Testing everything "sola scriptura" is required according to Isaiah 8:19 "To the Law and to the Testimony"

And we see this "in practice" in Acts 17:11 "They studied the scriptures daily to SEE IF those things spoken to them by Paul were so".

This has interesting implications given that the canon of scripture is now closed.

It means - you do not use Agabus, or Philips 4 daughters or the many in 1Cor 14 that all had the gift of prophecy - or Ellen White or even Matteson and Loughborough that were themselves quoted by Ellen White in Testimonies Vol 1 as being fellow prophets in her day -- to "establish or test" doctrine.

Only the Bible.

Secondly it means that the source of inspiration is God Himself - for this can be the only reason that "infallibility" is a "test".

Thirdly - since all the Bible writers are now dead -- and since we have no way to quiz Bible writers on "what they were thinking" at the time they wrote -- our only recourse is to see the actual WORDS of scripture and to test doctrine against THEM -- not against what we might "guess" the writer was "thinking" at the time.

Which has an interesting implication for our understanding of "thought inspiration" vs "verbal inspiration".

in Christ,

Bob

Looking at Tuesday's section, is fulfilled prophecy a test of a true prophet that determines whether a person is a true or a false prophet?

I have always felt the 1888 message weighted heavily on her and she felt that was a key message that would have helped spread the message to the world, and a major opportunity was missed because of the leaders resistance and rejection.

This is HERESY! Please allow me to share my own experience relative to this prophecy.

Back in about the late 1990s, if I recall, I was searching online for some of Mrs. White's books. I typed into the browser "ellenwhite.org," thinking that would be the official website. At that time, the site was constructed VERY subtly, and did not come across at first as being against Mrs. White, although in fact it was an anti-EGW website.

On the website were certain questions, with links to follow for the answers. The questions were intriguing ones, and I began to follow the links. Many were phrased in the manner of "What did Mrs. White say about...?" I followed a link regarding something about the time of the second coming. The answer provided was the prophecy which in the lesson is said to have failed.

Excuse me? Failed prophecy? But that is exactly what it appeared to be.

Hoping that there must be some mistake, or that the website had not properly quoted Mrs. White, I went to find the prophecy at its source--the good old print on paper kind. It was all true. The website had quoted properly. I checked the date it was written, and found that it would be impossible for someone from that time to still be alive.

I sunk in despair.

I knew that Ellen White was a prophet of God. I had been taught so much that I could hardly deny the reality of such. Yet if Mrs. White had prophesied something that did not come to pass, then she would have to be a false prophet. And because so much of what she had written was based squarely on the Bible, my mind told me instinctively that throwing her out would mean that next I would be forced to deny the Bible....and ultimately, God.

For two or three weeks, I hung in the balances between life and death. Utter despair gripped me, and I considered whether life were worth living. I admit that this was the nearest I ever came to becoming an atheist.

Having desired Heaven all my life, I just couldn't let go, even though in my anguish it seemed nearly inevitable that I would be forced to conclude that one of God's prophecies had failed. I went back to the books, and read and re-read the statements Mrs. White had written.

I do not now recall how much praying I did at that time, for I was indeed questioning the very foundations of my belief in God. But I believe that it was God who showed me the answer. You see, Ellen White was inspired in the same way that Paul was inspired. She was human in the same way that we are. God is not like us. God's name is "I AM." He lives the future as if it were the present. God has always emphasized the shortness of time to us humans, in every age and generation, for He truly comes to every generation in judgment.

Jesus said, "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:28) I know that Ellen applies this to the Mount of Transfiguration experience. But I do not. At least, I do not think that was the primary or only significance of those words. Did the "Son of Man" come at that time? Rather, Jesus meant the same thing that John did when he wrote "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36) in which "hath" is PRESENT TENSE. It was the same concept that Jesus taught when saying things like "Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn." (Matthew 9:24)

Jesus speaks of all who are His as "alive." Look at this verse carefully:

"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22:32)

Jesus is saying that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are ALIVE. From what John wrote, we can be sure that the "life" which they have is also "everlasting."

This is just one aspect of God's perspective that has a bearing on this prophecy. The other one is that of interpretation. Mrs. White, just like Paul and others, fully believed that Christ would come in her day. Paul said: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." (1 Thessalonians 4:15) Clearly, Paul expected some in his day to be alive when Christ came again. Ellen White wrote from her understanding, but if you look carefully at only the quoted part of what the angel said (and ignore Mrs. White's interpretation of it), you will find that the prophecy has not failed, for it did not establish itself to a particular time period. When Mrs. White saw a great company of God's people gathered together, she immediately assumed it to mean the very company she was present with at that time. However, I believe that it was a representation of God's people in general, which may well include those to come afterward.

When I finally realized all of this, hope came back, and I revived. The prophecy is just as good and as true as it ever was. It has not failed, nor can it.

May God bless,

Green Cochoa.

GC Thank you for sharing the importance of searching deeper when faced with doubt regarding Ellen. I've been blessed with Ellen tremendously with her counsels and enlightenment regarding true education, Health, Marriage, raising children, sanctification, church issues, commentaries of the Bible, etc...

Now that I've tackle Daniel and Revelation prophecies for the first time and in prayers I ask to "hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein : for the time is at hand" Rev 1:3. This verse starts with "Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy...". I want to be blessed, and want to blessed others with this, however, I find that our Church is in darkness about it, and the end is just around the corner. What I'm starting to realize this darkness is mainly due to the Millerite movement and how they mis-understood 2300 prophecies and they were interpreting Revelation with that time. They applied the trumpets, the seals and other to their time. Jesus didn't come, then again after 1888, it didn't happen. So this "understanding" caused a lot of confusion today to "read and hear" the most important prophecies that is about the take place, and to bring hope and be a blessing to the world in time of despair. Many who stand on EGW cannot search deeper in Scripture as soon it conflicts with EGW or what Smith said in the pass. What happen if what she said was an "understanding" and not "thus said the Lord". How can we differentiate?

How can we move on to read and hear the Revelation of Jesus Christ without constantly being treathened of HERECY versus EGW if in the new light, we conflict with past mis-understanding and application of Revelation?

I find it interesting that this lesson "on the test of a prophet" starging with FB18 -- never actually goes through the exercise of "applying them" in the case of Ellen White -- except for the modest attempt in the case of "fruit of the Spirit" where a newspaper report commenting on her life at the time that she died - is cited as proof of her character.

They never test - message-vs-Bible
They never test - "Christ came in the flesh"
They never test - "predictions"

It is as if they just have no interest or practice in doing it and THIS on a lesson where this is THE subject!

in Christ,

Bob