You close the door and they come in through the window.
Leon
"adityawarman" <djunus0724@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:dmb4j.1211$t31.222@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> The Voice of the Spirit
>
> How God Has Led His People through the Gift of Prophecy
>
> Prologue
> "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many
> times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by
> his Son" (Heb. 1:1, 2). This biblical declaration introduces us to the
> marvelous world of divine communication; a communication that is simple
> and complex; well known and mysterious; divine and human. The purpose of
> this book is to analyze that which we can understand with our human
finite
> minds about how God speaks to humanity.
>
> The starting point for our study is a firm belief in the existence of
God,
> a personal God who speaks and communicates, and who is interested in
> intervening in human affairs-"Because anyone who comes to him must
believe
> that he exists" (Hebrews 11:6). This simple concept, developed within
the
> context of a definition of faith, establishes the basic way in which the
> believer approaches the theme of divine communication: "God exists. He
is
> a personal Being and wishes to have communication with me." This
starting
> point may seem too simple, even naive. The secular viewpoint that
affects
> the world in general may also affect the Christian who struggles to
> maintain his beliefs in the midst of an incredulous world.
>
> Jesus Christ, The Epitome of Divine Communication
> Our analysis will begin with Jesus, our Saviour, because He represents
the
> epitome of revelation and of God's communication. Even before His
> incarnation, the "Word" had communicated divine truth to the prophets of
> the Old Testament. In coming to this world, His person, His message, and
> His ministry demonstrated for all to see that Divinity wished to
> communicate with humanity. The relation****p of Christ with human beings
> did not end, however, with His ascension to the right hand of the
Father.
> His plan was to continue in communion with His people, to continue
> speaking to them and showing His love for them. And "the testimony of
> Jesus" fulfills this purpose. The work and the message of the prophets
is
> not something separate from Christ and the plan of salvation; it is an
> integral part of the divine program for humanity.
>
> It was Christ Himself who informed His followers that the Holy Spirit
> would be the One in charge of communicating the divine message to the
> human race. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, "will teach you
> all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." "he
will
> guide you into all truth" (John 14:26; 16:13). The church of Christ
would
> advance confidently, guided by the indispensable help of the Spirit.
>
> One of the presuppositions of this analysis is that the Holy Spirit
> fulfills His teaching ministry and leader****p of the church mostly
through
> the prophetic gift. It is true that we cannot limit the work of the Holy
> Spirit, since He assigns and uses spiritual gifts "as he determines" (1
> Corinthians 12:11). The history of God's people, nevertheless, in
biblical
> times and in contem****ary times, shows that the Spirit guided the church
> through the function and message of the prophets.
>
> The Human Instrument
> God did not choose supernatural beings to communicate His message, nor
did
> He choose "grand superhuman language." He chose human messengers who,
> utilizing human language, would communicate the divine message. This
> relation****p between a divine message and human messengers makes the
> divine communication unique in itself. Furthermore, this divine-human
> relation****p is not only unique, it is also mysterious and sometimes
seems
> incomprehensible to our finite understanding. To try to understand this
> relation****p between a divine message, perfect and infallible, and a
human
> messenger, imperfect and fallible, is one of the im****tant goals of this
> book.
>
> Furthermore, it is not only the instrument selected by God to
communicate
> His message, the prophet who is human. Those who receive the message are
> also human. The divine communication, as the term itself indicates,
> originates with God. It is truly the testimony of Jesus and the voice of
> the Spirit. It is, however, destined for human beings who, since the
> entrance of sin, have limited, and often completely contrary,
perceptions
> of the great facts of life. The way that we human beings perceive,
> interpret, and ultimately handle, the message of God is of absolute
> im****tance to the accomplishment of the divine objectives in
communicating
> that message. Ultimately, this is the fundamental step through which the
> divine-human communication is made effective. If the human receptor is
not
> willing to receive a communication, or perceives it incorrectly, or
> rejects it because it does not meet his expectations or because it
> confronts him with changes in his traditional way of living or acting,
> then God's purpose is not fulfilled, and this human being is left to his
> own fate, a major tragedy for anyone's life.
>
> It is for these reasons that the ultimate purpose of this book is to
> confirm the believer in the assurance that God does speak to us, and
that
> He does it with the sole purpose that each of us, in a personal way, may
> be "wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).
>
> -Juan Carlos Viera
>
> Chapter 1-The Divine Instrument
> Jesus Christ is God's ultimate revelation to the human race. "He is the
> image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him
> all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and
> invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things
> were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all
> things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is
> the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in
everything
> he might have the supremacy" (Colossians 1:15-18).
>
> In this hymn of praise, the apostle, inspired by the Spirit, describes
the
> exalted position of Christ our Saviour. Jesus Christ is not only a
visible
> revelation of the invisible God, He is also the Lord of the universe and
> of the church. As Creator, He directs the entire universe. As head of
the
> church, He directs His representatives on the earth.
>
> Christ, Head of the Church
> This illustration of Christ as the head of the church[1] is precisely
> accurate in describing His relation****p with the
>
> 10
>
> church. The church is sometimes referred to as the "mystic body of
> Christ." For the sake of comparison, Christ might also be referred to as
> the "mystic head of the church." The idea of a "mystic" relation****p
> between Christ and His church could cause confusion, however. Even if
the
> expression "mystic" is used in the sense of "symbolic," Christ's
> relation****p to His church is really much more than that: it is
practical
> and real. As head, Christ originates, sets the agenda, and plans the
> objectives and purposes for the church. He hears and listens to its
needs.
> He is moved by its victories and suffers with its defeats. Mainly,
> however, He desires to communicate regularly with it to guide and direct
> it.
>
> To accept Christ as head of the church means to accept His plans and
> purposes for it. It also means to accept the way He has chosen to direct
> it. In His capacity as leader and head of the church, Jesus Christ is
> sovereign. This sovereignty is manifested both in the selection of the
> human instruments He uses to communicate with His people and in the form
> in which He communicates. We may sometimes be tempted to question the
Lord
> regarding His selection of "messengers," who are all too similar to
> ourselves: human, imperfect, weak, and even sinful, as we ourselves are.
> Had we been doing the selecting, we would have probably chosen the
angels
> to communicate God's message. We would undoubtedly have felt their
> authority to be superior to that of those human beings who speak to us
in
> God's name as His representatives. Nevertheless, the election of human
> instruments is an act of divine sovereignty. "But God chose the foolish
> things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the
> world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and
the
> despised things-and
>
> 11
>
> the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one
may
> boast before him" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
>
> Divine sovereignty is also shown in the selection of the way in which
the
> message is communicated. God did not choose a "grand superhuman
> language"[2] but common language in which men can communicate and
> understand each other. In reading and analyzing the text of the divine
> message, we may again be tempted to question the Lord for having chosen
a
> means of communication as commonplace as human language, instead of a
> thunderous voice from heaven, or through a miraculous intervention,
> directly to our minds. A literary critic may find the divine message so
> similar to human communication that he refuses to believe it to be
> divinely inspired. But divine Sovereignty has made the selection, and it
> remains for human beings to accept it or reject it, but not to change
it,
> modify it, or try to improve on it. Again the Scriptures remind us: "We
> have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing
power
> is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
>
> The Holy Spirit: the Person of the Divinity in Charge of Communication
> The choice of the Holy Spirit as the person of the Divinity in charge of
> communicating the message to humanity is also an act of divine
> sovereignty. In the Old Testament, the work of the Spirit as the
> communicator of divine truth can already be seen. David, king, prophet,
> and author of most of the psalms, declares: "The Spirit of the Lord
spoke
> through me; his word was on my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2). Ezekiel states:
> "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me" (Ezekiel 11:5).
>
> 12
>
> It is in the New Testament, however, that the work of the Holy Spirit as
> the communicator of the divine message is most clearly seen. Jesus
Himself
> was responsible for announcing the im****tant work of the Spirit and His
> relation****p to the church. This ministry would be fulfilled, Jesus
> promised, through three specific functions: (1) The Spirit would act as
a
> "witness" of Christ, giving testimony about Him; (2) The Spirit would
act
> as "teacher" of the church, teaching His followers "all things"; (3) The
> Spirit would act as "leader" of the church to guide it "into all truth."
> We will briefly analyze each of these functions of the Holy Spirit in
the
> church.
>
> "He Will Testify About Me"
> The expression "the testimony of Jesus," appears in the book of
Revelation
> with specific application to the gift of prophecy and the work of the
> prophets (Rev. 1:2, 9; 12:17; 19:10). However, this and other similar
> designations such as "the testimony of God," or "the revelation of Jesus
> Christ," were apparently popular usages in referring to the messages
> coming from the Holy Spirit through the New Testament prophets.[3]
Christ
> used this expression to refer to the work of the Spirit. "He," the Lord
> declared, "will testify about me" (John 15:26). Here, Jesus describes
the
> work of the Spirit specifically in terms of giving "testimony." His task
> would be to give testimony about God's great acts in the person of
Christ.
> His function would be that of a divine communicator-to make known the
> mysteries of salvation that have as their central figure the Man of
> Calvary.
>
> When speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit, many believers describe
> Him in subjective terms: a force, a power,
>
> 13
>
> or a special gift used to carry out a certain task. Christ, however,
> describes the work of the Spirit as an objective function. The Spirit
> speaks, communicates, and enters into contact with humanity to give
> testimony about Jesus. Clearly it is an activity in which the voice of
the
> Spirit becomes audible. How does He do it? With whom does He
communicate?
> These are the basic questions that this book will attempt to answer.
>
> "The Testimony of Jesus" In The Last Days
> For those of us who live in the last days, it is of real comfort to know
> that the testimony of the Spirit did not cease with the closing of the
> canon of Holy Scripture. The same Lord who promised His disciples that
the
> Holy Spirit would give testimony about Him, also revealed to His servant
> John (Rev. 1:1, 2) that "the testimony of Jesus," in other words, the
> voice of the Spirit (Revelation 12:17), would again be manifested in the
> remnant church at the time of the end. Fortunately, the Lord has not
left
> His church in these difficult days without information and
communication.
> If anyone may entertain doubts about being part of God's church, all he
> needs to do is to recall the characteristics of the true church
enunciated
> by the Lord to His servant John in the book of Revelation. These words
> reaffirm assurance that God's church at the time of the end sustains and
> defends the faith of Jesus (14:12), keeps the commandments of God, and
has
> the testimony of Jesus Christ. As a result, it suffers the hatred of the
> forces of evil (12:17). It is imperfect and faulty. The faithful and
true
> Witness, however, offers a remedy for its situation (3:1419). Christ's
> testimony, the voice of the Spirit, always has as its objective to
remedy
> the imperfections
>
> 14
>
> of His church.
>
> "He Will Teach You All Things"
> The Holy Spirit was also designated as the divine instrument in charge
of
> the teaching ministry of the church, assigned to teach everything
> necessary for the instruction and correction of the church. "But the
> Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will
> teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to
> you," Jesus promised (John 14:26). The teaching ministry of the Spirit
is
> absolutely indispensable for the instruction of the church, because the
> church is made up of human beings limited by human frailties. As members
> of God's church, we may be sincere and honest in our search for answers
to
> the big questions of life, of the universe, and of salvation, but this
is
> not enough to give us the assurance that we have actually encountered
the
> truth. In these matters it is indispensable to accept that a
supernatural
> source of knowledge is required. The Holy Spirit was promised precisely
as
> that special source of instruction for the church.
