light, but to impress vividly upon the heart the

truths of inspiration already revealed. Man'sduty to God and to his fellow man has been

distinctly specified in God's word, yet but few

of you are obedient to the light given.

Additional truth is not brought out; but God

has through the Testimonies simplified the

great truths already given, and in His own

chosen way brought them before the peopleto awaken and impress the mind with them,

that all may be left without excuse."

Testimonies for the Church ,vol. 5, page 66


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She understands her role to be

that of bringing out more clearly

the truths already contained in

the Bible, and simplifying the

great truths already given. Her

purpose is to lead to the Bible asthe basis of all truth.


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"In ancient times God spoke to men

by the mouth ofprophets andapostles. In these days He speaks to

them by the testimonies of His

Spirit. There was never a time whenGod instructed His people more

earnestly than He instructs them

now concerning His will and thecourse that He would have them

pursue."

(Testimonies for the church vol.5, page661)


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So lesser light does not mean less

important light. God is not less serious

today when He speaks through a prophet.

This means that we must carefully definelesser light and greater light so that we

will understand what the words mean and

what they do not mean.


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Lesser light is not God being less serious in

communicating with His people. Lesser light is notGod speaking less clearly. Lesser light does not mean

dimmer light, or unreliable light, or unimportant

light, or untrustworthy light. Lesser light does notrefer to an inferior quality of inspiration. The

messages that came through Ellen White were just

as much the word of God as the messages that came

through Isaiah or Ezekiel, but Ellen White's purpose

is different.


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Seventh Day Adventist Pioneers Views on


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Seventh-Day Adventist Pioneers Views on

Ellen G. White


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One of the most helpful illustrations

that I have found comes from the pen

ofUriah Smith, a long-time leader in

Seventh-day Adventist thought.

"Suppose we are about to start a


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pp

voyage. The owner of the vessel

gives us a book of directions, tellin

us that it contains instructionssufficient for our journey, and that

if we will heed them, we shall reac

in safety our port of destination.

Setting sail we open our book to

learn its contents. We find that its

author lays down general principle

to govern us in our voyage, andinstructs us as far as practicable,

touching the various contingencies

that may arise, till the end

Uriah Smith(1832 1903)

; but he also tells us that the
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latter part of our journey will be

especially perilous; that the

features of the coast are everchanging by reasons of

quicksands and tempests; 'but for

this part of the journey,' says he,'I have provided you a pilot, who

will meet you, and give you such

directions as the surrounding

circumstances and dangers may

require; and to him you must give

heed.'


With these directions we
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reach the perilous timespecified, and the pilot,

according to promise,appears. But some of thecrew, as he offers hisservices, rise up against him.

'We have the original book ofdirections,' say they, 'andthat is enough for us. We

stand upon that, and thatalone; we want nothing of

you.'Who now heed theoriginal book of directions?


those who reject the pilot, or


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those who receive him, as thatbook instructs them? Judge

ye What we do say isdistinctly this: That the giftsof the Spirit are given for ourpilot through these perilous

times, and wherever and inwhomsoever we find genuinemanifestations of these, we

are bound to respect them,nor can we do otherwise

without insofar rejecting theword of God, which directs us

to receive them.



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"The moon is called in Scripture the 'lesser light'.


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We know that it shines with 'borrowed light' from

the sun. But this does not make the moon any

less 'authoritative.' It has its sphere and itsappointed task in God's creation. So when Ellen

White uses this term to describe her work, she is

not just being modest or humble; she is notsaying that she is a second-class prophet; she is

not saying that her messages are of a less

important or less urgent nature than those of theBiblical prophets. Rather, she is emphasizing the

function of her role and her messages.


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Graphic of Light I believe he helped us to understand lesser light,

especially in this sentence. "The work of any one prophet cannot be

compared to the cumulative light that shines across the centuries fromthe many prophets." Could it be that any prophet as a single light is a

lesser light pointing to the greater light of the prophets who preceded

him? If the source of the ministry of all prophets is the same, then the

authority of all prophets is the same, and lesser cannot refer to

authority. Greater refers to the cumulative effect of the Scriptures,

namely, the combination of many prophets writing under inspiration.

Ellen White is one prophet writing near the end of time, compared to

the many prophets collected within Scripture. Lesser light is lesser in

relation to the greater cumulative light of many prophets shiningthrough the books of the Bible. Thus lesser light does not apply to

authority or to the quality of inspiration, but to the function and

purpose of Ellen White's writings.


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Some will object immediately that this is

making her part of the canon. No, the canon isclosed and we have no desire to add her to the

Canon, but does this mean that she has less

authority than the canonical prophets? Whatabout Nathan and Elijah and Elisha and John

the Baptist? They were not part of the canon

but were they authoritative? The authority ofa prophetic message depends upon revelation

and inspiration, not canonicity.


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Sometimes it is suggested that

Ellen White herself said that

her writings were not

necessary for our salvation.

This statement may clarify her

meaning.


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"If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam

after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by

Abraham, there would have been no necessity for

the ordinance of circumcision. And if the

descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of

which circumcision was a sign, they would never

have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have

been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondagein Egypt; they would have kept God's law in mind,

and there would have been no necessity for it to be

proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables

of stone. And had the people practiced theprinciples of the ten commandments, there would

have been no need of the additional directions

given to Moses."

(Patriarchs and Prophets, page 364)


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What she is saying is that God gives messages

according to man's need. If man would have been

obedient to God's law in its unwritten form, we

would never have had many of the specific directions

given by Moses.Each of these messages was given

because of need, because God's people neededadditional information. Does that mean that the ten

commandments were unimportant? Or does that

mean that the additional information given byMoses to the people of Israel was unimportant

because it need not have been given?


