Those who misuse the Scriptures and the Testimonies of Jesus Christ.

[reddogs]

We know there will be a falling away before the coming of the day of the Lord, many will be fooled by false doctrines, others will be misuse the scriptures to confuse. They pass by the great truths of God's word to dwell on minor matters and stumble and fall away. We have been told there will be doubt and apostasy in the church, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teacher; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." How do we see if this "new light" or truth is of God or of another influence who seeks to destroy the testimonies of Jesus Christ and Gods word.

We must study and learn Gods truths in the scriptures and study the testimonies of Jesus Christ and compare all the "new light" to this standard and see if it stands. From what I have seen the "new light" of Desmond Ford and those who follow this path, results in their rejecting of the sanctuary doctrine as it emerged from the world-wide pre-1844 focus on Daniel and Revelation which in America was manifested as the Millerite movement. It also results in beliefs that cause them to reject as a genuine prophetic gift the manifestation of the Spirit of Prophecy in Ellen White, and end up finally rejecting the Sabbath and the State of the Dead doctrines as well.

So let us start with the testimonies of Jesus Christ which give us a clear understanding of the standard they must be compared to.

Matthew 15
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to [his] father or [his] mother, [It is] a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, [he shall be free]. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7 [Ye] hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

On the commandments:

John 14:15
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."

1 John 5:3
"This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

1John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

On the Sabbath:

Mark 2
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Hebrews 4
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works...

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Acts 13
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, [Ye] men [and] brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with [his] hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience....

42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Acts 18
1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. 11 And he continued [there] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

On those who remain faithful at the end before the 2nd Coming:

Revelation 1:3
Blessed he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time at hand.


Revelation 12:17
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 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

 

[reddogs]

Why is the Gift of Prophecy is so vital in the Time of the End, this is the key to show the sins of Babolyn and the influences of evil will do anything to destroy what points out their handiwork and those keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

One of the identifying features of the remnant of God is the spirit of prophecy.
And 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. Revelation 12:17 NKJV

The remnant keeps the commandments of God and the Law is therefore restored in its fullness. As prophets of God need to live and speak in harmony with God’s law, the true gift of prophecy can only be made manifest if the law forms an integral part of the theology of the prophet. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’ Revelation 19:10 NKJV

The Scriptures teach that those awaiting the coming of the Lord will come behind in no gift, and Christ warns against false prophets in the last days who would tend to mislead God’s people. As we are also admonished to test the spirits and to hold on to what is good, it is vital that we apply the criteria provided to test the prophets in our time.

After the death of the apostles, prophets enjoyed respectability in many circles until AD 300, but the decline of spirituality in the Church and the resultant apostasy, led to a diminishing of both the presence and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, false prophets caused a loss of confidence in the prophetic gift. The decline of the prophetic gift during certain periods of Church history did not mean that God had withdrawn the gift permanently. The Bible indicates that as the end approaches, this gift will be present to assist the Church through these difficult times. More than that, it points to an increased activity of this gift. The church of the Middle Ages made void the law of God by altering the Ten Commandments and this effectively blocked the prophetic gift.

Her gates have 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. Lamentations 2:9

Before the first advent of Christ, God gave the gift of prophecy to John the Baptist to prepare the way for His coming. In a similar way, the prophetic gift must be restored before the Second Advent, so that everyone will have the opportunity to prepare to meet their Saviour.

Christ mentions the rise of false prophets as one of the signs that His coming is near! (Matthew 24:11,24) If there were to be no true prophets during the time of the end, Christ would have warned against anyone claiming that gift. His warning against false prophets implies that there would be true prophets as well.

The prophet Joel predicted a special outpouring of the prophetic gift just prior to Christ’s return.
And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. Joel 2:28-31.

Pentecost saw a remarkable manifestation of the Spirit. Peter, citing Joel’s prophecy, pointed out that God had promised such blessings. (Acts 2:2-21). However, Joel’s prophecy did not reach complete fulfillment at Pentecost, as the “great and terrible day of the Lord” is a reference to the second coming of Christ.
Pentecost, then, was a foretaste of the full manifestation of the Spirit before the Second Advent. Like Palestine’s early rain, which fell in the autumn shortly after the crops were planted, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost corresponds to the spiritual early rain, which was to nurture the fledgling church. The complete and final fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy corresponds to the latter rain, which, falling in the Spring, ripened the grain. (Joel 2:23). Likewise, the final bestowal of God’s Spirit will take place just before the Second Advent after the predicted signs in the sun, moon and stars. (Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:1217; Joel 2:31).