>
> Whom Does The Spirit Teach?
> In view of the im****tance of the instruction of the Holy Spirit to the
> church, we need to elaborate on some aspects related to the topic. First
> of all, we need to define the receivers of these instructions. Second,
> what type of authority do these instructions or teachings have? Some
> well-intentioned Christians, after having prayed for the illumination of
> the Spirit as they study, then teach and preach convinced that every
> thought that comes to their minds-any interpretation or teaching-is true
> because they have asked for the illumination
>
> 15
>
> of the Holy Spirit. It may be well to ask ourselves at this point what
the
> Lord's original intention was in promising the teaching and instruction
of
> the Spirit.
>
> One of the basic principles of biblical interpretation is to analyze the
> historical context in which a declaration was made. In this case, when
the
> Lord said: "He [the Holy Spirit] will teach you all things and will
remind
> you of everything I have said to you," His audience at that historical
> moment was specific and limited. The message was given in the upper
room,
> and Jesus' promises were given after having taken part with His
disciples
> in the Last Supper. The apostle John records Christ's presentation in
the
> greatest detail (John 13-17). His words were directed primarily to His
> disciples, the future apostles and prophets of His church. The Lord took
> this op****tunity to give instructions and specific promises to His
future
> leaders. It is true, of course, that a large pro****tion of His marvelous
> declarations and promises given on that occasion may be applied in a
> general way to all followers of the Lord. For example, as members of
God's
> church, we accept and follow the instructions of the Lord relating to
the
> ordinance of humility (John 13:3-16); we all rejoice in His promise to
> return to take us home (John 14:13); we all know that communion with Him
> is vital for our spiritual experience, just as it is vital for the
branch
> to remain connected to the vine (John 15:15). Nevertheless, we must be
> careful not to make indiscriminate generalizations. Amid those marvelous
> promises directed to all His followers, there are specific declarations
> directed particularly to the disciples, who would be the future leaders
> and prophets of the church. For example, Christ promised His disciples
> regarding the Spirit; "he will tell you what is yet to come" (John
16:13).
>
> 16
>
> This is a specific reference to the prophetic gift and the ability of
the
> Holy Spirit to predict events before they happen and to communicate them
> to His followers. It is not difficult to see that this declaration
refers
> to the future function of the apostles as prophets and not to the entire
> church in general.
>
> The statement we are analyzing, "he will teach you all things," may be
> classified in the same category as the previous one, "he will tell you
> what is yet to come." At least the apostles understood it that way,
> especially the apostle Paul, who relates the teaching of the Spirit to
the
> prophetic office and the inspired writings.[4]
>
> Whom Does The Spirit Illuminate?
> Of course, the Scripture also promises the illumination, or
enlightenment,
> of the Spirit to all those who wish to know the mysteries of God
> (Ephesians 1:17-19). But that illumination always has as its point of
> reference the prophetic word (2 Peter 1:19-21). In other words, the
> illumination of the Spirit in our minds manifests itself when we open
the
> Scriptures, not separate from them. The Spirit directs believers in
> general through the Word, illuminating their minds to understand it. It
is
> the prophets whom the Spirit instructs and teaches in a specific way so
> that they in turn may communicate the instruction received to the church
> as a whole. The following inspired declarations help us understand the
> relation****p between the divine Teacher, the prophet, and the members of
> the church:
>
> 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,
>
> 17
>
> to open the word to His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings.
.
> . .
>
> The ministry of the divine Spirit in enlightening the understanding and
> opening to the mind the deep things of God's holy word, was the blessing
> which Paul thus besought for the Ephesian church.[5]
>
> The Holy Spirit always leads to the written Word, and calls the
attention
> to the great moral standard of righteousness. . . . Some souls who claim
> to be believers have slighted, and turned from, the Word of God. They
have
> neglected the Bible, the wonderful Guidebook, the true Tester of all
> ideas, and claim that they have the Spirit to teach them, that this
> renders searching the Scriptures unnecessary. All such are heeding the
> sophistry of Satan, for the Spirit and the Word agree.[6]
>
> Great reproach has been cast upon the work of the Holy Spirit by the
> errors of a class that, claiming its enlightenment, profess to have no
> further need of guidance from the word of God. They are governed by
> impressions which they regard as the voice of God in the soul. But the
> spirit that controls them is not the Spirit of God. This following of
> impressions, to the neglect of the Scriptures, can lead only to
confusion,
> to deception and ruin. It serves only to further the designs of the evil
> one.[7]
>
> The process by which the Lord chooses to train us, teach us, and, on
> occasion, to correct us is clearly specified.
>
> 18
>
> The Holy Spirit communicates with the prophets whom He instructs and
> teaches. The prophets communicate the message, oral or written, to the
> church. When God's people listen or read the prophetic message, the
Spirit
> illuminates their minds to understand it. Any intent to "perceive" the
> divine message based on mental impressions or other elements of interior
> or "immanent"[8] communication without going through the prophetic word
> only leads to confusion and deviation from divine truth.
>
> The Authority of the Spirit
> The concept of authority is, without doubt, one of the most im****tant
> elements in considering the topic of divine-human communication. To be
> guided by what other human beings may say about an im****tant topic is a
> very different thing than to have the assurance that God has already
> expressed Himself about that topic by means of the prophetic word. The
> acceptance of the Holy Spirit as the author of the prophetic message is
> the initial step necessary toward recognizing divine authority in these
> messages and, as a result, accepting their supremacy over any human
> opinion, including our own.
>
> The most explicit of the New Testament writers on the supremacy of the
> teaching of the Spirit over human opinion is the apostle Paul. Writing
to
> the Corinthians, Paul bases the authority of his message on the fact
that
> it is the result of the teachings of the Spirit: "When I came to you,
> brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I
proclaimed
> to you the testimony about God. . . . My message and my preaching were
not
> with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of
>
> 19
>
> the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom,
but
> on God's power. . . . This is what we speak, not in words taught us by
> human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual
> truths in spiritual words" (1 Corinthians 2:1, 4, 5, 13).
>
> This authority and superiority of the Spirit over human opinions and
> traditions is especially evident in controversial matters. One of the
more
> controversial issues in apostolic times was the participation of
non-Jews,
> or "Gentiles," in the church, and their acceptance as part of God's
> people. The apostle Paul appeals to the revelations of the Spirit as his
> source of authority to resolve the matter: "Surely you have heard about
> the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is,
> the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written
> briefly . . . the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in
> other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's
holy
> apostles and prophets . . . the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel,
> members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in
> Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 3:26).
>
> The apostle Peter is another of the writers of the New Testament who
> establishes the authority of the Spirit as the source of teaching and
> guidance for the church. Peter earlier had an experience similar to
Paul's
> concerning foreigners or "Gentiles." It was a revelation from God in the
> form of a vision that prepared him for his first visit to the home of a
> non-Jewish family (Acts 10). When some Jewish members criticized him for
> having visited an uncir***cised person, Peter appealed to his vision as
> the source of authority for his actions (Acts 11:1-18). He repeated the
> identical argument at the time of the first congress of the church in
> Jerusalem,
>
> 20
>
> where these same matters were discussed (Acts 15:7-11).
>
> Cir***stances such as these taught the apostle Peter to trust the
messages
> of the Spirit more and more and to think less of his own opinions. It is
> his voice of experience that declares: "And we have the word of the
> prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it,
> as to a light ****ning in a dark place . . . for prophecy never had its
> origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried
> along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19, 21).
>
> "He Will Guide You Into All Truth"
> Without a doubt, the apostles were aware of the promise that Christ had
> made: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into
all
> truth" (John 16:13). It was the activity of the Holy Spirit through the
> prophets and apostles that gave the apostolic church a clearer and
firmer
> perception, both of its doctrines and the mission of the church. It was
> also the Spirit who, with His teaching and guidance, warded off heresies
> from taking root and flouri****ng in the church during the apostolic era,
> in spite of the intention of many "teachers" to produce disciples after
> themselves (Ephesians 3:11-14; 2 Peter 2:1, 2).
>
> The history of God's people in these last days is not very different
from
> that of apostolic times. It was also the Holy Spirit who guided the
church
> to an ever clearer perception of divine truth for this time. Our
pioneers
> were not exempt from the danger of heresies and doctrinal errors.
> Nevertheless, each time the church took a wrong turn, the Holy Spirit,
> through the prophetic message, guided the believers toward the truth.
The
> following are some confirming testimonies:
>
> 21
>
> At this time there was fanaticism among some of those who had been
> believers in the first message. Serious errors in doctrine and practice
> were cherished, and some were ready to condemn all who would not accept
> their views. God revealed these errors to me in vision and sent me to
His
> erring children to declare them.[9]
>
> We are to be established in the faith, in the light of the truth given
us
> in our early experience. At that time one error after another pressed in
> upon us; ministers and doctors brought in new doctrines. We would search
> the Scriptures with much prayer, and the Holy Spirit would bring the
truth
> to our minds. Sometimes whole nights would be devoted to searching the
> Scriptures, and earnestly asking God for guidance. Companies of devoted
> men and women assembled for this purpose. The power of God would come
upon
> me, and I was enabled clearly to define what is truth and what is error.
>
> As the points of our faith were thus established, our feet were placed
> upon a solid foundation. We accepted the truth point by point, under the
> demonstration of the Holy Spirit.[10]
>
> In the early days of the message, when our numbers were few, we studied
> diligently to understand the meaning of many Scriptures. At times it
> seemed as if no explanation could be given. My mind seemed to be locked
to
> an understanding of the Word; but
>
> 22
>
> when our brethren who had assembled for study came to a point where they
> could go no farther, and had recourse to earnest prayer, the Spirit of
God
> would rest upon me, and I would be taken off in vision, and be
instructed
> in regard to the relation of Scripture to Scripture. These experiences
> were repeated over and over and over again. Thus many truths of the
third
> angel's message were established, point by point.[11]
>
> From these historical witnesses, it is clear that the Holy Spirit
> continued fulfilling His sacred function of being the divine instrument
to
> guide the church into the whole truth by means of the prophetic gift.
The
> development of the doctrines of the church was based on a diligent study
> of the Scriptures, but when the danger existed of accepting a heretical
> doctrine or a misinterpretation of the Word, the Spirit used the
prophetic
> gift to give light and guidance to the infant church.
>
> Conclusion
> We may conclude, then, by reaffirming our assurance that the Lord speaks
> and communicates with His church, which He loves and desires to save. In
> His wisdom and sovereignty, the Godhead chose the Holy Spirit as the
> divine Being in charge of communication with His people. This transforms
> the prophetic word into a sovereign and "more certain" message than
human
> opinions, giving it authority over the latter. Choosing the prophets,
> human beings like ourselves, as the bearers of the divine message, was
> also an act of divine sovereignty. In the following chapter, we will
>
> 23
>
> analyze the relation****p between the perfect and foolproof message of
God
> and the human messenger, subject to the frailties of humanity and
> therefore imperfect and fallible.
