Prophecy bypasses the five senses, too often the things taught supernaturally can not be expressed with the full signifigance they were received by the prophet because they go beyond the ability of language to express. But language is used to express as much as possible.
When prophecy is an absolute declaration of the future, it then is simply a present declaration of the future that is to happen and no conditions are allowed to hinder or sway it.
When prophecy is an absolute declaration revealing of things happening in the present, it is an accurate revealing of things men have tried to keep secret and God determined they would not keep them secret.
When prophecy is an accurate declaration of the past, it is absolute in it's nature because those things have already happened. the prophecy is the revealing of these hidden historical events.
When prophecy is given as rebuke to individuals, choices are given to those individuals. The prophetic rebuke is absolute in the results of the choices, but allows the individual it is given to and all others it applies to; the variables of choices according to the content of the rebuke.
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The same is true of prophecies of the future that are allowed to be conditional declarations of things future according to the actions of the hearers or the whole denomination. Before the civil war a prophecy was given that a civil war would break out and families then present would loose sons & brothers & fathers - ect. This happened.
JAN. 12, 1861, JUST THREE MONTHS TO A DAY BEFORE THE FIRST GUN WAS FIRED ON FORT SUMPTER, THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST MEETING-HOUSE IN PARKVILLE, MICH., WAS DEDICATED. AT THE CLOSE OF A DISCOURSE BY ELDER WHITE, SISTER WHITE GAVE A STIRRING EXHORTATION, AFTER WHICH SHE TOOK HER SEAT IN A CHAIR. IN THIS POSITION SHE WAS TAKEN OFF IN VISION. THE HOUSE WAS CROWDED WITH PEOPLE, AND IT WAS A MOST SOLEMN PLACE TO BE IN. AFTER COMING OUT OF THE VISION, SHE AROSE, AND LOOKING ABOUT THE HOUSE SHE SAID:-- {GCDB, January 31, 1893 par. 1}
"There is not a person in this house who has even dreamed of the trouble that is coming upon this land. People are making sport of the secession ordinance of South Carolina, but I have just been shown that a large number of States are going to join that State, and there will be a most terrible war. In this vision I have seen large armies of both sides gathered on the field of battle. I heard the booming of the cannon, and saw the dead and dying on every hand. Then I saw them rushing up engaged in hand-to-hand fighting [bayoneting one another]. Then I saw the field after the battle, all covered with the dead and dying. Then I was carried to prison, and saw the suffering of those in want, who were wasting away. Then I was taken to the homes of those who had lost husbands, sons, or brothers in the war. I saw there distress and anguish." {GCDB, January 31, 1893 par. 2}
Then looking slowly around the house she said:-- {GCDB, January 31, 1893 par. 3}
"There are those in this house who will lose sons in that war." {GCDB, January 31, 1893 par. 4}
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Another prophecy was about being "food for worms" which did not happen. The angel gave this to EGW. This prophecy was very much conditional.
"I was shown the company present at the Conference. Said the angel: "Some food for worms, some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus."--1T 131, 132 (1856). {LDE 36.3}
The reason it did not happen ????
"The natural heart is not to bring its own tainted, corrupting principles into the work of God. There must be no concealing of the principles of our faith. The third angel's message is to be sounded by God's people. It is to swell to the loud cry. The Lord has a
time appointed when He will bind off the work; but when is that time? When the truth proclaimed for these last days shall go forth as a witness to all nations, then shall the end come. If the power of Satan can come into the very temple of God and manipulate things as he pleases, the time of preparation will be prolonged.--Lt 83, 1896. {PM 389.5}
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Prophecy is also given to inform, guide, unify, comfort, establish, organize, place gifts within the body of the Church to remove undesirable things and add into the body the character and presence of the Divine Author of prophecy.
1 Corinthians 1:1-11
1 ¶ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 ¶ Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
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Prophecy is a tool to create & strengthen belief & a teaching tool for use with inner circles of disciples. The masses got parables which they did not understand. The disciples got the explanations and specific prophecies and their explanations.
Because a prophecy is old and yet true is all the more reason to believe and not assume that future revealings will disagree with it. In fact a benchmark prophecy Isaiah 8:20 is quite old but still as accurate as ever. It was given in the context of competition from the occult - sorta like our day.
Bible & EGW SOP are bench marks even in our day as much as when they were given. Their contexts will reveal absolute and conditional prophecies. If EGW SOP give me a rebuke with three possible ways to relate to it and I take one of those three choices I will Absolutely get the results of that choice. However the results of the other two choices were just as certain, but I never took them.
The prophecy allowed me freedom to choose, but once I did choose and if I stayed with that choice the results got locked in for better or worse unless I turned to one of the other offered options in that prophecy while there was still time and I was still willing.
(spell checker still malfunctioning)
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Edward F Sutton
[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited February 14, 2001).]
