The Gift of Prophecy

Emotions and the Question of Revelation and Inspiration

A Seventh-day Adventist understanding of inspiration is based on the biblical evidence that God reveals Himself in a special way to certain individuals who, in turn, communicate His messages to others (1 Sam. 3:21-4:1; Isa. 22:14; Joel 3:1, 2 [ET 2:28, 29]; Matt. 11:27; Eph. 3:3, 4; 2 Peter 1:19-21). ²² The process of “divine self-disclosure encompasses a wide variety of revelatory experiences, such as visions and dreams, verbal communication, and panoramic views presenting ‘past, present, and future.’ ” ²³Similarly, Peter van Bemmelen notes that biblical evidence “points to specific individuals, chosen by God, as the primary locus of the working of the Holy Spirit.” ²⁴ Since we believe that the biblical authors were inspired (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17), the primary focus of the process of revelation and inspiration is the prophet. GOP 144.1

Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. . . . The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will. ²⁵ GOP 144.2

Ellen White herself claimed that the prophet, “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, presents what is most forcibly impressed upon his own mind.” ²⁶ Because of the close link between the mind and emotions, the emotions of a prophet play an important role in the inspirational process. Prophets are not passive mediums for the prophetic voice. They are emotionally involved in their calling and experience the full gamut of human emotions. In the following section we will first offer a concise review of literature dealing with the recognition and understanding of emotions in biblical texts, followed by a closer look at the biblical data related to three crucial moments of prophetic ministry, i.e., (1) in response to the divine call; (2) concerning the emotional involvement of a prophet in the divine message; and (3) regarding the human reaction to the divine message. GOP 144.3