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Lesson 21

What The Bible Teaches About
The Gift Of Prophecy In The True Church

The Prophetic Gift

1. To whom does God reveal His plans?

Amos 3:7

Amos 3:7 (KJV)
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

2. How does God communicate with the prophet?

Numbers 12:6

Numbers 12:6 (KJV)
6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

3. Can a woman be a prophet?

Joel 2:8

Joel 2:8 (KJV)
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

The Prophetic Gift In The True Church

4. Did the early church have prophets?

1 Corinthians 12:28

1 Corinthians 12:28 (KJV)
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

5. What was predicted about the gift of prophecy in the true church?

Revelation 12:17; 19:10

Revelation 12:17 (KJV)
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 19:10 (KJV)
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

  1. The promise of the gift of prophecy was fulfilled in the Adventist Church through Ellen G. White. (See commentary).

WHAT MUST I DO?

1. Appreciate the prophecies.

1 Thessalonians 5:20

1 Thessalonians 5:20 (KJV)
20 Despise not prophesyings.

2. Be alert to the prophecies.

2 Peter 1:19

2 Peter 1:19 (KJV)
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

3. Believe in the prophets.

2 Chronicles 20:20

2 Chronicles 20:20 (KJV)
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

MY RESOLUTION

I accept the wonderful gift of prophecy given by God to his church.

The Gift of Prophecy. The prophet is chosen by god (Deuteronomy 18:15). He/she speaks God's words (Deuteronomy 18:18). He/she receives revelations through dreams and visions (Joel 2:28; Psalm 89:19; Job 33:14-16; Ezekiel 1:1). The visions go together with significant physical phenomenon:

  1. Loss of strength (Daniel 10:8, 17).
  2. Unconsciousness (Daniel 10:9).
  3. Absence of breathing (Daniel 10:17).
  4. Eyes stay open (Numbers 24:3, 4).
  5. Receives superhuman strength (Daniel 10:18).

The Gift of Prophecy in Women. The gift of prophecy was granted to many noble women: Miriam (Exodus 15:20). Deborah (Judges 4:4). Huldah (2 Kings 22:14). Noadiah (Nehemiah 6:14). Anna (Luke 2:36). Philip's four daughters (Acts 21:8, 9).

Tests of the True Prophet

  1. Speaks according to the law and the testimony (Isaiah 8:20).
  2. Predictions come true (Jeremiah 28:9).
  3. Does not lead the people into apostasy (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).
  4. States what is inspired and does not speak about himself (Jeremiah 14:14).
  5. Rebukes sin (Jeremiah 23:22).

Ellen G. White: Life and Work

The Seventh-day Adventist Church had the spirit of prophecy in the person of Ellen G. White. She was born in Gorham, Maine, United States, November 26, 1827.

In 1840, at 12 years old, she surrendered her heart to God and was baptized by a Methodist minister. With several members of her family, Ellen attended some Adventist meetings in Portland, and in 1842 she fully accepted the doctrines, therefore in 1843 she was disfellowshiped from the Methodist church.

One morning in December of 1844, when she was gathered with other people to pray, she had her first vision, in which she saw the journey of the Adventist people to God's city. She shared her vision with the believers in Portland, and they accepted it as light from God. Then she went on several trips in order to Tell about this and other visions, and at the same time fight against fanatical movements that were striving to enter into the group of believers.

In a trip to Orrington, Maine, she met a young Adventist preacher, James White, who she married at the end of August, 1846. James and Ellen carefully studied a pamphlet from Pastor Joseph Bates called The Rest of the Seventh Day. They accepted the truth of the Sabbath and on April 7, 2847 she received a vision in which she saw God's law with a light that shown over the fourth commandment.

The Visions

Thousands of people had the opportunity to see Mrs. Ellen White in vision. The same phenomenons described in the Bible regarding the ancient prophets were manifested in her. In one of her visions, she took a heavy Bible weighing almost 20 pounds and lifted it during half an hour; when strong men tried to do the same thing, they were only able to do so for a few minutes. In her visions she was transported to other countries, which she later recognized in her trips.

One of her most important visions was about the great controversy between good and evil. It happened in March of 1858 in Ohio. Another vision was about health. Due to that vision, the church started to give importance to temperance and the medical work. She had almost 2,000 dreams and visions with revelations about all aspects of the truth and the organization of the church.

Missionary

Along with her husband, she traveled extensively throughout the United States, preaching, and helping in the organization of the church and fighting against different problems and errors. She went to Europe in the fall of 1885. In 1891 she went to Australia, where she helped to strengthen and establish the work.

Author

She wrote thousands of pages and about 45 important books. Some of the main books are: Steps to Christ, The Great Controversies, The Desire of Ages, Patriarchs and Prophets, Education, Ministry of Healing, and others.