>
> Chapter 2-The Human Instrument
> The divine-human communication, as the term itself implies, requires a
> combination of divine and human characteristics that make the prophetic
> message unique unto itself. To be able to be understood by human beings,
> even our Lord Jesus had to combine both characteristics. "The Bible,
with
> its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, represents a
union
> of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of
Christ,
> who was the Son of God and the Son of man."[12]
>
> The relation****p between the divine message (perfect, infallible,
eternal)
> and the human messenger (imperfect, fallible, mortal) is not always
> perceived in proper perspective. To recognize and to accept the
> differences is an im****tant step in our understanding of the
divine-human
> communication system.
>
> When communicating His message, God not only chose human beings but
human
> language as well. Both human beings and human languages share
> characteristics that are often far from perfect. How do these imperfect
> instruments affect the perfect message of God? The primary purpose of
>
> 26
>
> the current chapter is to answer this question, a question basic to our
> understanding of the divine message.
>
> First, a word of explanation; to look for human weaknesses in the life,
> work, and language of the prophets may seem irreverent and
disrespectful.
> However, if we want to understand the divine dynamics of inspiration, we
> have to take a look at the instruments that God chose to communicate His
> message.
>
> An Imperfect Messenger
> The fact that the prophets were called "holy men of God" (2 Peter 1:21)
> does not mean that they were incapable of sinning, nor that it is
> disrespectful to recognize their human weaknesses. Any attempt to make
the
> biblical prophets perfect or "saints" is contrary to the biblical record
> itself. The Scriptures, with characteristic honesty, describe the
> weaknesses and sins of the prophets as well as their virtues.
>
> One of the most surprising illustrations of an imperfect messenger is
> found in the history of King David. Although he is called "the anointed
of
> the God of Jacob," and though he himself recognized: "The Spirit of the
> Lord spoke through me" (2 Samuel 23:1, 2), the biblical record also
> describes his grievous sins. When his relation****p with God was broken
by
> sin, the Lord sent another prophet to correct his servant (2 Samuel
> 12:1-13). Once David repented and admitted his sin, the way for
> divine-human communication was again opened, and the psalmist was
inspired
> to write the beautiful psalm of confession (Psalm 51). Does the fact
that
> David was a guilty, and then repentant, sinner change in any way the
> inspiration of Psalm 51? Of course not.
>
> We cannot establish our trust in the prophetic word of
>
> 27
>
> Scripture based on the prophet's perfect behavior. Neither we can we do
so
> with a modern prophet. The authority of the prophetic message is not
based
> on the messenger's perfect life or behavior. Ellen White never claimed
> perfection or infallibility for herself. "We have many lessons to learn,
> and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. . . . In
> regard to infallibility, I never claimed it."[13] It is true that Ellen
> White was a mother concerned about her children, a consecrated
missionary;
> an eloquent preacher, a good neighbor, and a loving and dedicated
> Christian. Nevertheless, through her diaries and personal letters we
know
> that she was sometimes discouraged and depressed, that on occasion she
had
> disagreements with her husband, that she made mistakes, and that many
> times she had to ask for forgiveness.
>
> Mistaken Prophets?
> For those believers who apply the characteristics of the divine message
> (perfect, infallible) to the human messenger (under the supposition that
> he or she should be perfect and infallible), the concept of a prophet
who
> makes mistakes is almost incomprehensible. As previously mentioned, the
> idea of looking for errors or mistakes in the servants of God who wrote
> the Bible or the Testimonies seems disrespectful and irreverent.
However,
> in trying to understand the dynamics of inspiration we must analyze the
> profound differences that exist between the message and the messenger,
and
> understand how God dealt with prophets who did not perceive truth
> correctly. We will analyze three different cir***stances in which a
> prophet needed correction: (1) when the prophet had preconceived ideas;
> (2) when the prophet ran ahead of
>
> 28
>
> God's plans; (3) when the prophet believed that the plans of God could
be
> completed more swiftly.
>
> Preconceived Ideas In The Prophet's Mind
> In the biblical record we find some examples of prophets who had to be
> corrected due to preconceived ideas. One of the best illustrations is
> found in the way the Holy Spirit solved a problem that was limiting the
> capacity of the apostolic church to complete the great commission given
by
> Christ to His disciples: "Go into all the world and preach the good news
> to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but
> whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15,16). It was a
> common belief among the apostles that only Jews could be part of the
> chosen people. The Holy Spirit had to correct this error so that the
> gospel could be taken to the entire world. As we saw in the previous
> chapter, in the case of the apostle Peter, a vision (Acts 10, 11), and,
in
> the case of the apostle Paul, special revelations (Eph. 3:3-6),
corrected
> this idea in the minds of the apostles, and, through them, in the entire
> church.
>
> In the Adventist movement we also find some occasions when the messenger
> of the Lord needed to be corrected due to some preconceived ideas. Once
> again, the best illustration is related to the fulfillment of the
mission
> of the church. The Adventist movement, as well as the apostolic church,
> was commissioned to reach the entire world with the everlasting gospel
> (Rev. 10:11; 14:6). Nevertheless, our pioneers were limited in their
> understanding of that task, due to a theological error passed down from
> the Millerite movement. Today we call it the doctrine of the "shut
door."
> For a while even Ellen White accepted this idea: "For a time
>
> 29
>
> after the disappointment in 1844, I did hold, in common with the advent
> body, that the door of mercy was then forever closed to the world."[14]
> Some believers feel embarrassed or confused that the messenger of the
Lord
> sustained such an idea. But in reality, it is an extraordinary
> illustration of how God deals with the case of a mistaken prophet. In
> subsequent visions, the Spirit corrected the error, first in the
> messenger's mind and, through her, for all the believers.
>
> The first question that comes to mind when dealing with the case of a
> prophet with erroneous ideas is: How can I be sure that the inspired
> writings do not contain errors coming from preconceived ideas in the
> prophet's mind? The fact that the Holy Spirit corrected Peter, Paul, and
> Ellen White regarding the mission of the church gives us the assurance
> that the Spirit is in control of the message. The Holy Spirit corrects
any
> idea that could take the church in a wrong direction.
>
> Prophets Who Run Ahead Of God's Plans
> Another example of a prophet needing correction is when the messenger
> gives advice or suggestions that do not have the Lord's backing. The
Bible
> records the illustration of Nathan the prophet who enthusiastically
> approved David's plan of building a temple for God (1 Chronicles
17:1-4).
> The same night, God revealed to the prophet that His plans were
different.
> David would not be the builder of the temple. Nathan then went back to
the
> king with a corrected message.
>
> In the history of the Advent movement we also find instances when the
> messenger of the Lord was corrected in a similar fa****on. In 1902, the
> Southern Publi****ng Association
>
> 30
>
> was facing financial problems. The leaders of the church sought inspired
> advice. After due deliberation, Ellen White agreed with the leader****p
> that the publi****ng house should be closed. The following night, the
Lord
> corrected her, and she had to record a different message: "To My
Brethren
> in Positions of Responsibility:-During the night following our interview
> in my house and out on the lawn under the trees, October 19, 1902, in
> regard to the work in the Southern field, the Lord instructed me that I
> had taken a wrong position."[15]
>
> Prophets Anxious for the Return of the Lord
> The theological concept that the coming of the Messiah initiated the
> "eschatological era" or "end time" may well have been understood and
> accepted by the apostles. Nevertheless, we must recognize that none of
> them imagined that the end time would extend for centuries. Nearly all
> shared the conviction that Christ's coming was imminent. Although we
don't
> know exactly the way in which the Holy Spirit handled this matter, at
> least we know that the apostles received additional information. For
> example, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul appears to
express
> his conviction that he will live to see the coming of the Lord (1
> Thessalonians 4:16,17). However, additional information received between
> the two letters allowed him to suggest to the brethren not expect
Christ's
> return immediately (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
>
> The apostle John seemed to be convinced he was living in the "end time"
(1
> John 2:18). We know, however, that subsequent visions given to the seer
of
> Patmos caused him to realize that many things would happen, including
> intense persecutions, before the coming of the Lord. Undoubtedly,
>
> 31
>
> the book of Revelation was the Spirit's answer to the various
expectations
> that may have arisen in the beloved disciple's mind.
>
> Something similar happened in the early Adventist movement. Practically
> all the believers, including the messenger of the Lord, shared the
> conviction of the imminence of the second coming of Christ. We need not
be
> embarrassed by the fact that Ellen White expressed her expectations. So
> did Paul, Peter, and John in biblical times. Again, however, the Holy
> Spirit had to correct some ideas and give additional information to
guide
> the church in the right direction. In 1856, Ellen White stated that some
> believers attending a certain meeting would live until the coming of the
> Lord, creating certain expectations about this particular group.[16] Two
> years later, in 1858, the messenger of the Lord had the vision about the
> great controversy between Christ and Satan and received additional
> information about the journey that still lay ahead. Later it was
revealed:
> "We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination
many
> more years, as did the children of Israel."[17]
>
> These statements referring to the expectations of the prophets about the
> coming of the Lord fall within the category of "conditional prophecies."
> In a concise statement, Ellen White gives us at least three reasons why
> the concept of imminence was always in her mind: (1) the time was always
> revealed to her as being very brief, (2) she herself longed for Christ's
> soon return, (3) the prophecies in which human beings are involved are
> conditional.
>
> The angels of God in their messages to men represent time as very short.
> Thus it has always been
>
> 32
>
> presented to me. It is true that time has continued longer than we
> expected in the early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear
as
> soon as we hoped. But has the Word of the Lord failed? Never! It should
be
> remembered that the promises and the threatenings of God are alike
> conditional.[18]
>
> It is amazing to see how God solves the problem of working with human,
and
> therefore imperfect, messengers. If the prophet has a preconceived idea
> that may distort the way he perceives truth, the Spirit will take charge
> of clarifying that idea in the prophet's mind so that he/she can
correctly
> transmit the divine message. If the problem is a certain anticipation on
> behalf of the prophet to see the prophecies he himself has communicated
to
> the people of God fulfilled, the Spirit will take charge of offering
> additional information to the prophet to protect the church from false
> expectations. The work of the divine instrument in guiding the human
> instrument and leading him into all truth is what gives us the assurance
> that the divine message is free from errors or mistakes that could
confuse
> the understanding of the believers.
>
> An Imperfect Language
> Although Adventists do not believe in verbal inspiration (when
understood
> to mean that God dictates the exact words to the prophet), some are
> reluctant to accept that the prophet is allowed to use his or her own
> language. With the exception of a few biblical statements (for example,
> the Ten Commandments), all the inspired writings are the result of a
> divine-human combination. The Holy Spirit inspires the
>
> 33
>
> prophet with a vision, an impression, or a thought. The messenger then
> begins to search for the words, expressions, and literary figures that
> will correctly communicate that message. Although the Spirit also guides
> in the selection of the words and expressions, as we will see, the
prophet
> nevertheless uses his own form of language. This is the basic reason for
> the differences in the literary styles of the various biblical writers.
