229-god's_guiding_gift - by walter veith.pdf

8/14/2019 229-God's_Guiding_Gift - By Walter Veith.pdf

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Gods Guiding Gift

Lecture Outline forDVD #229

Amazing Discoveries

Total Onslaught

by Professor Walter Veith


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Gods Guiding Gift

Amazing Discoveries

Total OnslaughtLecture Outline #229

INTRODUCTION: When God warned the ancient world of the

coming judgment, He made use of a prophet. Noah was a

preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5) and found grace in theeyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). God has always used prophets to

warn His people and in the time of the exodus He used Moses

to lead the people out of Egypt to Canaan. Moses was more

than a prophet, he was also the leader of the people. Moses

had to prepare a people for their entry into the Promised Land

and this great event serves as a type for the final gathering of

Gods people and their entry into the heavenly Canaan. Surely

if a prophet was deemed necessary for the preparation forearthly Canaan, how much more so for the heavenly Canaan.

1.Is Satan happy about the remnant that has the prophetic

gift?

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 ___________

of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he


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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 ______ of ___________.

NOTE: Gods remnant must thus possess the spirit of prophecy

in order to qualify as the remnant and we need to understand

the issues involved. There is nothing more dangerous to Satan,

than the clear revelation of the will of God. The way to war

against it is to cast contempt upon it or to counterfeit it. It is

therefore vital that we understand the Biblical criteria for the

manifestation of the gift of prophecy, and that we understandthe reasons why God grants this gift in the first place, so that

we will not be swept away by Satans deceptions.

2.After Adam and Eve committed sin, what was their first

impulse?

Genesis 3:8-10 And they heard the voice of the Lord God

walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam andhis wife ________________ from the presence of the Lord God

amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called

unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said,

I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was

______; and I hid myself.

3.Why does sin cause the human family to run from God?

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have _________ between you

and your God, and your sins have _____ His face from you,

that He will not hear.

NOTE: Sin causes separation between the human being and

God.

4.Is there a solution to this terrible crisis of being separated

from God?


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Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies, we were ____

______ to God by the _____ of His ____, much more, being

reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

NOTE: In Christ, we are reconciled with God, but as long as sin

exists, face to face communication with God is not possible.

The brightness of His glory would consume us. Whenever God

has revealed Himself to man, it was either in a dream vision or

God veiled His glory. When God spoke to Israel from Mt. Sinai,

He warned them that they would die if they were to come too

close. The presence of God, although veiled in thick clouds,was so impressive that the people requested Moses to speak

to them the words of God, lest they should die from the voice

of God. (Exodus 20:19) The prophets of old, even in vision, felt

that they would die in the presence of God. See Isaiah 6:5 &

Revelation 1:17.

5.How then does God communicate with humanity?

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth

His secret unto His servants the _________.

2 Peter 1:21 > ...for the ___________ came not in old time by

the will of man, but ____ ____ of God _______ as they were

moved by the Holy Ghost.

Acts 3:21 ...God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy

__________ since the world began.

NOTE: Since Enoch, there have been numerous prophets, both

men and women. Some prophets were instructed by God to

write His words on a scroll, and some of these writings form

a part of the Scriptures. Other prophets and prophetesses are

mentioned in the Bible whose writings were not taken up inthe canon. Examples in Old Testament times would include

Nathan, Gad and Huldah the prophetess. (2 Samuel 7:2; 1

Samuel 22:5; 2 Kings 22:14) In New Testament times, there


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were Simeon (Acts 13:1), Anna (Luke 2:36), Agabus (Acts 11:28;

21:10), Barnabas (Acts 13:1), and Phillips four daughters (Acts

21:9). God used both men and women to communicate His

will to His people, and although not all the prophets writings

or sayings were taken up in the canon, this did not make

their messages any less significant, neither is there any reason

to argue that male prophets were in any way different from

female prophets in terms of the prophetic gift. Prophetesses

mentioned in the Bible include Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Huldah

(2 Kings 22:14), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Anna (Luke 2:36), and

the four daughters of Phillip (Acts 21:9).

6.What does the Bible teach in regard to our attitude toward

prophecy?

1 Thessalonians 5:21 _________ not prophesyings.

2 Chronicles 20:20 Believe in the LORD your God, so shall

ye be established; believe his __________, so shall ye _________.

Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and _____

________, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch

that, if it were possible, they shall ________ the very elect.

NOTE: The Bible clearly teaches that we are not to despise

prophesyings. But, on the other hand it teaches us to beware

of false prophets.

