Today many Christians
understand, that we live in the latter days. Therefore it is so important for us
to know, what God has told about our future through His prophets.
The people, with whom God talks through dreams or visions (Num.12:6)
are
called the prophets. Through them God
is giving His messages.
Actually a
prophet only prophesizes, when he receives a message from God. In intervals
between messages from God, he is just a righteous man. From a message to a next
message the prophet does not know the future. If it would
not be so he would not make mistakes, which would lead to a disappointment, a confusion or a tragedy in the future, and he would prevent others from
making mistakes.
However, Moses the prophet (Deu.34:10) did not know, that the Jews will make a
gold calf in one month after his ascension up to the mountain, another way he
would not be so frustrated to the point to brake the stone plates with the
precious writings of God on it.
Daniel the prophet did not know, that Israel
will be in the Babylon captivity for 70 years (Dan.9:2).
David the prophet (Acts
2:29-30) did not know, that his prayers about his baby, who was conceived in
adultery, will be in vain (2Sam.12:22).
Miriam the prophetess (Ex. 15:20) did not
know, that she will be punished by God for accusing Moses (Num.12:10).
Jonah
the prophet (Jon. 1:2-3) did not know that it is impossible to hide from God.
The old prophet did not know, that he will
die by accepting the invitation from other prophet despite the warning God gave
him do not come into any house (1King.13:11,23,24).
Aaron the prophet (Ex.7:1) did not
know, that his sons will be killed
by God for the disobedience (Lev.10:1-2).
Abraham the prophet (Gen 20:7) even
after God promised him to make a great nation out of his seed (Gen.12:3), and
still not having children (15:3), still did not know, that he will not be killed
for his wife (Gen.12:11-13).
Frequently prophets can not understand a vision
given to them by God (Dan.8:27), and they ask to explain it to them (Zech.4:12). Prophets
do not know the future, they transfer only what was told or shown to them by God
or God’s angels.
Most of the Adventists
believe that E.White was the prophet of God, and everything what she taught was
inspired by God. She herself did not call herself a prophet: “my work includes much
more than the word “prophet” signifies...My work has covered so many lines
that I can not call myself other than a messenger”
(E.White, "Messenger",
Review and Herald, 1906,p.8).
However
modestly refusing from the title "the prophet", E.White still insisted
that she had more, than ...2000
visions from God (SDA 27 Fundamental Doctrines,p.224).
When according to the
Bible many prophets had only one vision for all their life (Amos
7:14,15). Even Daniel had only seven
messages from God.
Modestly
refusing from the title "the prophet", E.White still wrote: "I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me.
I
do not write one article in the paper, expressing merely my own ideas.
They are what God has opened before me in vision - the precious rays of light
shining from the throne..." (Selected Messages, Book 1,p.27).
Not
naming herself the prophet, Е.White
still did not stop others, when they named her so. It cause many to believe that
she is the prophet of God.
“While Ellen White claimed that she
wrote from the vantage point of one enlightened by Holy Spirit, she did not
claim that we should take her writings as the final word on the meaning of
Scripture. By way on contrast, A.T. Jones, in an 1894 article on the purpose of
Ellen White’s writings was “to study the Bible through them”. Such an
approach, he suggested, “will make us mighty in the Scriptures”. Jones’s
suggestions set the course for many twentieth-century Adventists” (George
R.Knight “Reading Ellen White”, p.26, the emphasis is mine).
Today every Adventist believes Ellen White was the prophet of
God. Her life full
of self-denial and intense missionary work, her books,
which inspired millions to accept Jesus as their personal Savior, accepted as
the proof of that. However can a lifestyle of a person be the proof of his
or her prophetical mission?
No.
The Bible said: "When
a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to
pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath
spoken it presumptuously"(Deu 18:22);
"And
when this cometh to pass,... then shall they know that a prophet hath been among
them" (Ezek 33:33).
Let see were there some E.White's prophecies which came through?
Because
no one Adventist could answer this question, I looked into the official document
"27 Fundamental SDA
Doctrines".
There it is said: "Ellen White's writings
contain a relatively small number of predictions. Some are in process of being
fulfilled, while others still await fulfillment. But those that can be tested
have been fulfilled with an amazing accuracy. Two instances that demonstrate
her prophetic insights follow: a) the rise of modern spiritualism;...b) a
close cooperation between Protestants and Roman Catholics."
In
the
1850's she wrote that Old Jerusalem newer will be restored: «I was pointed to
some who are in the great error of believing that it is their duty to go to Old
Jerusalem (my
comment to clarify - i.e. to the place, where Jerusalem was)
, and think they have a work to do there before the Lord comes....I saw
that Satan had greatly deceived some in this thing...I also saw that Old
Jerusalem (my comment to clarify - i.e.
to the place, where Jerusalem was) never would be built up: and Satan was doing his utmost to lead
the minds of the children of the Lord into these things now, in the gathering
time» (“Early
Writings”,
c.75.On the
website http://www.whiteestate.org/search/search.asp
there is a search program through which you can read every quotation from her works there).
As
we see, Е.White
more than once had mentioned, that it was shown her in vision from
God, that Jerusalem will not be restored. However, Old Jerusalem, as it's
known, has
been
restored
for
a
long time -
See Pictures
of Jerusalem
("click"
on the words). That
means the prophecy was not from God.
She
wrote that Babylonian tower was built before the Flood: «"This system
was corrupted before the flood by those who separated themselves from the
faithful followers of God, and engaged in the building of the tower of
Babel" (“Spiritual gifts”,Vol.3,p.301,1864 edition). The
Bible says the tower of Babel was built after the Flood.
Ellen
White prophesied that Jesus will
return in a few months, that she will be among the living saints when Jesus will
come, that England will declare war against USA during of Civil war (1861-1865)
and USA will be destroyed, that a slavery will be restored in southern states of
USA, that bowls of Revelation are about to be poured out in a couple months and ctr.
All these prophecies were "given" to her in visions from God, and none
of them came through.
Therefore
the Adventist's belief in E.White as the prophet
of God based not on facts but entirely on
E.White's own claim that she communicates with the Lord, and on the sincerity of her words.
Can we call a person the prophet of God if he
or she was falsely prophesying in His name so many times? It is the time to
recognize, that Е.White
probably was a good person and good Christian, for certain - a remarkable
teacher, however she wasn't the prophet of God (why White had the visions will
be shown later, in ch. 45 )