It
> is also the reason why the language of the inspired writers is described
> as imperfect and human.
>
> The Bible is not given us in grand superhuman language. Jesus, in order
to
> reach man where he is, took humanity. The Bible must be given in the
> language of the men. Everything that is human is imperfect. . . .
>
> The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God's mode of
thought
> and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not
> represented. . . .
>
> It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that
were
> inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man's words or his expressions but
> on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is
imbued
> with thoughts.[19]
>
> How do you personally react to this statement: "It is not the words of
the
> Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired"? It is true
that
> expressions such as "the pen of inspiration" are commonly used to refer
to
> the inspired messages. However, it seems that God wants us to learn that
> it is not the "pen" that is inspired. Rather, it is the prophet's mind.
In
> practice, this means at least two things: (1) The
>
> 34
>
> prophet uses his own language. It is everyday language, learned from
> childhood and improved through study, reading, travel, and learning. The
> language used is not supernatural or divine, but human. (2) The prophet
> may include spelling or grammatical mistakes, as well as other language
> defects such as imperfect style or lapses in memory. These imperfections
> need to be corrected by an editor before the text is ready for
> publication. The editor is not correcting the inspired "message" but the
> non-inspired "language." Consider one prophet's own testimony:
>
> While my husband lived, he acted as a helper and counselor in the
sending
> out of the messages that were given to me. . . . The instruction I
> received in vision was faithfully written out by me, as I had time and
> strength for the work. Afterward we examined the matter together, my
> husband correcting grammatical errors and eliminating needless
repetition.
> Then it was carefully copied for the persons addressed, or for the
> printer.[20]
>
> This morning I take into candid consideration my writings. My husband is
> too feeble to help me prepare them for the printer, therefore I shall do
> no more with them at present. I am not a scholar. I cannot prepare my
own
> writings for the press. . . .
>
> I am thinking I must lay aside my writing I have taken so much pleasure
> in, and see if I cannot become a scholar. I am not a grammarian. I will
> try, if the Lord will help me, at forty-five years old to become a
scholar
> in the science. God will help me. I
>
> 35
>
> believe He will.[21]
>
> For some believers, the idea of an editor or a secretary "correcting"
the
> inspired writings may be new, and even bewildering. The idea that the
> prophet uses human language and that the language is "imperfect" may
raise
> questions. The idea of looking for "imperfections" in the Bible or in
the
> writings of Ellen White may seem completely out of line. However, it
must
> be done because it is to our advantage to understand that, indeed, just
as
> in the case of the biblical prophets, Ellen White used imperfect
language.
> Are you ready, dear reader, for this challenge?
>
> In the biblical record there seems to be a lapsus linguae in the Gospel
of
> Matthew, where the apostle cites Zechariah, but actually quotes
Jeremiah,
> in connection with the thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 27:9,10;
Zechariah
> 11:12; Jeremiah 32:6-9). For one who believes in verbal inspiration,
this
> situation could give rise to serious doubts. However for those who
accept
> that "the Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech,"[22] this is
> simply an appropriate illustration helping us understand that the divine
> message arrives through imperfect human language.
>
> The following statement of Ellen White also seems to be a lapsus
linguae.
> She quotes Paul, but credits Peter: " 'The love of Christ constraineth
> us,' the apostle Peter declared. This was the motive that impelled the
> zealous disciple in his arduous labors in the cause of the gospel."[23]
> Without a doubt, she was thinking of Paul, but wrote Peter. Does this
> inspired statement with its mistaken name upset or confuse you? Why
didn't
> the Holy Spirit "correct" this error before it was published?
Fortunately,
> we have enough evidences
>
> 36
>
> in the Bible, as well as in the history of Adventism, to demonstrate
that
> the Spirit always corrected His messengers in matters of im****tance for
> the knowledge of the truth. Why, then, did not the Spirit correct His
> servants in the imperfections of language use? Undoubtedly because He
> allowed the prophets to use their own language, an imperfect and human
> language that, nonetheless, communicates the perfect and divine message
of
> God.
>
> Help In The Selection Of The Words And Expressions
> What has been said up to now does not mean that the Holy Spirit abandons
> the prophet once He has communicated the message to him, or leaves him
> totally to himself in the selection of words and resources used to
> communicate the divine message. Although the prophet uses his own
> language, the Spirit still guides him in the selection of the words and
> expressions. Here are some statements that confirm this point:
>
> The goodness of the Lord to me is very great. I praise His name that my
> mind is clear on Bible subjects. The Spirit of God works upon my mind
and
> gives me appropriate words with which to express the truth. . . . I am
> trying to catch the very words and expressions that were made in
reference
> to this matter, and as my pen hesitates a moment, the appropriate words
> come to my mind.
>
> When writing these precious books, if I hesitated, the very word I
wanted
> to express the idea was given me. . . . I am exceedingly anxious to use
> words that will not give anyone a chance to sustain
>
> 37
>
> erroneous sentiments. I must use words that will not be misconstrued and
> made to mean the opposite of that which they were designed to mean.[24]
>
> In this way, inspiring the prophet with the message and guiding him in
> selecting the right words and appropriate expressions, the Holy Spirit
> makes sure that the divine message arrives under ideal conditions to be
> understood correctly.
>
> Conclusion
> Often the Lord surprises us with His marvelous, and sometimes strange,
> ways of doing things. To communicate with His people, God has selected
> human beings, dedicated but imperfect, and has decided to employ
imperfect
> human languages. We should be grateful to our Heavenly Father for not
> having chosen a "grand superhuman language," understood by only a few,
but
> rather our own languages, the ones that all of us can understand. On the
> other hand, when accepting His ways, we must be careful not to confuse
the
> "vessel" with the "content" or to discard the "treasure" because the
> "vessel" seems to be imperfect. As Ellen White herself states:
>
> God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human
> agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled
> them to do His work. He guided the mind in the selection of what to
speak
> and what to write. The treasure was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it
> is, none the less, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed through
>
> 38
>
> the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of
> God.[25]
>
> Chapter 3-The Divine Presence
> "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy
> ground'" (Exodus 3:5). We approach the topic of this chapter with the
full
> reverence it deserves. The divine Presence, whether experienced as
reality
> or in a vision, always produces the same reaction; a sensation of
> unworthiness and spiritual insufficiency when facing such a sublime
> privilege. Isaiah recounts his experience: "In the year that King Uzziah
> died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted. . . . 'Woe to
> me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live
> among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord
> Almighty'" (Isaiah 6:1, 5).
>
> The divine Presence shows itself in different ways. In this chapter we
> will analyze three of them: (1) theophanies, or the real and visible
> presence of a divine Being; (2) visions and prophetic dreams, that due
to
> their supernatural character, indicate a superhuman presence, either
real
> or in the prophet's mind; (3) the divine Presence that manifests itself
in
> the message shared by the prophet with the people.
>
> 40
>
> Theophanies, The Real And Visible Presence Of A Divine Being
> On occasion, God decides to communicate a message personally. He then
> manifests Himself directly to a human being. In these cases, it seems
that
> the message is extremely im****tant, the cir***stances are urgent, or the
> human messenger needs a direct divine corroboration of a call or a
> challenge put before him. God, then, condescends to reveal Himself
visibly
> and personally among humans. This was the case of Adam and Eve both
before
> and after the Fall.[26] God manifested Himself to Abraham to inform him
of
> the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.[27] He did so to Moses
to
> communicate the plan to liberate the chosen people and later to deliver
> the holy law.[28] God spoke directly with Joshua to confirm the entrance
> of Israel into the Promised Land.[29] The same thing happened to Paul
when
> he was called to a special ministry.[30]
>
> By manifesting Himself to the prophet or leader of His people, God
> validates the heavenly origin of the communication received both to the
> prophet and to the recipients of the message. No one would dare question
> the validity of a message personally delivered. In these cases, the real
> presence goes beyond the visionary experience.
>
> Although Ellen White does not specifically mention direct and visible
> encounters with a divine Being, on several occasions she did experience
a
> divine presence in her room. Here are some of her personal testimonies:
>
> Friday, March 20, I arose early, about half past three o'clock in the
> morning. While writing upon the fifteenth chapter of John suddenly a
> wonderful
>
> 41
>
> peace came upon me. The whole room seemed to be filled with the
atmosphere
> of heaven. A holy, sacred presence seemed to be in my room. I laid down
my
> pen and was in a waiting attitude to see what the Spirit would say unto
> me. I saw no person. I heard no audible voice, but a heavenly watcher
> seemed close beside me; I felt that I was in the presence of Jesus.[31]
>
> All through my long affliction I have been most signally blessed of God.
> In the most severe conflicts with intense pain, I realized the
assurance,
> "My grace is sufficient for you." At times when it seemed that I could
not
> endure the pain, when unable to sleep, I looked to Jesus by faith, and
His
> presence was with me, every shade of darkness rolled away, a hallowed
> light enshrouded me, the very room was filled with the light of His
divine
> presence.[32]
>
> The room was filled with light, a most beautiful, soft, azure light, and
I
> seemed to be in the arms of heavenly beings. This peculiar light I have
> experienced in the past in times of special blessing, but this time it
was
> more distinct, more impressive, and I felt such peace, peace so full and
> abundant no words can express it. I raised myself into a sitting
posture,
> and I saw that I was surrounded by a bright cloud, white as snow, the
> edges of which were tinged with a deep pink. The softest, sweetest music
> was filling the air, and I recognized the music as the singing of the
> angels. Then a Voice spoke to me, saying: "Fear
>
> 42
>
> not; I am your Saviour. Holy angels are all about you."[33]
>
> The language used by the prophets to describe these encounters leads us
to
> conclude that it is not always possible for the prophet to know if what
he
> is experiencing is a real presence or a vision. The apostle Paul's
> experience was similar: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago
was
> caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the
> body I do not know-God knows. And I know that this man-whether in the
body
> or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows-was caught up to
> Paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not
permitted
> to tell" (2 Corinthians 12:24). Whether the prophet experienced a real
> presence or perceived that presence as part of a vision, the im****tant
> thing is that either way the divine presence leaves an indelible mark on
> the prophetic experience.
>
> The Angels as Representatives of Divinity
> Although the angels are not divine beings, on many occasions they have
> been sent by God with messages for humanity. Humans, faced with such
holy
> and majestic beings, exhibit similar symptoms of astonishment,
reverence,
> and feelings of unworthiness.
>
> The Bible describes numerous visits of angels to earth. At the moment,
> however, we are particularly interested in analyzing the presence of
> angels sent with messages from God to His servants, the prophets.
>
> Daniel's experience in the Old Testament and the apostle John's in the
New
> Testament are particularly illustrative.
>
> 43
>
> Daniel never got over his astonishment at seeing the angel Gabriel at
his
> side. From the prophet's description, it seems that this encounter was
not
> part of a vision, but a real presence: "And I heard a man's voice from
the
> Ulai calling, 'Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.' As he
> came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell
> prostrate. 'Son of man,' he said to me, 'understand that the vision
> concerns the time of the end.' While he was speaking to me, I was in a
> deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me
> to my feet. . . . While I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had
seen
> in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the
> evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, 'Daniel, I have now
> come to give you insight and understanding'" (Daniel 8:16-18; 9:21, 22).
