Understanding Ellen White

The perpetuity of the prophetic gift

That the gift of prophecy was not meant to disappear with the first-century church is clearly stated in the New Testament. In Ephesians 4:11, 12, Paul tells us that God has placed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the church “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” ¹ How long were these gifts to remain in the church? “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). UEGW 228.2

Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, 29, Paul lists the prophetic gift among other spiritual gifts. As long as the church of Christ is in this world, spiritual gifts, including the gift of prophecy, will be needed to bring them into the unity of the faith. To the Thessalonians, Paul therefore wrote that they should “not despise prophecies” (1 Thess. 5:20); and in 1 Corinthians 14:1, the gift of prophecy is specifically mentioned as the gift to be desired above all others. Finally, in the book of Revelation, the remnant church in the time of the end is identified as having the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12:17), which John explains is the “spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10) or the prophetic gift (Rev. 22:9). Hence, we should not be surprised to find that God in modern times has called, and may still call, individuals to be His prophets. UEGW 228.3