"I saw that the Apocrypha was the hidden book, and that..." ~ Ellen White

[BattleAxe]

What do you make of this statement?

"I saw that the Apocrypha was the hidden book, and that the wise of these last days should understand it." {Ellen White, Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 34.3}

[phkrause]

Exactly what it says!!

[Gibs]

Yes Bro. BattleAxe, that is very true. I have the KJV of it and there is excellent prophecies in it and much else.

In EGW's day many had it in their Bibles between the Old and New Testaments. My grandfather was in the Millerite movement and was what we would term a Cole Porter today. He preached and made up Sabbath school lessons with his own little printing set up.

He pushed that all should have the Apocrypha in their family Bible and sold many.

I do not have any problems with it, although many today condemn it. In the early days of SDAdventism excerpts from it were used.

However is not close to the level of the Bible, all must be brought to it!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

[Green Cochoa]

MR No. 1148 - Ellen G. White and the Apocrypha

[A STATEMENT PREPARED BY ARTHUR L. WHITE IN 1969 AND NOW REQUESTED FOR CLASSROOM USE BY RON JOLLIFF, RELIGION TEACHER AT SOUTHWESTERN ADVENTIST COLLEGE. THE PARAGRAPH FROM MANUSCRIPT 4, 1850, HAS NOT HERETOFORE BEEN RELEASED.--R. W. OLSON.] {15MR 65.1}

WHILE ELLEN G. WHITE IS NOT KNOWN TO HAVE QUOTED FROM THE APOCRYPHA THERE IS SOME DOCUMENTATION OF THE EARLY YEARS WHICH MAY BE OF INTEREST IN CONNECTION WITH A STUDY OF HER RELATIONSHIP TO IT. JAMES WHITE, IN HIS PAMPHLET, A WORD TO THE LITTLE FLOCK, IN HIS FIRST ARTICLE ENTITLED "THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES" INCLUDES TWO REFERENCES TO THE APOCRYPHA. {15MR 65.2}

PAGE 2: "THE SEED IS ROTTEN UNDER THEIR CLODS, THE GARNERS ARE

LAID DESOLATE, THE BARNS ARE BROKEN DOWN, FOR THE CORN IS

WITHERED."--SEE JOEL 1:15-18; JEREMIAH 30:23, 24; DANIEL 12:1; HABAKKUK 3:12, 13; ZEPHANIAH 1:17, 18; 2:10-13. {15MR 65.3}

PAGE 3: "I WILL BRING THEM (THE SAINTS) WITH A MIGHTY HAND AND A

STRETCHED-OUT ARM, AND SMITE EGYPT WITH PLAGUES AS BEFORE," ETC.

--2 ESDRAS 15:11. {15MR 65.4}

AS HE FURNISHED SCRIPTURE REFERENCES TO TWO ELLEN G. WHITE VISIONS, INCORPORATED IN A WORD TO THE LITTLE FLOCK, HE ALSO INCORPORATED SOME REFERENCES TO THE APOCRYPHA. HIS EXPLANATION WHICH PRECEDES THE PUBLICATION OF THE FIRST VISION STATES: {15MR 65.5}

"THE FOLLOWING VISION WAS PUBLISHED IN THE DAY STAR,

MORE THAN A YEAR AGO. BY THE REQUEST OF FRIENDS, IT IS RE-PUBLISHED

IN THIS LITTLE WORK, WITH SCRIPTURE REFERENCES, FOR THE BENEFIT

OF THE LITTLE FLOCK."--A WORD TO THE

LITTLE FLOCK, P. 13 {15MR 65.6}

AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGES 15 AND 17 THERE ARE REFERENCES KEYED TO THE E. G. WHITE TEXT, ONE REFERENCE TO 2 ESDRAS 2:43, (P. 15) AND THE OTHER TO 2 ESDRAS 2:19, (P. 17). {15MR 65.7}

IT IS CLEAR THAT JAMES WHITE SAW SOME SIMILARITIES BETWEEN WHAT ELLEN WHITE WROTE AND SOME THINGS HE HAD READ IN ESDRAS, AND SO USED THESE REFERENCES AS HE DID SCRIPTURE REFERENCES WHICH HE SAYS HE SUPPLIED. {15MR 66.1}

THE HIDDEN BOOK

IN A REPORT SIGNED BY THREE EARLY BELIEVERS REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE HIDDEN BOOK AS ELLEN WHITE UTTERED CERTAIN WORDS IN VISION. HERE IS THE ACCOUNT: {15MR 66.2}

"AT ANOTHER TIME AT A MEETING HELD AT BROTHER CURTIS'

IN TOPSHAM, MAINE, SHE WAS TAKEN OFF IN VISION, AND AROSE TO

HER FEET, TOOK THE LARGE FAMILY BIBLE FROM THE TABLE, AND HELD

IT ON HER HAND SOME TIME AT AN ANGLE OF FORTY-FIVE DEGREES, AND

SAID THE HIDDEN BOOK WAS NOT THERE. WHEN SOME ONE ASKED IF THE

APOCRYPHA WAS NOT IN THE BIBLE, BROTHER CURTIS REMARKED IT WAS

NOT. SHE TALKED SOMETIME ABOUT THE HIDDEN BOOK. NO ONE KNEW

BUT BRO. CURTIS FAMILY THAT THE APOCRAPHA [APOCRYPHA] WAS NOT THERE.