>
> The astonishment and subsequent reaction of the prophet Daniel are
easily
> understood. The presence of a celestial being is not common. The arrival
> of an angelic being flying in the heavens and materializing at the side
of
> God's servant, even when appearing in human form, produces an emotional
> impact difficult for even the prophet himself to explain. Daniel
> apparently faints when faced with the angelic presence (Daniel 8:18;
> 10:8-20).
>
> The case of the apostle John is similar. When recording his visions, the
> apostle seems to behave calmly in telling us that they are "The
revelation
> of Jesus Christ, which God gave him. . . . And he made it known by
sending
> his angel to his servant John" (Rev. 1:1). In reality, however, when the
> encounter took place with the angel, the servant of God experienced such
> an emotional shock that his natural reaction was to prostrate himself to
> wor****p the celestial messenger
>
> 44
>
> by his side (Rev.19:10; 22:8, 9).
>
> Ellen White also experienced the presence of angels in her prophetic
> ministry. On several occasions she referred to the celestial
> representative who visited her, calling him "my Instructor." Here are
some
> of her testimonies:
>
> I have received your letter, in which you inquire what is meant by the
> words "I," "We," and so on, in my testimonies. In my work, I am
connected
> with my helpers, and I am also connected and in close touch with my
> Instructor and other heavenly intelligences. Those who are called of God
> should be in touch with him through the operation of his Holy Spirit,
that
> they may be taught by him.[34]
>
> [While sailing from Australia to the United States] I was visited by the
> angel of the Lord on the boat, and instruction was given me, which I do
> not yet dare to speak. I will sometime give the whole history of my
> experience on the boat. It is so solemn, so sacred a matter that I do
not
> feel like talking about it.[35]
>
> Terrible as was the representation that passed before me, that which
> impressed itself most vividly upon my mind was the instruction given me
in
> connection with it. The angel that stood by my side declared that God's
> supreme ruler****p, and the sacredness of His law, must be revealed to
> those who persistently refuse to render obedience to the King of kings.
> Those who choose to remain disloyal, must
>
> 45
>
> be visited in mercy with judgments, in order that, if possible, they may
> be aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of their course.[36]
>
> The presence of an angelic being with an im****tant, solemn, or urgent
> message, reconfirms the faith of God's servants of the heavenly origin
of
> that message, and it offers the individuals to whom it is directed
> additional proof of its im****tance.
>
> The Divine Presence In Visions And Prophetic Dreams
> Although not as spectacular as a real and visible visit by a divine or
> angelic Being, the divine Presence is also manifested in the prophet's
> life through visions. Although we do not fully understand the exact
> process by which the Spirit communicates a message, the prophetic
> experience helps us, at least partially, to comprehend the process.
> Apparently, the five senses with which human beings perceive images,
> sounds, smells, tastes, or sensations in real life, are also used by the
> prophet to perceive the various aspects of a divine communication.
Hearing
> and sight seem to be the main media. The prophet sees and hears images
and
> sounds. However, comparing his perceptions with our own leads us to
> conclude that the visions are apparently more like a dream than reality.
> In a dream we see and hear not with real sight or hearing but through
the
> subconscious. In the case of the prophet, although he may be awake and
> conscious at the moment of receiving a vision, he immediately loses the
> sense of his actual real surroundings. He is given access to systems of
> information and perception apparently unknown to
>
> 46
>
> human beings in general. If God uses the conscious, unconscious, or
> subconscious mind, we do not know. What we do know is that when the
> prophet returns to the real world, he is totally aware of having
> experienced the divine presence.
>
> It would be foolish on our behalf to deny the reality of this
> communication solely on the basis of not fully understanding it. At the
> moment of writing these lines, I am flying on a transcontinental trip. I
> am using a ****table computer to take advantage of the several hours of
> flight time. This same computer, with the right connections and in the
> right place, gives me access to world-wide systems of communication such
> as the Internet that allow me to send, in seconds, a message to the
other
> side of the world. I would be the first to admit that I do not fully
> understand the process. However, when I receive the answer to my message
> in minutes, I have to accept that, although I do not fully understand
the
> process, the communication system works in surprising ways, almost
> magically for me, since I am not an expert in electronic systems.
>
> To tell the truth, at this precise moment I am surrounded by systems of
> communication that I cannot explain. A cellular telephone is located in
> the back of the seat in front of me on the airplane. By simply passing a
> magnetic card though a slot, that small apparatus allows me to hear a
> familiar voice. I don't know exactly how it gets here, but I am happy it
> works the way it does. The television on the plane offers news,
earphones
> allow me to hear the voices of those appearing on the screen, and I can
> even hear the pilot's voice in contact with the air controllers in the
> tower. All these systems of information and communication are apt
> illustrations of the divine communication systems. I do not fully
> understand
>
> 47
>
> them, but that does not deprive me from accepting them and recognizing
the
> benefits they offer me.
>
> Something similar happens in divine communication to the prophet.
Although
> not even the servant of God is able to explain fully the experience in
> which he is involved, and consequently we are even less able to
comprehend
> it, the conviction that the divine presence has been manifested; that
His
> voice has spoken, is fully certain in his mind.
>
> Supernatural Phenomena That Accompany A Vision
> Sometimes the Lord sees fit to manifest His presence through events of a
> supernatural order that accompany the prophet when in vision. Probably,
> the most spectacular of these phenomena is the absence of breathing in
the
> prophet's physical activity. We all know that a human body cannot
survive
> without oxygen for more than a few minutes. The organs of the body,
> especially the brain, require the presence of this vital element.
Without
> it, the brain will suffer irreversible damage within a short time.
> Nevertheless, in the prophetic experience of Ellen White, believers as
> well as nonbelievers had more than one op****tunity to observe that in
some
> of her public visions, she did not breathe. There was no indication of
> breath, no inhalation or exhalation, no movement of her chest. No va****
> clouded a mirror held in front of her mouth, and a burning candle placed
> next to her lips did not flicker.
>
> J. N. Loughborough, a pioneer of the Adventist movement, gathered a
> significant number of testimonies, among them confirmation by several
> doctors, that attest to this phenomenon.[37] Another pioneer, D. T.
> Bordeau, who originally
>
> 48
>
> doubted the origin of the visions, declared that when he witnessed this
> phenomenon personally and noted the total absence of breathing, it was
> enough proof to confirm the divine origin of the messages. Here is his
> personal testimony:
>
> June 28, 1857, I saw Sister Ellen G. White in vision for the first time.
I
> was an unbeliever in the visions; but one cir***stance among others that
I
> might mention convinced me that her visions were of God. To satisfy my
> mind as to whether she breathed or not, I first put my hand on her chest
> sufficiently long to know that there was no more heaving of the lungs
than
> there would have been had she been a corpse. I then took my hand and
> placed it over her mouth, pinching her nostrils between by thumb and
> forefinger, so that it was impossible for her to exhale or inhale air,
> even if she had desired to do so. I held her thus with my hand about ten
> minutes, long enough for her to suffocate under ordinary cir***stances;
> she was not in the least affected by this ordeal. Since witnessing this
> wonderful phenomenon, I have not once been inclined to doubt the divine
> origin of her visions."[38]
>
> Supernatural phenomena such as those just mentioned and others, such as
> total loss of physical strength, or the momentary acquisition of
> exceptional strength, do not represent the most im****tant elements of
the
> prophetic experience, but they are additional evidences that a superior
> Being or superhuman element is behind the event. The prophet herself
> offers in her personal testimony the reasons for this
>
> 49
>
> type of manifestation of the divine presence:
>
> Some of the instruction found in these pages was given under
cir***stances
> so remarkable as to evidence the wonderworking power of God in behalf of
> His truth. Sometimes while I was in vision, my friends would approach
me,
> and exclaim, "Why, she does not breathe!" Placing a mirror before my
lips,
> they found that no moisture gathered on the glass. It was while there
was
> no sign of any breathing that I kept talking of the things that were
being
> presented before me. These messages were thus given to substantiate the
> faith of all, that in these last days we might have confidence in the
> Spirit of Prophecy.[39]
>
> Some believers do not need to depend on events like this to accept a
> message coming from God. Others, however, may need much more than a
> supernatural phenomenon to believe. In this case, peculiar to the
> Adventist movement, God considered it op****tune to surround the
prophetic
> experience with events of special characteristics that confirmed the
faith
> of the believers of the time. Those of us who live several decades after
> the time of these events can depend on the personal testimonies of these
> believers. They were surely as sincere and honest as we ourselves when
> they built and confirmed their faith in the prophetic gift step by step,
> and accepted these signs as evidence of the divine Presence with His
> people.
>
> The Divine Presence in the Prophetic Message
> However, on many occasions the prophetic visions and
>
> 50
>
> dreams are not accompanied by visible or audible signs of the divine
> Presence. In these cases, the only sign or identity of the divine origin
> of the communication is found in the message itself. In other words, the
> divine Presence is manifested in the very characteristics of the message
> the prophet is communicating.
>
> As if placed in a "time machine," prophets are taken to the remote past,
> or trans****ted to the distant future. With relation****p to the past,
they
> obtain information never seen by archaeologists, geologists, or
> paleontologists. With relation****p to the future, they offer information
> that the years or the centuries will eventually prove to be accurate.
They
> have access to places and beings in the universe that are totally
unknown,
> even to modern space scientists. As far as human history is concerned,
> they are witnesses to events that historians have not recorded. In
> relation to the secret lives of individuals, they have access to
> situations and cir***stances known only to the people involved.
>
> The last point mentioned in the previous paragraph, the communication to
> the prophet of events and cir***stances that individuals keep secret,
> contains the essence of the divine Presence that makes that particular
> message something superhuman or supernatural. Hundreds of letters sent
by
> Ellen White during seventy years of prophetic ministry contained this
> component that always caused astonishment and surprise to those
involved.
> It is this ingredient that produced changes and reformation in the
honest
> and sincere of heart, and that even the most rebellious had to accept as
> of divine origin because of the accuracy and truthfulness of the
> declarations referring to the deepest secrets of their lives.
>
> Imagine for a moment the emotion-and probably the
>
> 51
>
> anxiety-of receiving a letter from a prophet that began like this:
>
> In the last vision given me your case was presented before me. I have
been
> waiting to see if you had a tender, sensitive, or a seared, conscience.
I
> have had the following written out for a long time but have thought I
> would wait till you made some move yourself. I was shown that you have
not
> lived up to the light. You have departed far from the light. The Lord
has
> been following you with reproofs and counsel to preserve you from
ruining
> your own soul and bringing a reproach upon His cause. I was shown that
you
> have been retrograding rather than advancing and growing in grace and
the
> knowledge of truth.[40]
>
> In many cases, the messages were more specific. Secret sins were
revealed
> by God and communicated by the prophet to the person or persons
involved.