7.Because of the dichotomy of true and false prophets, what

is the duty of every Christian in regards to the nature of

prophets?

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but ___ the spiritswhether they are of God: because many _______ prophets are

gone out into the world.


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NOTE: False prophets also claim to have dreams and to see

visions, so the Scriptures must provide criteria whereby the

authenticity of the prophets utterings may be tested. The gift

of prophecy is one of the gifts given to the people of God to

maintain the integrity of the church throughout all the ages.

The prophets of old were given messages of warning and

reproof, as well as visions and dreams of future and past events

to keep the people of God on track. The prophets were, as it

were, the eyes of the church. The spiritual body, the church, is

compared to the human body.

8.What will a true prophets message be like?

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not

according to ____ ______, it is because there is __ light in

them.

NOTE: Most modern-day prophets would fail this test. A

prophet cannot negate what God has revealed in His word,and all the precepts of the law are

binding.

9.How does the office of a prophet relate to the law of God?

Lamentations 2:9 ...the law is __ more, her _________ also

find __ vision

from the Lord.

NOTE: When the law is not observed, the gift of prophecy is

withdrawn.

10.What is the accuracy of a true prophets predictions?

Jeremiah 28:9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace,when the word of the prophet _____ _____ __ ______, then

shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath _____ _____

______.


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Deuteronomy 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name

of the LORD, if the thing _____ ____, nor ____ to _____, that

is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet

hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be ______ of

him.

NOTE: A word of warning seems in order here. A prophets

predictions may come true, and he/she may even perform

miracles to convince you of

the genuineness of the prophecy - yet it may be false. Consider

the following passage

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 If there arise among you a prophet, or

a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And

the sign or the wonder ____ to pass, whereof he spake unto

thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not

known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not _______ unto

the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the

LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love theLORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye

shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his

commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him,

and cleave unto him.

NOTE: Signs and wonders are no test of genuineness. As in

the above Scriptural example, the prophets words were not in

harmony with the Law of God. Satan will work miracles in the

last days to deceive many. (Revelation 16:14)

11.What relationship does a true prophet have toward the

church?

1 Corinthians 14:3-4 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto

men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but

he that ____________ _________ the church.


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Hosea 12:9-10 And I that am the LORD thy God from the

land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in

the days of the solemn feast. I have also __________ ___ the

prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by

the ministry of the prophets.

12.Who will a true prophet exalt?

1 John 4:12,15 No man hath seen God at any time. If we

love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected

in usWhosoever shall ________ that Jesus is the Son of God,God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and ___ the _______

__, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things

concerning himself.

NOTE: A true prophet will not exalt himself or herself. A true

prophet will always exalt Jesus Christ.

13.How will a true prophet speak?

Matthew 7:29 ...for He taught them as one having authority,

and not as the scribes.

NOTE: Jesus is the supreme example, and He spoke those

things which He had seen and heard from the Father (John

8:26,28,38). A prophet will likewise reveal those things with

authority that have been revealed to him by God.

14.What will a true prophet bear?

Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their _______ ye shall know

them.

NOTE: This test is compelling. Does the prophet live a life in

harmony with the will of God and are the lives of those he/she


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touches transformed so that they too live godly lives? Once

again, a word of warning. No one is without sin and all fall short

of the glory of God. Consider the life of Elijah the prophet

James 5:17 (NKJV) Elijah was a man with a ________ ____

_____, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it

did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

NOTE: Although Elijah had similar faults and passions as we

have, yet he strove to live a godly life and the fruits of his

labor testify that he was truly a prophet of God.

15.What physical manifestations will a true prophet exhibit?

IN VISION THE PROPHETS EYES WILL BE WIDE OPEN: Numbers

24:4 (NKJV) The utterance of him who hears the words of

God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who ____ _____,

with eyes _____ _____.

IN VISION, THE PROPEHT WILL HAVE NO BREATH IN HIM,

AND NO STRENGTH OF HIS/HER OWN: Daniel 10:16-17

(NKJV) And suddenly one having the likeness of the sons of

men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke,

saying to him who stood before me, My Lord, because of the

vision, my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained

___ __________. For how can this servant of my Lord talk with

you my Lord? As for me, ___ __________ remains in me now,

nor is ___ ________ left in me.

NOTE: Note that Daniel has no strength because of the vision.

He is touched by God and speaks although there is no breath

in him.

16.Will the gift of prophecy exist in the church in the lastdays?

