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Gift for the End Times
Spirit of Prophecy Sabbath 2023
Audrey Andersson
An announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding a
mysterious virus-related pneumonia in Wuhan on January 9, 2020,
did not ring major alarm bells. Even, when on January 23 the Chinese
government took the unprecedented decision to close off Wuhan’s population
and restrict access to Huanggang—30 miles east—effectively putting 18
million people under lockdown, the alarm bells did not ring for most people
outside China. It was just another flu strain that seemed to be a little
more serious, but nothing about which to panic. On January 31 the WHO
issued a global health emergency as the virus began spreading
exponentially. By February 2 countries were limiting air travel to and from
China. Covid-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, when Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, and his team expressed
their deep concern about the “alarming levels and spread of the outbreak,”
adding that there were “alarming levels of inaction” in the face of the
pandemic.
The world woke up. Suddenly it was not possible to physically go to the
office. Shopping became a high-risk occupation, and, in many places,
churches were closed. Over the next two years we learned a new vocabulary:
social distancing, asymptomatic, PCR testing, droplet transmission, and
self-isolation to name just a few. We learned new behavioral patterns:
wearing masks in public places and using technology such as Zoom. Church
services went online. It seemed like the world had been turned upside down.
The speed of many changes, combined with the general acquiescence and
acceptance by the majority in almost every country of global restrictions
of freedom of movement, led some to ask: Is this one of the plagues in
Revelation? Is this the end of time? As the pandemic developed so did more
accurate information, while at the same time, fake news and conspiracy
theories abounded. Knowing whom to trust and whom to believe was, and
remains, difficult.
In times of uncertainty, the question comes, Who and want can be trusted?
We know that there will be many crises at the end of time. The world will
feel as if it is falling apart. Looking down through the centuries Luke
recorded Jesus describing this time. He saw “people fainting from fear
and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the world; for the
powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:26, NASB). However, the Lord
did not leave His people to face these things alone. His word, the Bible,
provides a source of clarity, comfort, and consolation. In addition, as
Seventh-day Adventists, we are blessed with the writings of Ellen G White.
A gift for the End Times
When sin entered the world, God’s rescue plan came into effect.
Immediately, the promise of a Savior was given (Gen 3:15). Hope, comfort,
and a solution were offered. Throughout the ages God has spoken through His
messengers, the prophets, to bring hope and comfort in present
difficulties, but also pointing forward, prophesying what was to happen. As
Amos writes, “Certainly the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His
secret plan to His servants the prophets,” (Amos 3:7)
At Pentecost Peter, quoting the prophet Joel (Joel 2:8), applied the
promise that the Spirit would be poured out. One evidence was that “your
sons and daughters would prophesy,” a prophetic promise which also applies
in the last days, or the days before Jesus returns (Acts 2:17-21).
After the Great Disappointment of 1844 when those who had hoped and
believed that Jesus was coming struggled to understand what had happened,
once again the gift of prophecy was given, this time to a young woman named
Ellen Harmon, later known as Ellen G. White. Her ministry was multifaceted.
The initial impact of her work was particularly significant in three areas:
providing guidance, practical counsel, and as a source of unity for the
fledgling movement.
Guidance for the Advent Movement
Ellen White’s visions did not uncover Bible truths, rather they confirmed
truths that the Adventist believers discovered. For example, the importance
of the seventh-day Sabbath was first introduced to Adventist believers in
1843 in Washington, New Hampshire, by Rachel Oakes. This led an Adventist
minister, T. M. Prebble, to write about the Sabbath in an
The Hope of Israel,
an Adventist publication of that time.This article was read by
Joseph Bates, who upon further study, was convicted of the Sabbath truth.
He shared his conviction with James and Ellen White who also accepted the
Sabbath. Seven months after keeping the Sabbath, Ellen White had a vision,
confirming the importance of the Sabbath.
As she explained the story of salvation, based on her study of the Bible
and as shown her in her visions, Ellen White wrote about the cosmic
conflict between Jesus and Satan. She throws light on what will happen as
Jesus returns at the end of time. The book The Great Controversy
is the clearest and most comprehensive explanation, and as we get closer to
the Second Coming it becomes more precious, not as a checklist of things
that must happen, but as a source of comfort and hope that the evil and
wickedness we see around us will not last forever, and neither will it go
unpunished. God is a God of love, and He is coming back to put an end to
suffering, separation, and sin.
