Review: 1st witness: the spread of the reformation was mainly because of the printed Bible. The job of the Jesuits is to stop the reformation which was due primarily to the printed Bible so their real job is to destroy the reformation Bible. This they tried to do by burning them but this didn’t work so they counterfeited it using the codes sinnaticus and codex vaticanus.
How many religions claim the Bible? How many religions claim the KJV?
(note) There are many hundreds of groups that claim this ONE witness but their theologies CONFLICT! Why? Because it is relatively easy to twist things out of context and make them say what they WANT them to say. Let’s face it, this book is only a couple of inches thick. The KJV has some issues: 1 John 5:7-8, Ghost instead of Spirit is a VERY poor translation, many of the words used in the KJV have DIFFERENT definitions today so we tend to “translate” those words based on “modern” definitions instead of translating them how the KJV uses them! You might say “all we NEED is the Bible”, but has God only given ONE witness?
“If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses.” {PP 364.2}
(note) The Torah SHOULD have been all we needed, but because of darkness and ignorance, the psalms and prophets were given. Yet the Jews STILL missed the Messiah! So, the New Testament was given, but because of darkness and ignorance, MORE had to be given. To follow what God has said, we should look for another witness so we can establish the matter.
WITNESS 1 TESTIFIES OF WITNESS 2
Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”
(note) the time period spoken of here is after the Bible was completed and compiled and is dealing with AFTER the rise of the USA and is speaking of a remnant group that have the testimony of Jesus
Revelation 19:10 “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”
(note) this remnant group has the spirit of prophecy
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 “To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will”
(note) the spirit of prophecy is the gift of prophecy given by the Spirit
TIMELINE PROPHETS
- God gives a message
- He connects it with a time line
- Not present truth for prophet giving the message and time line
- At the end of the time line, God raises up a “present truth” prophet
- A message of judgment is given
- Brings out a remnant
Example of Daniel and John the Baptist
- God gives a message (Daniel)
- He connects it with a time line (490)
- Not present truth for prophet giving the message and time line (not for Daniel)
- At the end of the time line, God raises up a “present truth” prophet (John the Baptist)
- A message of judgment is given (Axe laid to the roots)
- Brings out a remnant (Disciples – Christian church)
Example of Daniel and EGW
- God gives a message (Daniel 8:14)
- He connects it with a time line (2,300 years)
- Not present truth for prophet giving the message and time line (not for Daniel)
- At the end of the time line, God raises up a “present truth” prophet (December 1844)
- A message of judgment is given (3 angels’ messages)
- Brings out a remnant (SDA – fundamental principles)(in order to be apart of the “remnant” you must look like the remnant)
APOLOGETICS
Sola Scriptura
1) the context of this phrase: Sola Scriptura means Scripture Only and was used by the reformation in the context of being in opposition to tradition as a source of salvation. When this phrase is used to say we don’t need EGW then it is taken totally out of context. EGW is NOT a source of traditions nor is she in OPPOSITION to the Bible, but is (under inspiration) expounding upon the way of salvation in complete harmony with the Bible.
2) “Scripture” means “that which is written”.
Romans 16:21 “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures [writtings] of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith”
Is EGW a prophet? Does she have writings? Were they given by God (were they inspired)? Do they point us to the obedience of faith? Was she somehow a “lesser” prophet than Paul?
Bottom line: Sola Scriptura cannot be applied to do away with the writings of ANY prophet
EGW was not as inspired as the Bible because she herself said we should check her writings by the Bible
Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”
(note) The Bereans were spoken of in a positive light because they checked EVERYTHING Paul said to the OLD TESTAMENT! Does this mean Paul was less inspired than those of the O.T.? The Spirit of Prophecy is not a lesser spirit now than it was in Paul’s day or in Daniel’s day. We are to check the revelation from one with another to make sure WE understand the totality of God’s word AND to check a potential source of the SOP against an already ESTABLISHED source of the SOP. The SOP is 3D and the more perspectives we can gather on one point, the better we will understand that point.
EGW plagiarized
“In him is life that is original,—unborrowed, underived life. In him is the fountain of life. In us there is a streamlet from the fountain of life. Our life is something that we receive, something that the Giver takes back again to himself.” {RH August 6, 1914, par. 1}
“In him was life,”—that is, original, unborrowed, underived. In us there is a
streamlet from the Fountain of Life; in him was the Fountain of Life. Our life is
something we receive, something that the Giver takes back again to himself.
(John Cummings, Sabbath Evening Readings on the New Testament, St. John, p. 5, 1856)
(note) here, EGW clearly copied from someone else and didn’t give credit, with one difference, he said “was” (past tense) and she said “is” (present tense). This was a fairly common thing for her. Does this discredit her as inspired?
Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death”
Plato said “to be carnally-minded was death”
(note) Paul quoted (intentionally or unintentionally) plato, with one difference, plato said “was” (past tense) and paul said “is” (present tense). Does this mean Paul wasn’t inspired? NO! Bottom line is that God inspires thoughts and allows His prophets to portray those thoughts as they wish. If someone else says it better then the prophets have been known to use those sayings to portray truth. I will often say “if you can’t say it simply then you don’t know it well enough” but don’t ALWAYS say that came from Einstein. Does that somehow make the statement untrue? NO!
EGW at times gave her own opinion
1 Corinthians 7:6-7 “But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that”
(note) Paul ALSO spoke his opinions, did this make him any less inspired?
“And now to all who have a desire for truth I would say: Do not give credence to unauthenticated reports as to what Sister White has done or said or written. If you desire to know what the Lord has revealed through her, read her published works. Are there any points of interest concerning which she has not written, do not eagerly catch up and report rumors as to what she has said.” {5T 696.1}
EGW was a woman
Miriam was a prophetess – Exodus 15:20
Deborah was a prophetess – Judges 4:4
Huldah was a prophetess – 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22
Anna was a prophetess – Luke 2:36
(note) Was EGW God’s ORIGINAL intent? No, for He had picked two men first. (Foss and Foy)
EGW was NOT the Spirit of Prophecy, but she HAD the SOP. She was submissive to her husband, but the SOP is submissive to NO man.
(note) How many religions claim the Bible? How many religions claim the KJV? How many claim EGW? Pioneer SDA’s, corporate SDA, reform movement, shepherd’s rod, COG Armstrong (world’s last chance), Feast keeper SDA, Torah movement, and a few others ALL claim the first two witnesses. The Bible says in the mouth of two or THREE witnesses shall the thing be established, so next time we will look at the third witness and then we will look at how all three witnesses interlink to provide the best stability in a time of shaking.