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman,


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and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which

keep the commandments of God, and have the ____________

of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:10 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 ________ of ________ is the spirit of _____________.

NOTE: The remnant keeps the commandments of God and

the Law is therefore restored in its fullness. As prophets of Godneed to live and speak in harmony with Gods law, the true

gift of prophecy can only be made manifest if the law forms an

integral part of the theology of the prophet. The testimony of

Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Scriptures teach that those

awaiting the coming of the Lord will come behind in no gift, and

Christ warns against false prophets in the last days who would

tend to mislead Gods people. As we are also admonished to

test the spirits and to hold on to what is good, it is vital thatwe apply the criteria provided to test the prophets in our time.

After the death of the apostles, prophets enjoyed respectability

in many circles until 300 A.D., 1 but the decline of spirituality in

the Church and the resultant apostasy, led to a diminishing of

both the presence and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At the same

time, false prophets caused a loss of confidence in the prophetic

gift. The decline of the prophetic gift during certain periods of

Church history did not mean that God had withdrawn the gift

permanently. The Bible indicates that as the end approaches,

this gift will be present to assist the Church through these

difficult times. More than that, it points to an increased activity

of this gift. The church of the Middle Ages made void the law

of God by altering the Ten Commandments and this effectively

blocked the prophetic gift. (See Lamentations 2:9) Before the

first advent of Christ, God gave the gift of prophecy to Johnthe Baptist to prepare the way for His coming. In a similar way,

the prophetic gift must be restored before the Second Advent,

so that everyone will have the opportunity to prepare to meet


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their Saviour. Christ mentions the rise of false prophets as one

of the signs that His coming is near! (Matthew 24:11,24) If

there were to be no true prophets during the time of the end,

Christ would have warned against anyone claiming that gift.

His warning against false prophets implies that there would be

true prophets as well.

17.What did the prophet Joel declare about the gift of prophecy

in the last days?

Joel 2:28-31 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will

pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your _____ and your ___

_____ shall ________, your old men shall dream dreams, your

young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and

upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,

blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.The sun shall be turned

into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great andthe terrible day of the LORD come.

NOTE: Pentecost saw a remarkable manifestation of the

Spirit. Peter, citing Joels prophecy, pointed out that God

had promised such blessings. (Acts 2:2-21). However, Joels

prophecy did not reach complete fulfilment at Pentecost, as

the great and terrible day of the Lord is a reference to the

second coming of Christ. Pentecost, then, was a foretaste of

the full manifestation of the Spirit before the Second Advent.

Like Palestines early rain, which fell in the autumn shortly after

the crops were planted, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at

Pentecost corresponds to the spiritual early rain, which was to

nurture the fledgling church. The complete and final fulfilment

of Joels prophecy corresponds to the latter rain, which, falling

in the Spring, ripened the grain. (Joel 2:23). Likewise, the finalbestowal of Gods Spirit will take place just before the Second

Advent - after the predicted signs in the sun, moon and stars.

(Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12-17; Joel 2:31)


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Like the latter rain, this final outpouring of the Spirit will ripen

the harvest of the earth, (Matthew 13:30, 39), and whoever

calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Joel 2:32).

The Millerites and later the Adventists saw a fulfilment of the

prophecy regarding the darkening of the sun and the falling

of the stars in the unexplained dark day of New England of

May 19, 1780 when there was an unequalled darkness over

large areas of New England. On November 13, 1833, the world

witnessed the greatest meteoric event in recorded history

when meteors lighted up the sky, falling at an estimated rate

of 200,000 per hour. Considering the turning of these events inrelation to the unsealing of the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel, it

is understandable that they should be linked to the prophecies

regarding last day events.

18.Who is the prophet for the Remnant of Revelation 12:17?

After the great disappointment of 1844, many who believed in

the return of Christ were disillusioned and prepared to abandontheir faith. Just prior to 1844, two men received similar visions

regarding the advent movement. The first was William Foy, a

member of the Freewill Baptist Church who was studying for

the ministry. In 1842, in Boston, he witnessed the reward of

the faithful and the punishment of the wicked, and the great

scenes of the judgment in three steps, the books of record in

heaven, the coming of Christ, and the reward of the faithful

in that sequence. Foy related these visions to audiences, but

when he received a third vision, which he did not understand,

he ceased his public work. Hazen Foss also received a vision

regarding the experience of the advent people, but refused

to make it public after the great disappointment which had

severely affected him. Shortly after this period, a young girl by

the name of Ellen Harmon was given a vision of the trials of

the advent people. This vision was given her two months afterthe great disappointment in December 1844. The vision did

