The Bible Tells Us: 

The Spirit of Prophecy Does NOT Refer to 

Ellen G. White’s Writings

 

The Seventh-day Adventist denomination refers to Ellen G. White’s voluminous writings as “The Spirit of Prophecy” or “The Testimonies” while simultaneously claiming to believe in the Bible and the Bible only. 

But what does the Bible define as the “Spirit of Prophecy”? 

This phrase is used only once in the Bible, when, in Revelation 19:10, “the voice from the throne,” apparently an angel, was speaking to John, the author of Revelation.  John relates his experience: 

“And I fell at his feet to worship him.  And he said unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant and thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 

In Revelation 1:9, John tells us why he has been banished to the island of Patmos. 

“I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God, and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ.” 

John is telling us in Revelation 19:10 that the “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”  In Revelation 1:9, John has told us that he (John) had been exiled to the island of Patmos because of the Testimony of Jesus. 

John had been exiled because of his belief in Jesus Christ – whose life testimony is the “spirit of prophecy.” 

Obviously, John was not exiled to the island of Patmos because he was reading Ellen White’s writings – which were not written until 2,000 years after John’s death.  John was exiled because he believed in Jesus Christ. 

According to the Bible, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  Therefore, it is blasphemous to attribute the term “spirit of prophecy” to the writings of a human being. 

The “Remnant” 

The Seventh-day Adventist church considers itself the “remnant,” the last remaining group in worldwide Christendom that has the “truth” – the true Christian message.  They identify themselves as the “remnant” written of in Rev 12:7.  

“And the dragon was wroth (angry) with the woman (representing the Christian church) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”  Rev 12:17 

In order to be that “remnant” the Seventh-day Adventists must have the two characteristics mentioned in Rev 12:17 

1)    They must be keeping the Commandments of God – and they believe they are because they are virtually the only religious denomination keeping the Seventh-day, Saturday, as their Sabbath as commanded by God in the Fourth Commandment, and 

2)    They believe they have “the testimony of Jesus Christ” because they have arbitrarily and incorrectly named Ellen White’s writings as “The Spirit of Prophecy” and “The Testimonies” because they consider Ellen White to be a prophet, although she never claimed to be. 

With these two characteristics, they believe they have it all tied up in a neat little package!  They are the “remnant” spoken of in Rev 12:17, or so they believe and teach.  But that is “man’s” definition of “the spirit of prophecy” – not God’s! 

There are NO Prophets today – or since the Bible was completed! 

There are many evangelists today who claim to be prophets, but God’s Word tells us that cannot be. 

“God, Who at various times and in diverse ways, spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the ages (of time) (literal: eons of time)”  Hebrews 1:1,2 

It also should be noted that Ellen White never claimed to be a prophet.  That designation has been assigned to her arbitrarily by the Seventh-day Adventist church. 

Before the Old Testament was written and available, God spoke through prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah and many others.  But after Jesus came to earth, God spoke through His Son – through the life of His Son that manifested the character of God as it was recorded by the authors of the New Testament. 

The whole Bible is about Jesus.  The first four Gospels of the New Testament are about the life of Jesus.  The rest of the New Testament, mainly written by Paul with books by Peter and John (Revelation and John 1,2,and 3) are about our Christian walk and how Jesus will exhibit His life in the life of the true Christian. 

But the Old Testament is also about Jesus, as He said to the Pharisees: 

“You search the Scriptures, because in them you think you have eternal (eonian) life; but they are they which testify of Me.”  John 5:39 (literal translation) 

There it is.  Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are about Jesus Christ.  They are the “testimony of Jesus” which is the “spirit of prophecy” – telling us all things that have happened and all things that will happen in the future. 

The Bible, containing everything we need to know about God, including the answers to every dilemma in life, is available to all of us in this era.  God has told us everything we need to know.  But it is up to us to study it diligently and repeatedly, asking God to open our mind so we can understand truth. 

There is no need for any prophets in these times, because everything we need to know has already been given to us in the Bible – the complete Word of God. 

In Conclusion: 

There have been no prophets of the Lord since the Bible was completed because everything we need to know has been given to us in the Old and New Testament.