Why the Law of God and the Spirit of Prophecy Go Hand In Hand

[John317]

What is the Spirit of Prophecy? According to some, it is anything ever written or uttered by EGW. Is Ellen White the Spirit of Prophecy? We must admit that she is often the only thing that comes to mind when that phrase is used.

Here are the ways in which Ellen White herself used the expression, Spirit of Prophecy, in her own writings.

Quote:

The Lord opened more fully to Enoch the plan of salvation, and by the spirit of prophecy carried him down through the generations which should live after the flood, and showed him the great events connected with the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. The Signs of the Times , February 20, 1879, paragraph 4

The law of God and the Spirit of Prophecy go hand in hand to guide and counsel the church, and whenever the church has recognized this by obeying His law, the spirit of prophecy has been sent to guide her in the way of truth.

Revelation 12:17. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." This prophecy points out clearly that the remnant church will acknowledge God in His law and will have the prophetic gift. Obedience to the law of God, and the spirit of prophecy has always distinguished the true people of God, and the test is usually given on present manifestations. Loma Linda Messages (1981), page 33

... As the third angel's message arose in the world, which is to reveal the law of God to the church in its fullness and power, the prophetic gift was also immediately restored. This gift has acted a very prominent part in the development and carrying forward of this message.

As differences of opinion have arisen in reference to interpretations of Scriptures and methods of labor, calculated to unsettle the faith of believers in the message and lead to disunion in the work, the spirit of prophecy has always thrown light on the situation. It has always brought union of thought and harmony of action to the body of believers. In every crisis that has arisen in the development of the message and the growth of the work, those who have stood firmly by the law of God and the light of the Spirit of prophecy have triumphed and the work has prospered in their hands.

The question naturally arises: Whence comes this wisdom revealed through this gift, which is more than the combined wisdom of all the church besides?

As the message developed and grew, it was this gift that urged the extension of the work, and from that day to this has done more than all other influences combined to push the message into the regions beyond. In every development of the message--evangelical, education, medical, and publishing, the spirit of prophecy has not only led the way, but given light on how to conduct these different departments in such a way as to bring success in the spread of the message.

Again and again as the wisdom of men has failed and the work became hedged about or tangled up in any of its departments, the wisdom of this gift has always been shown in setting it free. The clear-cut missionary policy laid out for all departments of this great work by the spirit of prophecy in contrast with the mercenary policy oft times worked into it by men to whom the care and keeping of the message has been entrusted, shows that the wisdom of this gift is from above.

At the beginning of this message believers were few and widely scattered. There was no definite organization for the direction of the work, but as believers came into the truth and companies were formed, it was manifest that some organization was necessary. But strange as it may seem, the wisdom of man led them to oppose all organization. Again light was shed upon the perplexing situation by the spirit of prophecy, which resulted in a simple form of organization for the protection and furtherance of the work; and peace, harmony, and prosperity came out of confusion. This same form of organization continued until the wisdom of men, to whom the care of the organization had been committed, began to plan for a centralizing power at the head of the work, which resulted in retarding rather than fostering it. Missionaries in the field felt their hands were tied, and mission fields were languishing, and the resources were drying up. Where was the wisdom of men in this perplexity?

Again the spirit of prophecy shed light upon the situation, pointing out the difficulty and the remedy. As the light has been followed, relief has come, the message has gone with leaps and bounds, and the resources have increased wonderfully. The great need of the hour is consecrated men and women whose faith and experience has grown strong in grappling with difficulty and in undertaking great things for the cause of God.

The publishing work, like every other department of the message, was started under the light and fostering care of the spirit of prophecy. Its aim was missionary, to disseminate the light of present truth. But as the work enlarged and the publishing work was committed to the wisdom of men, it grew into a great commercial machine that was working more for the world than for the spread of the message. Men conceived the idea of centralizing our publishing work under one great combine to be ruled by the great men at the head of the work. High wages were paid, and the missionary spirit left the work as the spirit of the world came in. The spirit of prophecy called for a change of plans in our publishing work, it called for a distribution of the abundant facilities established at Battle Creek to assist plants in more needy fields, but called in vain. The wisdom of men, which was the wisdom of the world, could see no light in distributing. There seemed to be no remedy for God to correct the evils in this department of His work but to let His judgments fall upon the institution.

Loma Linda Messages (1981), page 33-35

How does Ellen White use the phrase, "the Spirit of Prophecy," and what does it mean in the context of Rev. 19: 10 in conjunction with Rev. 12: 17?

[Gerr]

Here's a quote from TM 114. "We have the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, which is the spirit of prophecy. Priceless gems are to be found in the word of God. Those who search this word should keep the mind clear. Never should they indulge perverted appetite in eating or drinking."

From FLB 295. "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophecy. Rev 19:10.

Above all other books, Word of God must be our study, the great textbook, the basis of all education."

From PP 366. "It was Christ that spoke to His people through the prophets. The apostle Peter, writing to the Christian church, says that the prophets "prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifyt, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." 1 Pe 1:10,11. It is the voice of Christ that speaks to us through the Old Testament. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10.