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Does Ellen White Have Doctrinal

Authority?

Is it true that Ellen White isauthoritative on devotional and

counseling levels, but not on the

doctrinal level? We need to refreshour memories about early Adventist

history.


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When the brethren were at an impasse in their studies

because they held contradictory opinions, the Spirit of theLord would take Ellen White off in vision and explain

Scriptural passages regarding Christ, His mission, and His

priesthood. This was certainly doctrinal material, and it was

very authoritative when she returned from vision and told

the brethren what God had told her. Obviously some men

would have to give up their opinion about truth when her

message came through vision. It seems that one of the

functions of the prophetic gift was to establish which

Scriptural interpretations were correct and which were not.

"Th L d h d i i i


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"The Lord showed me in vision, more

than one year ago, that Brother

Crosier had the true light on the

cleansing of the sanctuary, etc., and

that it was His will that Brother

Crosier should write out the view

which he gave us in the Day-Star

Extra, Feb. 7, 1846. I feel fully

authorized by the Lord to recommend

that Extra to every saint."

A Word to the Little Flock, p. 12


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"I b l t t t h t I h


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"I beg leave to state.. . . what I have

seen in vision relative to these things

on which you have written. I fullyagree with you, that there will be

two literal resurrections, 1000 years

apart. I also agree with you, that the

new heavens, and the new earth,

will not appear till after the wicked

dead are raised and destroyed, at

the end of the 1000 years. . .

A Word to the Little Flock, p. 11-12


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"At that time one error after another


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At that time one error after another

pressed in upon us; ministers and doctors

brought in new doctrines. We wouldsearch the Scriptures with much prayer,

and the Holy Spirit would bring the truth

to our minds. Sometimes whole nights

would be devoted to searching the

Scriptures, and earnestly asking God for

guidance. Companies of devoted men

and women assembled for this purpose.

Gos el Workers a e 302

The power of God would come upon me, and


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The power of God would come upon me, and

I was enabled clearly to define what is truth

and what is error. As the points of our faithwere thus established, our feet were placed

upon a solid foundation. We accepted the

truth point by point, under the

demonstration of the Holy Spirit. I would be

taken off in vision, and explanations would

be given me. I was given illustrations of

heavenly things, and of the sanctuary, so thatwe were placed where light was shining on us

in clear, distinct rays."

(Gospel Workers page 302)


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"The Lord has given me much light that I want the


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g g

people to have; for there is instruction that the

Lord has given me for His people. It is light thatthey should have, line upon line, and precept upon

precept, here a little and there a little. This is now

to come before the people, because it has been

given to correct specious errors and to specifywhat is truth. The Lord has revealed many things

pointing out the truth, thus saying, This is the way,

walk ye in it." (Letter 127, 1910) "I was sent by the

Lord from place to place to rebuke those who were

holding these false doctrines." (Ev 610)

Evangelism, page 610

The issue to be decided is not whether she is


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speaking on doctrinal issues or on pastoral issues,

but whether she is speaking for the Lord at all. If she

is speaking for the Lord, then the Lord will speak

pastorally, He will counsel, He will direct, He will

encourage, and He will speak doctrinally. It is totally

improper to make a distinction between doctrinaland pastoral authority.

We must be sure that we understand the fullimplications of her inspiration, and what that means

for us.

"I b k [PP GC DA th t th i


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"In my books [PP, GC, DA the truth is

stated, barricaded by a 'Thus saith

the Lord.' The Holy Spirit traced these

truths upon my heart and mind as

indelibly as the law was traced by the

finger of God upon the tables of

stone." (3 SM 122) She also says,

"There is one straight chain of truth,

without one heretical sentence, in

that which I have written." (3 SM 52)

Many are going directly contrary to


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Many are going directly contrary to

the light which God has given to His

people, because they do not read thebooks which contain the light and

knowledge in cautions, reproofs, and

warnings. The cares of the world, thelove of fashion, and the lack of religion

have turned the attention from the

light God has so graciously given,while books and periodicals containing

error are traveling all over the country.

Testimonies for the church,vol.4.page 390, 391. {Publishing Ministry, page 376.1}

Skepticism and infidelity are increasing


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Skepticism and infidelity are increasing

everywhere. Light so precious, coming

from the throne of God, is hid under abushel. God will make His people

responsible for this neglect. An account

must be rendered to Him for every ray oflight He has let shine upon our pathway,

whether it has been improved to our

advancement in divine things or rejected

because it was more agreeable to follow

inclination.

Testimonies for the church,vol.4.page 390, 391. {Publishing Ministry, page 376.1}

Gi i U F ith i th


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Giving Up Faith in the

Testimonies.--One thing iscertain: Those Seventh-day

Adventists who take their

stand under Satan's bannerwill first give up their faith in

the warnings and reproofs

contained in the Testimonies

of God's Spirit. {3SM 84.3}

{ 3 Selected Messages 84 3}

"All h b li th L d


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"All who believe the Lord

has spoken through SisterWhite, and has given her

a message, will be safefrom the many delusions

that will come in these

last days."

( 3 Selected Messages page 84)


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What a magnificent promise. Hermessages can be a tremendous blessing if

we will accept them and not try to dodge

their full impact on our lives. God haschosen to speak clearly and

authoritatively to His people in these final

days of earth's history. Praise His name!


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ellen g. white's writings - their role and function

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