Like the latter rain, this final outpouring of the Spirit will ripen the harvest of the earth, (Matthew 13:30, 39), and “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. (Joel 2:32).

 

[reddogs]

The Millerites and later the Adventists saw a fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the darkening of the sun and the falling of the stars in the unexplained dark day of New England of May 19, 1780 when there was an unequalled darkness over large areas of New England. On November 13, 1833, the world witnessed the greatest meteoric event in recorded history when meteors lighted up the sky, falling at an estimated rate of 200,000 per hour. Considering the turning of these events in relation to the unsealing of the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel, it is understandable that they should be linked to the prophecies regarding last day events.

During this time period, there was a resurgence of prophetic claims and many movements arose which were founded by prophets. It has always been a strategy of Satan to confound true issues by creating numerous diversions so that truth would be lost in the quagmire of false prophecies. God has always used prophets to support His people and to lead them into a fuller understanding of His truth. Never was the prophet intended to start a new movement and to gather followers on the basis of new light, which contradicted light already given. Nevertheless, in the time period preceding and just after 1844, many such movements arose. Examples are:

1) The Mormon movement headed by their prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) who claimed to have received many revelations from God. Some of these revelations led to abhorrent practices, such as baptism for the dead and polygamy. Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob in 1844 while he was waiting trial for exactly these reasons.
2) The Shakers who featured prominently during this period and followed their prophet, Ann Lee who claimed to be Christ himself incarnate in woman’s flesh. They believed in the dual (Father-mother) personality of God and practiced a communal form of life in which spiritism formed an integral part.
3) Modern spiritism commenced in 1848 with the Fox sisters and made communication with the dead fashionable.
4) The modern New Age Movement traces its roots to many so-called prophets who also arose during this crucial time period.

All these movements are based on revelations which annul or modify the word of God to suit their needs, but God does not change:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17,18 NIV

A Prophet for the Remnant
After the great disappointment of 1844, many who believed in the return of Christ were disillusioned and prepared to abandon their faith. Just prior to 1844, two men received similar visions regarding the advent movement. The first was William Foy, a member of the “Freewill Baptist Church” who was studying for the ministry. In 1842, in Boston, he witnessed the reward of the faithful and the punishment of the wicked, and the great scenes of the judgment in three steps, the books of record in heaven, the coming of Christ, and the reward of the faithful in that sequence. Foy related these visions to audiences, but when he received a third vision, which he did not understand, he ceased his public work.
Hazen Foss also received a vision regarding the experience of the advent people, but refused to make it public after the great disappointment which had severely affected him.
Shortly after this period, a young girl by the name of Ellen Harmon was given a vision of the trials of the advent people. This vision was given her two months after the great disappointment in December 1844. The vision did not reveal the reasons for the disappointment, but did offer comfort and greater understanding of the events as they had and would be unfolding. So this is were we have to look and see what truths and doctrines she brings and that they are in agreement with Gods truth.

Was Ellen G. White a Prophet of God or was she a Deceiver?
There is nothing worse than deception, yet deception is Satan’s greatest weapon.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 5:6 NKJV

On the other hand, we are counseled to take heed of the word of the prophets ( 2 Peter 1:19). The only way out of this dilemma is to test the prophet by applying the Biblical criteria. If she truly was a prophet of God, then all the criteria must apply. If they do, then we know that:

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1: 19-21 NKJV

Applying the Test to Ellen G. White
1) Did she exalt the Word of God and the Law of God?


The Word of God - The Bible - She wrote:

The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience. 6​

Her writings, which collectively are referred to as the Spirit of Prophecy, were never intended to give new light, but were always intended to illuminate the greater light, the Scriptures. She wrote:​

Little heed is given to the Bible and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light. 7
The written testimonies are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart the truths of inspiration already revealed. Man’s duty 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 people to awaken, and impress the mind with them, that all may be left without excuse...The Testimonies are not to belittle the word of God, but to exalt it and attract minds to it, that the beautiful simplicity of truth may impress all. 8

To those who criticized the word of God, she wrote:
Cling to your Bible as it reads and stop your criticism in regard to its validity and obey the word, and not one of you will be lost. 9

The Bible was to be the only creed:
The Bible and the Bible alone is to be our creed, the role bond of union... God’s word is infallible... lift up the banner on which is inscribed the Bible, our rule of faith and discipline. 10

Just as the great Reformers, Ellen G. White lifted up the Bible banner against false doctrines and practices, she wrote:
As darkness thickens and error increases, we should obtain a more thorough knowledge of the truth, and be prepared to maintain from the Scriptures the truth of our position. 11

We must stand barricaded by the truths of the Bible. The canopy of truth is the only canopy under which we can stand safely. 12