> Undoubtedly, God's purpose in revealing these cir***stances was to give
> the individuals an op****tunity to repent, to change their ways, and
> through the grace of God, begin a new spiritual life.
>
> But there was an additional reason for revealing and communicating the
> secret problems of individuals-to serve as advice and admonition to
others
> involved in the same cir***stances. Paul declares that many of these
> revelations are "for our admonition" (1 Corinthians 10:11). Ellen White
> corroborates the biblical exhortation, stating:
>
> If one is reproved for a special wrong, brethren
>
> 52
>
> and sisters should carefully examine themselves to see wherein they have
> failed and wherein they have been guilty of the same sin. . . . Many are
> dealing falsely with their own souls and are in a great deception in
> regard to their true condition before God. He employs ways and means to
> best serve His purpose and to prove what is in the hearts of His
professed
> followers. He makes plain the wrongs of some that others may thus be
> warned and fear and shun those errors. . . .
>
> In a view given me about twenty years ago, I was then directed to bring
> out general principles, in speaking and in writing, and at the same time
> specify the dangers, errors, and sins of some individuals, that all
might
> be warned, reproved, and counseled. I saw that all should search their
own
> hearts and lives closely to see if they had not made the same mistakes
for
> which others were corrected and if the warnings given for others did not
> apply to their own cases. If so, they should feel that the counsel and
> reproofs were given especially for them and should make as practical an
> application of them as though they were especially addressed to
> themselves.[41]
>
> As the apostle declares, the messages of divine origin are given "for
> teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy
> 3:16). Although accepting that correction is not an easy decision, those
> who do accept it receive the blessing of being guided directly by the
Lord
> by means of His prophetic word. What an extraordinary reason to be
> grateful! Just think: the Lord is so concerned for a single
>
> 53
>
> soul that He takes the time to send special revelations to His servants
to
> liberate them from going down the road toward perdition! To think that
He
> has done it to prevent me from going down that road and to admonish me,
> personally!
>
> Conclusion
> The divine Presence with the prophet is manifested not only when the
> visions are accompanied by extraordinary or supernatural phenomena.
> Neither is an angelic or divine appearance necessary to confirm the
origin
> of the messages. The sincere and humble believer will accept the
messages
> themselves as the strongest evidence of divine love for the human race
and
> of the extraordinary effort that God makes so that all men may be saved
> and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).
>
> Chapter 4-Human History
> In the previous chapter we analyzed the special cir***stances that
> surround the prophet when visited by a divine or angelic presence.
> Visions, prophetic dreams, or the real presence of a celestial being, as
> happens in theophanies, surround the prophet with an almost supernatural
> halo. For the sincere believer, the visionary experience is sufficient
> evidence, especially when accompanied by phenomena inexplicable to the
> human mind, such as foreseeing the future or revealing secret
conditions.
> He is more than ready to accept these messages as coming from God.
>
> But in the inspired writings there are also narratives, biographies, and
> literary segments that are not the direct result of a vision or
prophetic
> dream. Even the most classic examples of visionary activity, such as
those
> re****ted in the books of Ezekiel or Daniel, contain historical or
> narrative ****tions for which the prophet did not depend for information
on
> a vision or an angelic encounter. Are these records less inspired than
the
> visions? Are there degrees of inspiration in the Scriptures? Our answer
to
> these questions, based on the biblical record itself, is categorically
No.
> "All Scripture
>
> 56
>
> is inspired by God," Paul says, referring to the inspired writings (2
> Timothy 3:16). Peter says "but men spoke from God as they were carried
> along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). None of these servants of God
> ever suggest that some parts of the sacred writings are less inspired
than
> others, or that the prophet, when speaking on God's behalf, on some
> occasions could make the message less inspired than on others. Both
> apostles assert that all that the prophets speak on behalf of God is
> inspired.
>
> There are no degrees or levels of inspiration or revelation in the
> prophetic writings. Rather, when we examine the prophetic writings we
see
> various "models" or ways that Divinity uses to inspire the prophet. The
> apostle expresses it well, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers
> through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these
last
> days he has spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1, 2). To understand the
> dynamics of inspiration and divine revelation, we must try to discover
> these "various ways" that God has spoken to the prophets.
>
> In this chapter we will analyze two modes or systems of inspiration and
> revelation found in the Scriptures and the writings of Ellen White: (1)
> the eyewitness model, in which the prophet acts as an eyewitness of the
> events being related, and (2) the historical model, in which the prophet
> acts as an historian.
>
> The Story of an Eyewitness
> Sometimes God inspires the prophets to describe events or cir***stances
> that they themselves have witnessed. The classic example in the
Scriptures
> is the experience of the apostle John. His first epistle to the churches
> begins by saying:
>
> 57
>
> "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
> seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have
> touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. . . . We proclaim
to
> you what we have seen and heard" (1 John 1:1-3).
>
> John, along with the other disciples, participated in the events of
> Christ's ministry, His death on the cross, and His resurrection and
> ascension. He had the op****tunity to witness gleams of glory at the
> transfiguration and to be astonished by the miracles, healings, and
> resurrections from the dead. He saw the angels sustaining his beloved
Lord
> in the garden of Gethsemane and guarding the empty sepulcher. As far as
> these events are concerned, the apostle had no need of a vision to know
> their history, because he himself had been part of that history.
>
> However, the apostle John, as well as Matthew-the two disciples of the
> Lord who wrote Gospels-did need divine revelation to interpret the
events
> they witnessed. It would not have been possible for the apostle John to
> perceive, behind the Teacher they followed, the eternal Son of God
> "Through (whom) all things were made" (John 1:13), if it had not been
for
> a divine revelation. The same is true of Peter. He could not have
> recognized in Jesus "the Christ, the Son of the living God" if it had
not
> been for the fact that, as Jesus told him: "this was not revealed to you
> by man, but by my Father in heaven" (Matt. 16:16, 17).
>
> As in the rest of the Scriptures, the personal testimony of the prophet
or
> of the apostle is guided by the divine presence in his mind, not only to
> help him remember accurately what he saw as an eyewitness but to help
him
> interpret the events correctly.
>
> 58
>
> Witness to the Great Acts of God
> The Scriptures are a kind of a heroic epic poem, in which the great acts
> of God related to the plan of salvation are intermingled with human
> history. In describing those events, the divine and human instruments
are
> combined. God inspires the prophet to participate in the history of the
> plan of redemption, and then supplies, through visions and dreams, the
> information the prophet lacks. When the chosen messenger is part of the
> historical events, the Spirit inspires and encourages him to relate his
> eyewitness testimony.
>
> Moses is a classic Old Testament example. For the most part, the books
of
> the Pentateuch-the first five books of the Bible-describe human history.
> Nevertheless, it is history that relates the great acts of God. Moses,
of
> course, needed special revelation to write the first chapters of Genesis
> dealing with the creation of the earth and of humanity. Those who
attempt
> to find a human explanation for divine inspiration conclude that the
> biblical authors depended on other sources such as oral traditions,
> legends, or theories popular in their times. If, however, Moses depended
> on the common traditions or theories of his day about these origins,
then
> the story of Creation would have been very different. It is true that
the
> leader of Israel could have received certain oral traditions passed down
> from generation to generation from his Hebrew ancestors, starting with
> Adam himself. On the other hand, the attention and dedication to detail
> that the Lord revealed to His servant in matters such as the
construction
> of the tabernacle, or the dietary and sanitary laws, assure us that God
> must have wanted the history of Creation recorded in the most perfect
and
> detailed way. It is possible that some
>
> 59
>
> day modern science will verify and accept the biblical account and
discard
> evolutionary theories. But even if that does not happen, we may be
assured
> that the redeemed will be able to affirm the truthfulness of the first
> chapters of Genesis. That story is a prophetic revelation, and the
> prophetic word is "more certain" (2 Peter 1:19) than any other source of
> human knowledge, simply because it originates from divine knowledge.
>
> The book of Exodus is a different matter. There the inspirational
"model"
> is different. Moses did not need visions and dreams to relate the
history
> of the Exodus. He himself was part of it. In this case, God inspired the
> prophet and leader of Israel to relate his own eyewitness account.
> Nevertheless, this personal testimony is also unique, because the
> description of historical events is consistently intertwined with divine
> intervention. That intervention is sometimes a direct presence,
sometimes
> a voice that directs and commands, at other times a symbolic presence,
> such as the cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night. Moses'
eyewitness
> account combines with divine intervention to make this a unique type of
> history, because it is the history of the saving acts of God.
>
> The books of Moses are not an exception in the Old Testament. Several
> others, such as Joshua, Ezra, and Nehemiah, come down to us as result of
> the personal testimony of their authors. Other prophets, such as Isaiah,
> Jeremiah, or Daniel, combine their personal experiences with the visions
> revealed to them by the Spirit.
>
> Eyewitness To The Birth Of The Last Church
> The eyewitness pattern was also used by Ellen White
>
> 60
>
> to describe historical events related to the Adventist movement. In some
> of her biographical works,[42] her emotions and feelings about
personally
> participating in the events and cir***stances that form the history of
> this religious movement, come through clearly. You can feel the
excitement
> of the imminence of the date of the anticipated appearance of the Lord
in
> her story; the immense discouragement suffered as a result of the Great
> Disappointment; the anxiety to discover the truth in the Word of God,
and
> the joy of receiving answers to questions through the visions. In a
manner
> similar to the history of God's people in the past, this epic poem also
> combines human and divine elements. The prophet's testimony mingles with
> the intervention of the Spirit. It is human history, but a history
> incor****ated into the great acts of God.
>
> For that reason, the Lord surely inspired His messenger to give her
> personal testimony. Just as biblical history reaffirms us in the faith
and
> conviction of divine guidance, the history of the Adventist movement,
> recounted by an eyewitness to the events, reaffirms the conviction that
> God was guiding this group of believers. He had a purpose for them-the
> mission of transforming them into a vast world movement to announce the
> truths of the three angel's message to every nation, tribe, language,
and
> people. The certainty of divine guidance in our past history is so
strong
> that this eyewitness can assert:
>
> In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of
advance
> to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord
has
> wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with
>
> 61
>
> confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future,
> except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching
in
> our past history.[43]
>
> Prophets as Historians
> The second mode or model of revelation and inspiration we will analyze
in
> this chapter is the historical model. In this case, God inspires
prophets
> to search for historical records, oral or written, and guides them in
> making the correct selection. The prime example in the Scriptures is the
> Gospel of Luke, often designated the "Lucan model" of inspiration.
>
> Luke clearly states that his writings are not the result of visions or
> prophetic dreams, but of an investigation:
>
> Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been
> fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who
from
> the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I
> myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it
> seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most
excellent
> Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have
been
> taught. (Luke 1:1-4).
>
> Luke's Gospel is not the only example of the historical model of
> inspiration found in the Bible. In the Old Testament there are several
> historical books, Kings and Chronicles for example, that also claim that
> their information came from
>
> 62
>
> historical do***ents and records. In the New Testament, the book of Acts
> is a combination of the historical and eyewitness models. The first part
> of the book is a historical summary by Luke dealing with the beginnings
of
> the apostolic church. The second part of the book is the same author's
> eyewitness re****ts as part of Paul's evangelistic team.