MRS. S. HOWLAND

REBECCA HOWLAND WINSLOW

FRANCES HOWLAND LUNT" {15MR 66.3}

IN THE REPORT OF A VISION GIVEN TO ELLEN WHITE AT OSWEGO, NEW YORK ON JANUARY 11, 1850, AND CARRYING A COPYING DATE OF JANUARY 28, 1850, ELLEN WHITE MAKES A REFERENCE TO THE HIDDEN BOOK. HER DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WAS SHOWN TO HER IN THE VISION CONTAINS MANY ITEMS AND AS ON FILE COMPRISES FOUR AND A QUARTER TYPE-WRITTEN PAGES. NEAR THE CLOSE OF HER STATEMENT WE FIND THESE WORDS: {15MR 66.4}

"All, all who keep the commandments of God, will enter in

through the gates into the city and have right to the tree of

life and ever be in the presence of that lovely Jesus whose

countenance shines brighter than the sun at noon day. I then

saw the word of God pure and unadulterated, and that we must

answer for the way we received the truth proclaimed from that

word. I saw that it had been a hammer to break the flinty

heart in pieces, and a fire to consume the dross and tin, that

the heart might be pure and holy. I saw that the Apocrypha was

the hidden book, and that the wise of these last days should

understand it. I saw that the Bible was the standard book, that

will judge us at the last day. I saw that heaven would be cheap

enough, and that nothing was too dear to sacrifice for Jesus,

and that we must give all to enter the kingdom."--Manuscript 4,

1850, (A copy of E. G. White's Vision which she had at Oswego, N.Y.)

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE APOCRYPHA IN ARTICLES IN THE REVIEW AND HERALD. THESE ARE OF INTEREST, AND COPY OF THE MATERIALS IS ATTACHED. {15MR 66.5}

THE FULL MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE E. G. WHITE STATEMENT OF 1850 IS NOT CLEARLY SEEN. IT SHOULD BE OBSERVED THAT ELLEN WHITE MAKES NO REFERENCE TO THE APOCRYPHA AT ANY TIME IN HER WRITINGS IN THE SUBSEQUENT 65 YEARS. IF WHAT WE HAVE IS A CORRECT COPY OF WHAT SHE WROTE, AND AT TIMES THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE ACCURACY OF SOME OF THE STATEMENTS BEARING THESE EARLY DATES, AT NO TIME SUBSEQUENT TO THAT, DID SHE HAVE OCCASION TO CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE CHURCH TO THE APOCRYPHA TO URGE ITS READING OR TO EXPLAIN ITS SIGNIFICANCE. THIS BEING THE CASE, OUR COUNSEL WOULD BE TO GIVE THE MATTER A MINIMUM OF ATTENTION. SURELY THE SILENCES IN HER PUBLISHED WRITINGS ON THIS SUBJECT CARRY SIGNIFICANCE.

ARTHUR L. WHITE

Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. Release Date June 6, 1985 {15MR 67.1}

[Kevin H]

This was an early quote of Mrs. White's. Many Christians felt that the New Testament was what was important and that the Old Testament was not important. Most Old Testaments at that time contained the Apocrypha and the Apocrypha was considered a part of the Old Testament. The message Mrs. White received was that the WHOLE Bible was important. It would take a while before her and her readers was able to know what was and what was not the Bible in covers of their books.

[BattleAxe]

Gibs...

I must say that you have taken me by surprise. You are the first person I've met that upon the first mention of it, showed that they believed in the Apocrypha, and also that they had some real knowledge of it.

May I ask what you think is the most important prophecy in there?

[BattleAxe]

Green

I appreciate your thought. I've read Arthur's comment before, but disagree with it. I've found one too many places where he, so far as I am concerned, reasons away what Ellen White said.

I am also familiar with the other statement from the Youth Instructor regarding the "apocraphy."

The apocraphy is different from the apocrypha. The apocraphy refers to New Testament writings, while the apocrypha refers to a certain selection of Old Testament writings. Ellen White condemned the apocraphy, but encouraged us to understand the apocrypha. So I don't quite view it as one statement in favor of it and the other against it. If that were the case, her testimony would be self-contradictory and she would be a false prophet.

[Gibs]

2 Esdras has some very revealing prophecies. It is stated in it, the wise will understand and most will not see much as it will only be Spiritually discerned.

Much is revealed by Esdras!

1Jo 4:4 ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.