Practical Counsel
During her lifetime, Ellen White provided practical counsel and guidance to
the church and to individuals—guidance that is still very relevant today.
Some of her individual counsel may be found in the nine-volume
Testimonies for the Church
and in more recently released Letters and Manuscripts.
Following her first major vision on health in 1863, she began to share the
truths shown to her. Over the years medical science has confirmed time and
again that her counsels on health are accurate and highly beneficial. If we
follow her guidance and advice today, it will have the same effect. We will
be healthier and have a better quality of life.
Ellen White encouraged the establishment of the publishing work following a
vision in Dorchester in 1848. Afterward, she instructed her husband James
White, “You must begin to print a little paper and send it out to the
people. Let it be small at first; but as the people read, they will send
you means with which to print, and it will be a success from the first.
From this small beginning it was shown to me to be like streams of light
that went clear round the world.”
James White followed his wife’s vision and today there are many Adventist
publishing houses still fulfilling the mission. Only in the kingdom will we
know the full impact of this vision and all the literature that has been
printed and distributed, to say nothing of digital distribution through the
Internet and other electronic means.
Unity
Following the Great Disappointment in 1844, when Jesus did not return as
expected, the Millerite movement shattered. Some rejected their experience
as a delusion, mocking themselves because they had been fooled by these
teachings. Others went back to their previous churches, and some formed
what became the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Then, as now, the church was made up of people from various backgrounds,
experiences, and temperaments. Inside and outside the Church disagreements
can happen, yet Ellen White holds up the Christian ideal and shows that for
the true disciple, unity is not optional, but rather a sign of our
relationship with Christ:
The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy
the personality of either. In mind, in purpose, in character, they are one,
but not in person. By partaking of the Spirit of God, conforming to the law
of God, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ brings His
disciples into a living union with Himself and with the Father. Through the
working of the Holy Spirit upon the human mind, man is made complete in
Christ Jesus. Unity with Christ establishes a bond of unity with one
another. This unity is the most convincing proof to the world of the
majesty and virtue of Christ, and of His power to take away sin.
This kind of unity will be visible in our attitude and actions toward
others, by serving and encouraging them: “Every true disciple is born into
the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water
becomes a fountain of life.”
She also wrote that, “The followers of Christ are to unite together, that
they may strengthen each other in the divine life.”
These messages are of equal or perhaps greater importance today as we as a
Church family sometimes struggle to make sense of everything that is
happening in the world around us. We may not always agree, but when we
strengthen each other in Christian love, the whole Church grows stronger.
Prophetic guidance, counsel, and unity continue to be important, but the
closer we come to the Second Coming, Ellen White’s writings provides us
with comfort and courage as we face situations that are
frightening, unprecedented, and constantly changing. She provides very
practical advice on how we should prepare. If we follow this advice, no
matter what happens, we will not be discouraged, but we will look to the
Lord with hope and confidence.
Spiritual Preparation
Discernment
We need to concentrate on developing spiritual discernment so as not to be
deceived by fake gospel “truths.” Things that sound right, perhaps even
feel right, but have a little bit of error mixed in, is hard to discern if
we do not carefully study God’s word. There are things that resonate with
the latest social trends and do not seem “so bad,” yet when viewed through
the lens of God’s Word they go against biblical teaching. Spiritual
preparation helps us to view things from God’s perspective, giving us
discernment and also a greater understanding of His love.
We need a true understanding of our own sinfulness and God’s response. God
prepared a solution before Adam and Eve ever tasted the forbidden fruit in
the Garden of Eden. God had a plan to rescue humanity! That plan was based
on Christ taking our place and punishment. Ellen White captured the
significance of Christ’s sacrifice, when she wrote, “Christ was treated as
we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for
our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His
righteousness, in which we had no share.”
That perspective changes everything, bringing God’s love to the front and
exposing Satan’s deceptions for what they are.
Developing Trust
When facing crises, we turn to family and friends we trust. A consistent
thread through her writings is the need to spend time growing and
developing our friendship with God. God is our Heavenly father and
regardless of how good or fractured our earthly family relationships are,
we need to build a relationship with our Heavenly Father. If we don’t do
this now, we will struggle as end-time events unfold. It is difficult to
trust someone you do not know. Trust is built over time, by consistent
actions. We may be inconsistent, but as Paul writes in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.”