Her position regarding the Word of God is the same as that held by Protestants since the beginning. Protestants have always rejected the claim of Roman Catholicism that tradition as well as Scriptures should dictate beliefs. The Westminster Confession underscores this point:
The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures. Yet notwithstanding our full persuasion and assurance of infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. 13

Ellen G. White clearly recognizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the interpretation of Scripture as outlined in the Westminster Confession. She wrote:
We can attain to an understanding of God’s word only through the illumination of that Spirit by which the word was given. 14

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. 15

Wonderful illuminations will not be given aside from the Word, or to take the place of it. 16


Ellen White repeatedly pointed to the binding claims of God’s law. Joseph Bates, an Adventist pioneer had introduced the Sabbath of the fourth commandment to her and although she was first skeptical, she and her husband studied the Scriptures and were confirmed in the view that the Sabbath was as binding as the other nine commandments. One Sabbath, April 3, 1847, Ellen White was given a vision confirming the binding claims of the Ten Commandments and the Sabbath. Concerning the Law of God, she writes:
But it is ever the purpose of Satan to make void the law of God and to pervert the true meaning of the plan of salvation. Therefore, he has originated the falsehood that the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary’s cross was for the purpose of freeing men from the obligation of keeping the commandments of God. He has foisted upon the world the deception that God has abolished His constitution, thrown away His moral standard, and made void His holy and perfect law. Had He done this, at what terrible expense would it have been to Heaven! Instead of proclaiming the abolition of the law, Calvary’s cross proclaims in thunder tones its immutable and eternal character. 17

Likewise she stated that it was the duty of God’s children to enlighten others regarding the prophecies and the law of God:
Then present to them the prophecies; show them the purity and binding claims of the law of God. Not one jot or title of this law is to lose its force, but hold its binding claims upon every soul to the end of time.
18
The writings of Ellen White are based on the twin pillars of faith in the merits of Jesus Christ and obedience to His righteous law. Jesus said “If ye love me keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and in her writings the relationship between law and grace is clearly expounded. Never does she present a legalistic view of the law of God and never does she belittle its claims. Never does she claim that the law has saving merits. We are saved by grace and grace alone, but a consequence of being saved is that through the merits of Jesus Christ one is once more brought into a right relationship with God, which includes obedience to His law. She writes:

Cannot men see that to belittle the law of God is to dishonor Christ? Why did He come to this world to suffer and die, if the law is not binding upon human beings? Who could speak more plainly than He did regarding the immutability of the law? He came to bring light and immortality to light by exalting the law, and making it honorable. Where can be found those who preach the binding claims of God’s law more plainly and decidedly than did Christ when He was upon the earth? 19

In presenting the binding claims of the law, many have failed to portray the infinite love of Christ. Those who have so great truths, so weighty reforms to present to the people, have not had a realization of the value of the atoning Sacrifice as an expression of God’s great love to man. Love for Jesus, and Jesus’ love for sinners, have been dropped out of the religious experience of those who have been commissioned to preach the gospel, and self has been exalted instead of the Redeemer of mankind. The law is to be presented to its transgressors, not as something apart from God, but rather as an exponent of His mind and character. As the sunlight cannot be separated from the sun, so God’s law cannot be rightly presented to man apart from the divine Author. The messenger should be able to say, ‘In the law is God’s will; come, see for yourselves that the law is what Paul declared it to be ‘holy, and just, and good’.’ It reproves sin, it condemns the sinner, but it shows him his need of Christ, with whom is plenteous mercy and goodness and truth. Though the law cannot remit the penalty for sin, but charges the sinner with all his debt, Christ has promised abundant pardon to all who repent, and believe in His mercy. The love of God is extended in abundance to the repenting, believing soul. The brand of sin upon the soul can be effaced only through the blood of the atoning Sacrifice. No less an offering was required than the sacrifice of Him who was equal with the Father. The work of Christ - His life, humiliation, death, and intercession for lost man - magnifies the law, and makes it honorable. 20

It is impossible for man in his own unaided strength to overcome the natural propensities to evil. There is no saving quality in the law, to save the transgressor of the law, and yet no man who has had light as to the binding claims of the law will be excused from obedience by the great Lawgiver because it is inconvenient to keep God’s commandments, because it would injure man’s popularity, or hurt his worldly interests. In the judgment, the law will be seen to be the test of character. It is the settled purpose of Satan to deceive men today as he deceived Eve in Eden, and lead them to disregard the command of God, and accept something beside God, something independent of God, something in opposition to God. 21

The Sabbath of the fourth commandment forms an integral part of the law of God and is as binding today as it was when God blessed and hallowed it after His work of creating the world. To change the Sabbath is to deny the binding claim of God’s law and would disqualify a prophet claiming such a change.