>
> Ellen White was also inspired by the Spirit to use the historical model
in
> some of her books. She used various historical references from
> non-religious authors, especially in her works targeted to the general
> public. How should we understand these references from non-inspired
> historians when they form part of the text of an inspired book?
>
> Noninspired References in Inspired Writings
> It is difficult for some believers to understand why a prophet who
> receives a message from God needs to quote other authors to communicate
> that message. In the latter section of chapter two, we made reference to
> the fact that the prophets use their own human language to communicate
the
> divine message. "It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but
> the men that were inspired."[44] The prophet appeals to all types of
> expressions, do***ents, indexes, and even the reminiscences of other
> witnesses, to communicate the message received. On occasion, the
servants
> of God look for historical references to corroborate or to ratify what
has
> been shown them in vision. On other occasions, they do so to do***ent
> dates or cir***stances related to the history being described. In every
> case, however, the messenger is impressed by the Spirit and inspired to
> seek the correct information. The im****tant difference between a general
> historian and a prophetic historian is that the Holy Spirit guides
>
> 63
>
> the prophets' procedures by helping them to select the material that
> allows them to describe exactly what God wishes to communicate.
>
> Let us look at the personal testimony of a prophet who experienced these
> very cir***stances, including the need to find the appropriate words and
> historical references, the need to accurately transmit what she saw and
> the message that had been communicated:
>
> As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great truths of His word,
> and the scenes of the past and the future, I have been bidden to make
> known to others that which has thus been revealed-to trace the history
of
> the controversy in past ages, and especially so to present it as to shed
a
> light on the fast-approaching struggle of the future. In pursuance of
this
> purpose, I have endeavored to select and group together events in the
> history of the church in such a manner as to trace the unfolding of the
> great testing truths. . . .
>
> The great events which have marked the progress of reform in past ages
are
> matters of history, well known and universally acknowledged. . . . In
some
> cases where a historian has so grouped together events as to afford, in
> brief, a comprehensive view of the subject, or has summarized details in
a
> convenient manner, his words have been quoted; but in some instances no
> specific credit has been given, since the quotations are not given for
the
> purpose of citing that writer as authority, but because his statement
> affords a ready
>
> 64
>
> and forcible presentation of the subject.[45]
>
> However, in spite of the explanations and reasons given by the prophet
> herself for using historical references, some believers still ask: "Does
> that mean that the quotations from the secular historians become
inspired
> when they are used by a prophet?" The truth of the matter is that the
> statements of a secular historian do not pass through some "alchemistic"
> process, nor do phrases written by a non-inspired author become inspired
> as if by magic. Remember that the words used by the prophets themselves
do
> not go through such a transformation process. We repeat: "It is not the
> words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired."
The
> words are still human words. What actually happens is that God inspires
> the prophet to look for and select the historical references. Then these
> statements, together with the prophets' own words, communicate an
inspired
> or revealed message by God to His servant. That message,
notwithstanding,
> is communicated in human words, paragraphs, and phraseology.
>
> In fact, this is one of the most im****tant points in understanding the
> entire process of divine-human communication. It may also be the most
> difficult to comprehend and accept. This combination of divine and human
> elements seems to exceed our capacity for understanding. However, unless
> we keep in mind the fact that the message is divine, but the language
used
> by the prophet is human, it will always be difficult to understand and
> accept that a prophet may use different sources, or literary and
> historical materials, to give final form to the message received from
God.
>
> 65
>
> Conclusion
> Ultimately, acceptance of the divine message is a matter of faith and
> trust; trust in the fact that God has spoken through the prophets; trust
> in the fact that the Spirit has guided His servants to correctly select
> the words and references used; trust in the fact that He has directed
> their memory, or the memory of other witnesses, to relate the facts as
> they happened, and, ultimately, trust to accept the fact that these
> writings, with their human language and characteristics, are the message
> of God for us.
>
> Chapter 5-Divine Counsel
> The Scriptures clearly indicate God's objective in sending prophetic
> messages: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
> rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16,
17).
> Of all these worthy divine purposes, it seems that the most difficult
for
> human beings to accept is correction. It is, nevertheless, one of the
most
> necessary. Since the entrance of sin, the human mind has been limited in
> its ability to perfectly discern between good and evil, truth and error;
> between what is correct and what is not. Even after experiencing the new
> birth, believers still need the divine Corrector for each step on the
road
> to eternal life.
>
> Correction and Counsel in the Old Testament
> In Old Testament times, prophets generally transmitted the divine
message
> directly. God's servants were instructed to confront erring persons,
> whether kings or common citizens, the high priest or a member of the
> congregation. On occasion, the correction encompassed all of God's
people,
> or at least a majority who were on the road toward apostasy.
>
> 68
>
> On other occasions, the recipient of God's message was a pagan nation or
> an impenitent city. The message to Nineveh, transmitted by the wandering
> and elusive prophet Jonah, is a good illustration of the mercy of God
> toward sinners. Jonah criss-crossed the entire city on foot to proclaim
a
> warning message that, hearkened to and accepted by its inhabitants,
saved
> the city from sure destruction.
>
> Oral and Written Messages
> Although we may not understand precisely the process and cir***stances
> that influenced the preparation of the prophetic writings of the Old
> Testament, it seems that in most cases oral transmission preceded
written
> communication. The illustration we have just used is a good example.
Jonah
> transmitted the divine message orally to the city of Nineveh. At a later
> date it was written down and included in the prophetic writings. The
same
> thing happened in the case of Moses. When this great prophet and leader
> was called to act as God's messenger, he personally transmitted God's
> orders to Pharaoh to free His people in the Egyptian ruler's palace
> itself. Later they were recorded in the narrative of the Exodus. When
> Jehovah invited His servant to ascend Mt. Sinai to receive the laws and
> counsel for the people, all the instructions, except for the Ten
> Commandments, were first shared orally with the people, then later in
> written form. The biblical record states that "When Moses went and told
> the people all the Lord's words and laws . . . Moses then wrote down
> everything the Lord had said . . . Then he took the Book of the Covenant
> and read it to the people" (Exodus 24:3, 4, 7).
>
> God's reason for requiring His servants to write the messages is also
> recorded in the prophetic writings:
>
> 69
>
> So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of
Levi,
> who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders
of
> Israel. Then Moses commanded them: 'At the end of every seven years, in
> the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all
> Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will
> choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. . . so
they
> can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all
> the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must
hear
> it and learn to fear the Lord your God' (Deuteronomy 31:9-13).
>
> Future generations should hear the divine counsel, without waiting for a
> repetition of the powerful and supernatural manifestations that
> accompanied the initial communication on Mt. Sinai. The written counsel
> fulfilled the function of conveying the will of God to the people in
> general and to individuals in particular. The written message was just
as
> much the message of God as was His initial oral communication.
>
> Human beings, however, are prone to give less im****tance to a written
> message than to a dynamic manifestation of divine presence. With the
> passage of time, the written message-the book of the law-lost its
> im****tance for both leaders and followers. Eventually it was lost, and
no
> one knew what happened to it. The discovery of the book of the law in
> Josiah's time produced a major revival and reformation.[46] This event
> demonstrated that written communication,
>
> 70
>
> when accorded its rightful place by faithful leaders and accepted by
those
> willing to recognize their errors, produces the same results as a direct
> manifestation of the divine presence, or the personal intervention of a
> prophet.
>
> However, when the leaders, or the people, are not willing to listen to
> divine correction, God's message will be rejected, whether transmitted
> personally by the prophet or through written communication. During the
> time of Jehoiakim, the wicked son of the faithful king Josiah who had
> produced the great revival, the prophet Jeremiah communicated God's
> messages until he was prohibited from speaking. When that happened, God
> ordered him to write the reprimands in a scroll and read them before the
> people. Using the services of a scribe, Jeremiah obeyed the order, but
the
> wicked king burned the book. Even a second roll containing the divine
> counsel was rejected.[47]
>
> Divine Counsel In The New Testament
> The first prophet of New Testament times is John the Baptist, the
servant
> chosen by Heaven to prepare the way for the Lord. John arrived with his
> message of repentance and shared it with the people in oral form. There
is
> no evidence that he ever wrote out his messages. Then, "when the time
had
> fully come," Jesus, the maximum revelation of God, arrived. His message
> surprised and shook the society of His day. Thousands met to listen to
His
> sermons. Hundreds followed Him wherever He went. Like John the Baptist,
> Jesus left no written record of His miracles, sermons, or instructions.
> Nevertheless, divine wisdom inspired the evangelists to record the
history
> of the birth of Jesus and the events of Calvary, of His perfect life and
> undeserved death, of His
>
> 71
>
> teachings and actions. Every new generation should know the facts about
> redemption, so they may surrender their lives to the Saviour and receive
> His pardoning grace.
>
> Heaven uses both means to communicate the message, orally for the
> generation privileged to experience the presence of God's messenger and
in
> written form for those who will appear later. Both forms are inspired;
> both fulfill the divine purpose of "teaching . . . reproving . . .
> correcting . . . instructing" (2 Timothy 3:16).
>
> The Apostolic Letters
> With the growth of the church and its expansion to regions and
territories
> outside Palestine, it was necessary for the apostles to choose a means
of
> communication that allowed them to transmit the instruction, counsel-and
> often correction-to the churches and their leaders. The apostolic
letters
> fulfilled that function. Like any other letter, these epistles contain
> names, addresses, greetings, farewells, and even common requests that,
of
> course, required no special revelation from God.[48] Nevertheless, in
> contrast to ordinary letters, these missives contain divine instruction
> because they are produced by minds inspired by the Spirit of God.
>
> The apostolic letters allow us to analyze yet another form or model the
> Holy Spirit uses to deliver the divine counsel. We might call it the
> "epistolary" model of inspiration. The apostles, as messengers of God
and
> leaders of the church, were inspired and impressed by the Holy Spirit to
> write epistles that, besides greetings and requests, contained divine
> counsel for the church in general or for congregations or for
individuals
> in particular.
>
> This analysis of the apostolic letters can also help us
>
> 72
>
> understand the purpose and place of thousands of letters written by a
> modern prophet. The letters of Ellen White arrived in the hands of
> hundreds of believers and leaders of the church who were facing
particular
> situations and needed counsel and instruction. Can these letters also
> offer counsel and correction to those of us who are not their initial
> recipients? Are the letters of a prophet just as inspired as his
visions?
>
> The First Letter To The Corinthians: A Case Study
> The first letter to the Corinthians, written by the apostle Paul,
contains
> almost all the necessary elements to understand how the epistolary model
> of inspiration works. First of all, this letter is a reflection of the
> feelings of a pastor concerned about his flock. The church in Corinth,
> founded by Paul, was passing through difficult times. There were
problems
> of divisions among the believers. There were serious moral sins being
> tolerated in the church. There was the use and indiscriminate abuse of
> spiritual gifts and, in short, problems similar to those that other
> communities of believers have faced in the past and continue to confront
> today.