All relationships begin with a small step. For the Christian, it is
consciously surrendering our life to God’s control. It sounds like a huge
step, but it is just like opening a door to the most wonderful relationship
imaginable. Ellen White expressed the danger and loss if we only pay lip
service to the idea of surrender, but do not actually do it: “The are many
who believe and profess to claim the Lord’s promise; they talk about Christ
and about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not surrender
the soul to be guided by the divine agencies.
God talks to us through His word. His is an unchanging message, a message
of love that is consistent and constant. A love that is so complete and yet
incomprehensible, that we will continue to study it throughout the ages of
eternity and still never truly fathom it. “Such love is without a parallel.
Children of the heavenly King! Precious promise! Theme for the most
profound meditation! The matchless love of God for a world that did not
love Him! The thought has a subduing power upon the soul and brings the
mind into captivity to the will of God. The more we study the divine
character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and
forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the more clearly we
discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity
surpassing a mother’s yearning sympathy for her wayward child.”
Like any good, healthy relationship, our relationship with God is not a
one-way street. God talks to us through His word, through nature, and many
other ways including the writings of Ellen White, but God delights when our
interactions with His word lead us to talk with Him.
Prayer
Ellen G White describes prayer as “… the opening of the heart to a friend.
Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in
order to enable us to receive Him.”
These exchanges develop confidence and build trust in “God – believing
that He loves us and know best what is for our good.”
Faith and trust grow over time. As we bring the small everyday things to
God, He will sustain us in times of crises.
One example is found in the life of Joseph Bates, an early Adventist
pioneer. In 1846 when Bates was emersed in writing his book on the Sabbath,
his wife came in and said that she needed four pounds of flour. Bates
bought the flour and left it on the kitchen table. When questioned by his
wife where the flour had come from, he said he had bought it with the last
money they had. She was devastated. She knew he had been using his fortune
to spread the message of Jesus’ soon return but didn’t think their
resources were exhausted. Later in the day, Bates felt impressed to go to
the post office. There was a letter for him, but there was an amount to pay
as it had no stamp. The postmaster was willing to give the letter to Bates
and let him pay another time. Bates said no, but asked the postmaster to
open the letter. Inside was 10 dollars.
Bates then asked the postmaster to take the postage and ordered substantial
provisions to be delivered to his home. He instructed them not to tell his
wife where they had come from. Later when his wife told him of all the
provisions that had been delivered, he shared what had happened. Bates had
learned to trust the Lord over a period of time, and the Lord did not fail.
The same principle applies in our lives. As we learn to trust the Lord, to
talk to Him and share our needs and wants, He will meet them in amazing
ways.
When looking forward to the very end of time Ellen White wrote,
Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of
falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the
conscience. And even if they endure the test they will be plunged into
deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never
made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have
neglected they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of
discouragement. We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His
promises. Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere. We should
rather dispense with selfish gratifications than neglect communion with
God. The deepest poverty, the greatest self-denial, with His approval, is
better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship without it. We must take
time to pray.
Hope and confidence
God is love. In His love He has provided us with abundant evidence of it
and His ability to save us, despite everything Satan maintains to the
contrary. When we understand that, we can fully understand our need and
dependence on God. With that dependence comes the wonderful comfort that
God is not a God who is limited by our human perspectives and fears. God is
a God of abundance and blessing. He will help and guide us, and with Him no
situation is too difficult. Having this assurance means that although the
world may be in turmoil, we can be calm and confident knowing that not only
has God promised that He is preparing for us an eternal home (John 14:1-3),
He cares about our current challenges: “Our Heavenly Father has a thousand
ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one
principle of making the service and honor of God supreme, will find
perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.”
While we have time and relative peace, let us take the time to develop our
relationship with our loving God, Father and friend, so that we can face
whatever the future brings, with confidence and courage. Then we will be
able to echo Paul’s response to the Lord’s promise:
“He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon
you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be
afraid. What will man do to me?’”
Audrey Andersson is a General Vice-President of the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. A former Secretary of the
Trans-European Division, she also serves as Chairwoman of the Ellen G.
White Estate, Inc. Board of Trustees.