not reveal the reasons for the disappointment, but did offer

comfort and greater understanding of the events as they had


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and would be unfolding. The events covered by the vision

showed Adventists travelling to the city on a narrow path with

the bright light of the midnight cry behind them, and the

path lighted to its end so that they would not stumble. Those

who kept their eyes on Jesus would not stumble but enter

into the city, the New Jerusalem. She witnessed the events of

the Second Advent and the sealing of the 144 000, the ascent

to the New Jerusalem and the reward of the faithful. When

Ellen Harmon related her first vision early in 1845, Hazen Foss

was present and was overwhelmed that the vision was the

same as he had received, but which he had refused to reveal.From 1844, when Ellen Harmon was 17 years old, until 1915

when she died, she had more than 2000 documented visions.

During this time, she lived and worked in America, Europe, and

Australia. Her work was often met with skepticism and ridicule,

particularly since she was a woman and had not had much

formal schooling in view of an accident in her youth, which had

left her partly debilitated. At the age of nine, Ellen was seriously

injured by a stone thrown by a classmate whilst she was on herway home from school. For three weeks, she was unconscious,

and it was thought that she would not recover. After her initial

recovery, she returned to school, but never got beyond the

early grades. Ellen was a member of the Methodist church and

was baptized on June 26, 1842. She was an ardent student of

the Bible, and after attending meetings held by William Miller

and his associates, she was impressed by the message which

she heard. After the great disappointment, which also greatly

affected her, she was chosen to receive her first vision and she

relates her reaction as follows:

After I had the vision, and God gave me light, He bade

me deliver it... but I shrank from it. I was young, and I thought

they would not receive it from me.(Ellen G. White, letter 3,

1847)

On August 30, 1846, Ellen married James White, ayoung Adventist preacher, and they had four sons: Henry,

Edson, William and Herbert. After the death of her husband

on August 6, 1881, Ellen laboured alone for another 34 years,


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during which time some of the most profound writings on the

word of God were produced by her. Her ministry and visions:

1) Guarded the church against fanatical influences, and

the inroads of non-biblical doctrines,

2) Established the pillars of the Adventist faith in

confirming or correcting the results of ardent Bible study by a

host of advent believers. These pillars included the role of the

Law of God, the Sabbath, the Sanctuary, the Second Coming

of Christ, the three angels messages, and the identity and role

of Babylon in the great controversy between Christ and Satan.3) Established church order and directed the ministry

on the spreading of the final message of hope and reproof, the

Three Angels Messages.

4) Established the publishing work and helped it expand

into a worldwide ministry.

5) Established the right arm of the ministry, a worldwide

health message that recognizes that man has physical as well

as spiritual needs.Despite her physical frailness and debilities which made

it impossible for her to write, Ellen White became one of the

most prolific writers for our time. No other woman author has

produced as much published religious material, as has Ellen

G. White. Numerous books, magazine articles, tracts and

pamphlets as well as letters have flowed from her pen. Her

writings cover a wide field of issues from doctrinal practices to

Christian living, diet and health, parental care and guidance,

education, medical ministry and the illumination of Biblical

prophecies and historic events. This remarkable turn of events

was, according to her, made possible by the direct intervention

of God. After being instructed to write down the things she

had seen in vision, she had felt it an impossible request. She

relates the experience as follows:

The Lord has said, Write out the things, which I shallgive you. And I commenced when very young to do this work.

My hand that was feeble and trembling because of infirmities

became steady as soon as I took the pen in my hand, and


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since those first writings, I have been able to write. God has

given me the ability to write... That right hand scarcely ever

has a disagreeable sensation. It never wearies. It seldom ever

trembles. (MS 88a, 1900)

19. What must we do concerning the claims of this woman?

NOTE: Ellen White is the only prophet in modern history who

satisfies all the Biblical criteria of a prophet of God. She wrote

pointed testimonies and received instructions from God that

were to provide the necessary guidance for Gods remnant atthe end of time. Those who take this instruction to heart will

develop a greater understanding of the will of God and will be

led into a closer relationship with God.

MY DECISION FOR JESUS

Since the Bible describes the prophetic gift as the testimonyof Jesus, this is not about Ellen G. White, but it is about the

message of Jesus through this woman. Would you be willing

to test her through reading her works and comparing to the

what is written in the Word of God? Yes or No


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Notes


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Contact Us

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www.amazingdiscoveries.org

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