>
> Although the apostle might have received special revelations informing
him
> about the problems in Corinth, in this specific cir***stance it was a
> family of believers, members of the church itself, who brought the
> information: "My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me
> that there are quarrels among you" (1 Corinthians 1:11). In this case,
the
> information arrived by "natural," rather than supernatural means. As we
> stated in a previous chapter, when a secret cir***stance, known
>
> 73
>
> only to those involved, is revealed to the prophet, the message
> immediately takes on a kind of mysterious supernatural "halo." It is not
> always like that, however. The prophet may receive information from
> various sources without that fact weakening in any way the im****tance of
> the message that may arrive as a result of that information. In the time
> of Ellen White, some recipients of counsel or correction accused the
> messenger of having obtained the information from her husband, her son,
or
> from some other leader and not directly from heaven. They apparently
felt
> that if the message was not surrounded by that supernatural "halo," the
> prophet was not dependent on God for an inspired message. They confused
> the source of the information with the Source of the message.[49] The
> first letter to the Corinthians shows us clearly that the information
does
> not have come to the prophet through supernatural means to make it
> im****tant. What is im****tant is the message that results from the
> information received and the capacity of the recipients to accept and
> acknowledge the counsel.
>
> The Authority of a Letter
> A second aspect that stands out in the epistle to the Corinthians is the
> issue of the authority of a prophetic letter. There is a definite
emphasis
> on the part of the apostle to confirm that the counsel contained in the
> letter is the result of the teaching and orientation of the Spirit, and
> not his own wisdom. In fact, any argument that could be used to weaken
or
> to destroy the im****tance of the letter's contents is analyzed by the
> apostle and discarded as anathema. If anyone would question Paul's
> capacity to give counsel, the answer
>
> 74
>
> of the Lord's servant was: "But God chose the foolish things of the
world
> to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the
> strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised
> things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so
that
> no one may boast before him" (1:27-29). There is no doubt, therefore,
that
> the im****tance of the letter was not based on the human instrument that
> wrote it, but on the message it contained.
>
> If yet another believer was to doubt Paul's authority to give counsel,
> Paul's answer was: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and
> persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so
that
> your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. . . .
This
> is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words
> taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words"
> (2:4, 5, 13). Clearly, the opinions expressed in the letter, although
they
> were communicated by Paul in his characteristic language, cannot be
> considered his opinions but those of the Spirit.
>
> "Only a Letter"
> In our day believers have also appeared expressing similar objections
> regarding the modern prophet. "Can Ellen White express theological
> opinions if she was not trained in theology?" some ask. "Her opinions
> regarding health must have depended on the specialists of her time,
since
> she had no medical training," others say. These objections may be
> discarded out of hand if the believer accepts the postulate that the
> prophet has another Source of information-the Holy Spirit. In fact, this
> contem****ary prophet does not need to be a theologian to transmit true
> theological information. Nor
>
> 75
>
> does she need to be a doctor to communicate correct health counsel. She
> does not need to be a teacher to offer correct counsel regarding
teaching
> methods or orientation. The prophet has access to a different source of
> information that we describe as the "testimony of Jesus" or the gift of
> prophecy and therefore does not need any of these things.
>
> In her own day, Ellen White received objections to the authority of her
> writings, especially her letters. The comment, "it's only a letter," was
> often heard. The answer was not long in coming:
>
> When I went to Colorado I was so burdened for you that, in my weakness,
I
> wrote many pages to be read at your camp meeting. Weak and trembling, I
> arose at three o'clock in the morning to write to you. God was speaking
> through clay. You might say that this communication was only a letter.
> Yes, it was a letter, but prompted by the Spirit of God, to bring before
> your minds things that had been shown me. In these letters which I
write,
> in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord
has
> presented to me.[50]
>
> This epistolary model of inspiration and revelation may seem to resemble
> the letters that we ourselves write regularly; but it is different. The
> notable difference is that the letters written by a prophet come from a
> mind inspired by the Spirit of God. Their counsel and orientation may
well
> be blended with greetings, requests, and even the common matters that
> usually appear in a letter. The counsel in the letter, however, is not
> commonplace. It is divine counsel received
>
> 76
>
> through a unique model of inspiration-the epistolary model.
>
> Divine Counsel
> The first letter to the Corinthians also allows us to analyze the form
in
> which we receive the divine counsel. Chapter seven of 1 Corinthians is
an
> excellent example. The apostle analyzes various aspects of family
> relation****ps and answers some written questions he had received (v. 1).
> What stands out in this chapter with reference to the topic we are
> analyzing is that the Lord's servant has two means or ways of getting
> God's counsel to the churches. The first is when the apostle has a
> definite revelation or command from the Lord. The second is when the
> Spirit inspires him to give his own counsel. Both forms intermingle as
the
> various topics unfold. At the beginning of the chapter, speaking of the
> marital relation****ps between spouses, Paul asserts that he is giving
> counsel that is not the result of a direct revelation: "I say this as a
> concession, not as a command" (v. 6).
>
> Next, the apostle talks about divorce and separation. In this case, he
> clarifies that it is not he, but the Lord, who gives the command of
> staying together (v. 10). Nevertheless, a few lines further on, the
> servant of the Lord again expresses an apparently personal counsel in
> referring to husbands who have nonbelieving wives (v. 12). This
> combination of apparently personal and special revelation counsel
> continues throughout the chapter. Do both orientations have the same
> im****tance? Can both forms be defined as inspired counsel?
>
> The apostle himself was aware of the possibility that the believers
might
> make a difference between that which
>
> 77
>
> was the result of a revelation from God and what seemed to be personal
> counsel. Paul clearly indicates with no hesitation that both forms are
the
> result of the work of the Spirit. One is the result of a revelation or
> vision. The other form of divine revelation is when the Spirit impresses
> and inspires His servant to give counsel that comes from a mind inspired
> by the Spirit of God. At least twice the apostle specifies that,
although
> the counsel did not come through a vision or divine command, it
> nevertheless comes from someone used by the Spirit to communicate His
will
> to the church. Referring to young unmarried members, Paul says: "I have
no
> command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's
> mercy is trustworthy" (v. 25). Speaking to widows, the servant of God
> again gives his view with the conviction that "I too have the Spirit of
> God" (v. 40).
>
> The counsels coming from the apostle himself are just as much "divine
> counsel" as those received through a vision or a prophetic dream. The
only
> difference is that the Spirit is using different modes of revelation and
> inspiration. In this case, the prophet is inspired to act as a counselor
> to the people of God, and his mind is impressed and touched by the
Spirit
> so that he can give the appropriate and op****tune counsel.
>
> "I Was Shown"
> The expression, "I was shown" or similar phrases such as "I saw" or "it
> was presented to me" were used by Ellen White to refer to statements or
> counsel communicated through a vision or a prophetic dream. We find a
> variety of these declarations in her writings. The overwhelming majority
> of her letters, manuscripts, and even entire chapters of her books,
> however, do not contain any of these expressions.
>
> 78
>
> Should we consider these ****tions less inspired than those that contain
> the expression "I was shown"? Of course not. That would be the same as
> limiting the Holy Spirit to the use of a single model of inspiration. It
> is true that it is more fascinating, more spectacular, when the prophet
> receives a vision, especially when this takes place in public. But the
> Spirit can also inspire the prophet to use his own judgment-judgment
> illuminated and moved by the Spirit who controls the mind of God's
> servant.
>
> In this inspired model of prophetic guidance, the prophet acts as an
> instrument of the Spirit, offering direction and orientation to the
church
> in various matters related to behavior, human relation****ps, lifestyle
> standards, church discipline, or anything else that the Lord considers
> im****tant for the well-being of the members and the final victory of the
> church.
>
> Conclusion
> Divine counsel comes to believers in various ways. Sometimes a
> supernatural revelation uncovers the deeply hidden secrets of someone's
> life, making them known to the prophet. God's purpose in this is to give
> the person going down the wrong road a second chance. In other cases, a
> simple letter transmits the necessary counsel to avoid an error, or to
> correct one that has already been made. The letter does not even have to
> be directly addressed to us personally to have a beneficial effect on
our
> behavior. Here is how it was explained by Ellen White: "I was directed
to
> bring out general principles, in speaking and in writing, and at the
same
> time specify the dangers, errors, and sins of some individuals, that all
> might be warned, reproved, and counseled."[51]
>
> 79
>
> Reading an inspired book; or sometimes only a verse read during a quiet
> hour of meditation, may well wake us up in the desire to follow more
> closely the counsel, admonishment, or correction that we receive from
> heaven through the words of the prophet.
>
> Chapter 6-Human Writings
> In previous chapters we have made reference to the extraordinary
> combination of divine and human elements that takes place in
communicating
> God's message. Divinity uses human messengers who, though fully
> consecrated to God's service, continue showing signs of the
imperfections
> and weaknesses that are common to all human beings. These servants of
the
> Lord communicate the divine message in the only language they know,
their
> own-a language learned in childhood and cultivated by means of study,
> culture, travel, and reading.
>
> An expression we analyzed previously may still be resonating in the mind
> of the reader: "It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but
> the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man's words or
his
> expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy
> Ghost, is imbued with thoughts."[52]
>
> Taken with all the seriousness that this declaration deserves, it means
> that expressions such as "the pen of inspiration," and "the inspired
> writings" are only symbolic expressions that refer to the message the
> writings communicate and not to the text itself of the prophetic
> declarations. Expressions such as these
>
> 82
>
> will continue to be used-and there is nothing wrong with that-because we
> all understand what they mean: that what we may be reading at the moment
> comes from a mind inspired by the Spirit of God. Therefore, we speak of
> "inspired paragraphs" or "inspired books" or "inspired letters."
> Nevertheless, those expressions, taken literally, would contradict the
> prophetic thought that tells us that it is not the text, the words, or
the
> language of a declaration that is inspired, but the message these
> communicate-and that message comes from heaven.
>
> At this point in our study, some church members may ask: "But, how is it
> possible to separate the divine message from the text that communicates
> it? Is not the communication vehicle-the language-an integral and
> inseparable part of the message itself? How did Ellen White come to the
> understanding that the message she communicated was inspired, but the
> words used were not?" This chapter allows the messenger of the Lord
> herself to answers these questions. We will do so by analyzing one of
her
> books.
>
> The Great Controversy: A Case Study
> In the previous chapter, we analyzed an apostolic letter that allowed us
> to study a special model of inspiration, the epistolary model. Now we
will
> analyze a book that is an excellent illustration of what we might call
the
> historical model of prophetic inspiration. In this book, The Great
> Controversy, we find an inspired message about the history of the
> Christian church, a summary of the final events in human history, and we
> also find a series of elements that allow us to study the dynamics of
> divine communication-the elements that God and the prophet use to
> communicate a message.
>
> The Great Controversy was one of Ellen White's favorite
>
> 83
>
> books. In 1905 she declared: "I am more anxious to see a wide
circulation
> for this book than for any others I have written."[53] Some years later
> she again commented: I appreciate it above silver or gold, and I greatly
> desire that it shall come before the people."[54]
>
> Origin of The Book: Revelations and Visions
> This book is the f |