This is the work that we are called upon to do. From the pulpits of the popular churches it is proclaimed that the first day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord; but God has given us light, showing us that the fourth precept of the Decalogue is as verily binding as are the other nine moral precepts. It is our work to make plain to our children that the first day of the week is not the true Sabbath, and that its observance after light has come to us as to what is the true Sabbath, is idolatry, and in plain contradiction to the law of God.

The great truths she brought were in agreement with Gods truths and you can see plainly she stood on the word of God, the scriptures, and the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 

[reddogs]

Ellen White had to wage a constant battle against those who maligned her and ridiculed her message. She faced her toughest challenges when she was still young and frail and humanly speaking there is no way in which she could have exercised the authority she did without the direct intervention of God. God chose the weakest of the weak to confound the strong. The authority she had was the authority of God. The word of God did the cutting, not the servant. Without this authority, the pillars of the advent faith would have long hence been torn down, but they are sustained by the Word and will stand until the end of time. She wrote:
I am instructed to say to those who endeavour to tear down the foundation that has made us Seventh-day Adventists - we are God’s commandment keeping people. For the past fifty years every phase of heresy has been brought to bear upon us, to becloud our minds regarding the teachings of the Word — especially concerning the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, and the message of heaven of these last days, as given by the angels of the fourteenth chapter of Revelation. Messages of every order and kind have been urged upon Seventh-day Adventists to take the place of the truth which, point by point, has been sought out by prayerful study and testified to by the miracle-working power of the Lord. But the waymarks which have made us what we are, are to be preserved, and they will be preserved, as God has signified through His word and the testimonies of His Spirit. He calls upon us to hold firmly with the grip of faith, to the fundamental principles that are based upon unquestionable authority.

 

[djconklin]

Excellant study--when will you give us the footnotes?

 

[reddogs]

If I post the whole work it is against the rules, you can only do 20 percent of the whole sermon or article, so you are only getting the tip of the iceberg from a number of articles and sermons that I found in my research.............. but if the powers that be allow it, here is one of the main articles complete footnotes, give me the quote and I will look for any that you might need.

REFERENCES:
1 Gerhard Friedrich, Prophets and Prophecies in the New Testament, vol 6, p. 859
2 Arthur L. White. “Prophetic Guidance in Early Days”, Ministry 1946
3 Ellen G. White, letter 3, 1847
4MS 88a, 1900

6 Great Controversy, p. 7
7Colporteur Ministry, p. 125
8Testimonies, Vol. 2, pp. 605,606
9 Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 18
10Selected Messages Vol. 1, p. 416, 1885; Early Writings, p. 78
11Review & Herald, August 11, 1853, p. 53
12 MM 88, 1904
13Westminster Confession, chapter 1, art 10,5
145 Testimonies, p. 703
15Great Controversy, p. viii
16Selected Messages Vol. 2, p. 48
17Early Writings, p. 118
18 15 MR, p. 351
19ST 01-25-05
20 Selected Messages Vol 1, p. 371
21ST, 04-04-95
22EE, pp. 287,288
23 Evangelism pp. 403,404
24 Signs of the Times, April 21, 1890
25 Review & Herald, February 11, 1906
26 CH, p. 84
27 CH pp. 321,322
28 MR, p. 115
29 HR
30 Counsel for Diet and Foods, p. 338
31 W. J. Veith. 1993. Diet and Health, New Scientific Perspectives. Southern Publishing Association, Cape Town.
32Counsel for Diet and Foods, p. 359
33 Counsel for Diet and Foods, p. 351
34 Counsel for Diet and Foods, p. 359
35 8 MR, Letter 14, 1901, p.3
36 Testimonies to Ministers, p. 42,43
37 LD 15, 187
38 1888, p. 808
39Review & Herald, Jan. 26, 1905
401 Selected Messages, p. 137
41Review & Herald, 05.12.96
42 Review & Herald, 03-21-93
43 4MR, p. 246
44 ED p. 15,16
45 1 LHU 126
46The New York Independent, August 23, 1915
47 1PLO p. 122
48 2 Bio, pp. 232,233
49 1 Bio p. 104
501 Bio p. 303
51 1 Bio, p 351
52 1 Bio, p. 351, 352
53 SM, 55,56

 

[Jimlarmore]

Great study reddogs. Thanks and

God bless
Jim Larmore

 

[reddogs]

I was researching Catholic beliefs which were very hard digging, so getting back to Adventist doctrines was a bit more familiar ground...........