Believe His Prophets

The Test of Agreement With the Bible

The true prophet must speak and write messages that are in harmony with the law and the testimony, or “there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). Every true prophet will be in accord with the law of God and the testimony of all the other true prophets. Stated briefly, we must now test the twenty-five million words written by Ellen G. White, most of which appear in her forty-five bound volumes and the several thousand periodical articles in the church papers. Since she wrote so much, the chances of discrepancies are greatly increased. Did she teach and advocate that which harmonizes with the Scriptures? BHP 97.6

Here we are looking at the prophet as a “for-teller,” one who speaks for God, who expounds, clarifies, and explains. In this capacity Ellen G. White did the major portion of her work. She added nothing new in doctrine, but exalted the Scriptures, and gave them a central position in all her writings. Hers was the work of a magnifying glass, simply making the details of the observed object stand out in clearer lines, showing its original beauty more perfectly. Hers is a sort of inspired commentary on the Bible. BHP 98.1

So clear is this point of the agreement of Ellen G. White’s teachings with those of the Bible that it is unnecessary here to review the work of Ellen White in the light of this test. BHP 98.2

The Bible sets forth several characteristics of the true prophet in relationship to the law and the prophets, or the Scriptures as we know them: BHP 98.3

1. He will exalt the true God (Deuteronomy 13:1-4). BHP 98.4

2. He will teach obedience to God’s law (2 Chronicles 24:19, 20; Deuteronomy 13:4). BHP 98.5

3. He will believe and teach that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (1 John 4:2, 3). BHP 98.6

4. He will speak as he is inspired by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). BHP 99.1

The writings of Ellen G. White not only give every evidence that she was the kind of person set forth in these scriptures, but her work agrees in every detail with the specifications of God as delineated in His Word. She most certainly passes this third great test. There is a harmony that characterizes all her work, from her very first vision at seventeen years of age, through the whole seventy years of her labors. There is a continuity, a unity, and an agreement, that is most marvelous and almost miraculous! BHP 99.2

Not long ago I took upon myself the task of checking the writings of the Spirit of prophecy with the teachings of the Bible. I chose twenty different topics, for instance, “Christian,” putting in one column all that the Bible says about a Christian. Then I went through Mrs. White’s forty-three volumes and some of the periodicals that contain several thousand articles, selecting at random statements that Mrs. White has given regarding a Christian, and putting them in a parallel column. It was one of the most interesting studies I have ever made. BHP 99.3

If you want an interesting study, do as I did sometime. I advise you to take about a week, for a day will not be sufficient. You will become so engrossed in your study that at the end of the day you will not even want to go to bed; for when you begin a study of that kind—checking the writings, the messages, of Ellen G. White with the teachings of the Scripture—you will find it both wonderful and intriguing. BHP 99.4