Understanding Ellen White

The New Testament prophet

What exactly is the function of the New Testament prophet? The Greek root of prophet is a compound word, combining a Greek word for “speaking” with the prefix “ pro,” which is ambiguous in meaning. It can mean “speaking openly” or publically, much like preaching. But it can also mean “speaking ahead of time” or “in advance.” ²² In ancient Greece, the word came to be used for appointed people through whom the gods revealed their will. ²³ So by New Testament times the prophet comes to be known as “a proclaimer or expounder of divine matters or concerns that could not ordinarily be known except by special revelation.” ²⁴ UEGW 19.3

The New Testament adds at least three criteria for a true prophet to those of the Old Testament. First, those who prophesied in Corinth would submit to the authority of Paul, an apostle and an author of what would become New Testament Scripture (1 Cor. 14:37). So any noncanonical prophet in the New Testament era was subject to the authority of the New Testament, which was written by the apostles. Second, the true prophet will manifest the presence of the Spirit by a true confession of Jesus Christ (1 John 4:2, 3). Since false prophets can confess the name of Jesus also (Matt. 7:21-23), this criterion by itself is not decisive. Third, the life of the true prophet will reflect the high ethical principles of the revelation, while the revelations of the false prophet will produce evil fruits (Matt. 7:15-23; Rev. 2:20). This latter point needs to be tempered, however, by the recognition that some canonical prophets, such as David and Solomon, made some very immoral life choices. UEGW 19.4

In the epistles of Paul, prophets generally exhort people to obey the will of God that has been revealed to them through the prophet or through earlier revelations in the Scriptures; they rarely predict future events. In Revelation, the prophetic role is reversed: prediction of future events is central to the “prophecy” (Rev. 1:3), and exhortation takes a more marginal role. UEGW 20.1

New Testament prophets can be seen at work in the book of Acts. In Acts 11:27-30, the story is told of a delegation of prophets who came to Antioch from Jerusalem. One of them, Agabus, foretold “by the Spirit” a worldwide famine that was about to happen (verse 28). The message was accepted as authoritative, and action was taken so that the brethren in Judea would not suffer unduly. Here a New Testament prophet (1) foretold something that was about to happen, and (2) the message called for an obedient response. UEGW 20.2

In Acts 15:30-32, two prophets, Judas and Silas, were sent by the council in Jerusalem to report the decision of the council. As prophets, they not only read the epistle but spoke many words to encourage and strengthen the church. The phrase “being prophets themselves” (verse 32, NASB) seems to set them in continuity with those (the apostles and elders in Jerusalem) who had sent the epistle. The purpose of the epistle was the unity of the church, and God used Judas and Silas to support that purpose “with many words” of encouragement. UEGW 20.3

In Acts 21:10-14, Agabus again appears and foretells the captivity of Paul in Jerusalem. Here the prophet is seen delivering a message from God to an individual. He does not specify whether or not Paul should go to Jerusalem, he just informs him of roughly what will happen to him there. Interestingly, there is a division in the church regarding how to apply this prophecy. Luke and others around Paul at the time believe it means he should not go to Jerusalem. Paul, on the other hand, determines to go anyway. After some discussion of the matter, Paul’s colleagues give in to his determination. UEGW 20.4

This incident is an excellent example of the church struggling to understand how a prophecy should be applied in a specific situation. Agabus’s message or role as a prophet was not in question. But it was recognized that the prophecy did not specify what Paul’s action should be. Paul, following the leading of the Holy Spirit as an apostle, chose to go to Jerusalem anyway, and the prophecy of Agabus was fulfilled in a general way. ²⁵ UEGW 20.5

This story is extremely relevant to the church today. Like Paul and his followers, the words of the true prophet need to be accepted by us today as a word from God. But like them, we also need to use sanctified common sense in applying such counsels to our own situation. The same Holy Spirit that inspired the original utterance will assist in the application. But that does not mean that genuine believers will have no difference of opinion as to how the word from God applies in a given situation. Believers need to be both humble and gracious as the church wrestles with complex issues in the light of inspiration. We “know in part” (1 Cor. 13:9), and some aspects of the will of God in specific situations will not always be clear. UEGW 21.1

Some may argue that there is no need for common sense and discernment (“I take it as it reads”). But counsel written to another time and place does not always fit neatly into a radically different situation. This means that genuine prophetic messages can be applied in disastrous ways by sincere followers of the prophet. For example, a father writes a letter to his lazy son, urging him to action. But if that letter were mistakenly sent to his workaholic son, great damage would result. Circumstances alter cases, and through careful discernment, studied in context with the whole of revelation and guided by the Holy Spirit, the written word from the past can become a living and powerful word from the Lord for today! UEGW 21.2

Outside the book of Acts there are several more important examples of the nature of the prophetic office in the New Testament. In the letters of Paul to Timothy, mention is made of very specific prophecies regarding Timothy (1 Tim. 1:18; 4:14). These prophetic messages were evidently delivered, perhaps by Paul, at the time of Timothy’s ordination to the gospel ministry. These “prophecies” may have been along the lines of 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25, where prophetic messages expose the secrets of a person’s heart. This kind of thing often occurred in Ellen White’s ministry. UEGW 21.3