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Bible Study Guide – Parables from the Master Teacher – The Sower

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June 30 – July 6, 2019

Key Text

“For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3).

Study Help: Christ’s Object Lessons, 33–61.

Introduction

“The garden of the heart must be cultivated. The soil must be broken up by deep repentance for sin. Poisonous, Satanic plants must be uprooted. The soil once overgrown by thorns can be reclaimed only by diligent labor. So the evil tendencies of the natural heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 56.

Sunday

TEACHING IN PARABLES

  • What circumstances existing among God’s professed people at the time of Christ’s ministry made the use of parables necessary? Matthew 13:10–13.

Note: “The gospel of Christ was a stumbling block to them [the Jewish people] because they demanded signs instead of a Saviour. They expected the Messiah to prove His claims by mighty deeds of conquest, to establish His empire on the ruins of earthly kingdoms. This expectation Christ answered in the parable of the sower. Not by force of arms, not by violent interpositions, was the kingdom of God to prevail, but by the implanting of a new principle in the hearts of men.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 35.

  • To what prophecy did Jesus relate His teaching in parables? Isaiah 6:9; Matthew 13:14, 15.

Note: “To minds that were open to the Holy Spirit, the significance of the Saviour’s teaching unfolded more and more. Mysteries grew clear, and that which had been hard to grasp became evident.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 21.

Monday

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

  • What was the parable of the sower about? Matthew 13:3–8.

Note: “That with which the parable of the sower chiefly deals is the effect produced on the growth of the seed by the soil into which it is cast. … The question of greatest importance to you is, How do you treat My message? Upon your reception or rejection of it your eternal destiny depends.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 43, 44.

  • What is meant by the seed sown by the wayside? Matthew 13:19.

Note: “The seed sown by the wayside represents the word of God as it falls upon the heart of an inattentive hearer. Like the hard-beaten path, trodden down by the feet of men and beasts, is the heart that becomes a highway for the world’s traffic, its pleasures and sins. Absorbed in selfish aims and sinful indulgences, the soul is ‘hardened through the deceitfulness of sin’ (Hebrews 3:13). The spiritual faculties are paralyzed. Men hear the word, but understand it not. They do not discern that it applies to themselves. They do not realize their need or their danger. They do not perceive the love of Christ, and they pass by the message of His grace as something that does not concern them.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 44.

  • How does God consider those who sow discord in the church? Proverbs 6:16–19. How does this practice aid the devil in his work? Luke 8:11, 12.

Note: “Many who profess to be Christians are aiding the tempter to catch away the seeds of truth from other hearts. Many who listen to the preaching of the word of God make it the subject of criticism at home. … The message that should be regarded as the word of the Lord to them is dwelt upon with trifling or sarcastic comment. The minister’s character, motives, and actions, and the conduct of fellow members of the church, are freely discussed. Severe judgment is pronounced, gossip or slander repeated, and this in the hearing of the unconverted. Often these things are spoken by parents in the hearing of their own children. Thus are destroyed respect for God’s messengers, and reverence for their message. And many are taught to regard lightly God’s word itself.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 45, 46.

Tuesday

UNWILLING TO SACRIFICE

  • What happened to the seed which fell upon stony ground? Matthew 13:20, 21.

Note: “Many who make a profession of religion are stony-ground hearers. Like the rock underlying the layer of earth, the selfishness of the natural heart underlies the soil of their good desires and aspirations. The love of self is not subdued. They have not seen the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the heart has not been humbled under a sense of its guilt. This class may be easily convinced, and appear to be bright converts, but they have only a superficial religion.

“It is not because men receive the word immediately, nor because they rejoice in it, that they fall away. … [They] do not count the cost. They do not consider what the word of God requires of them. They do not bring it face to face with all their habits of life, and yield themselves fully to its control.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 46, 47.

  • How did the rich young ruler show himself to be a stony-ground hearer? Matthew 19:22. How can we show the same attitude? John 6:60.

Note: “Many receive the gospel as a way of escape from suffering, rather than as a deliverance from sin. They rejoice for a season, for they think that religion will free them from difficulty and trial. While life moves smoothly with them, they may appear to be consistent Christians. But they faint beneath the fiery test of temptation. They cannot bear reproach for Christ’s sake. When the word of God points out some cherished sin, or requires self-denial or sacrifice, they are offended. It would cost them too much effort to make a radical change in their life. They look at the present inconvenience and trial, and forget the eternal realities.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 47, 48.

  • What does God require of us, and how did Jesus leave an example for us? Luke 9:23; Romans 12:1; 5:6–8.

Note: “Christ gave all for us, and those who receive Christ will be ready to sacrifice all for the sake of their Redeemer. The thought of His honor and glory will come before anything else.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 49.

Wednesday

CHOKED BY THE THORNS OF WORLDLINESS

  • What is meant by the thorns which choke the good seed? Mark 4:18, 19; Luke 8:14.
  • What should we remember in order to prevent the cares of this life from choking the good seed of truth? Matthew 6:25–32; Psalm 55:22.

Note: “Christians must work, they must engage in business, and they can do this without committing sin. But many become so absorbed in business that they have no time for prayer, no time for the study of the Bible, no time to seek and serve God. At times the longings of the soul go out for holiness and heaven; but there is no time to turn aside from the din of the world to listen to the majestic and authoritative utterances of the Spirit of God. The things of eternity are made subordinate, the things of the world supreme. It is impossible for the seed of the word to bring forth fruit; for the life of the soul is given to nourish the thorns of worldliness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 51, 52.

  • What attitude shows that the good seed is being choked by worldly riches? Deuteronomy 8:17.

Note: “The love of riches has an infatuating, deceptive power. Too often those who possess worldly treasure forget that it is God who gives them power to get wealth. … Instead of regarding wealth as a talent to be employed for the glory of God and the uplifting of humanity, they look upon it as a means of serving themselves.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 52.

  • How can we prevent “the lusts of other things” from choking the Word? Mark 4:19; Matthew 6:33, 34.

Note: “ ‘And the lusts of other things’ (Mark 4:19). These are not necessarily things sinful in themselves, but something that is made first instead of the kingdom of God. Whatever attracts the mind from God, whatever draws the affections away from Christ, is an enemy to the soul.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 53.

Thursday

THE SEED PLANTED IN GOOD GROUND

  • If our hearts are like the good ground, how will we receive the word of God? 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Jeremiah 15:16.

Note: “Only he who receives the Scriptures as the voice of God speaking to himself is a true learner. …

“The word of God often comes in collision with man’s hereditary and cultivated traits of character and his habits of life. But the good-ground hearer, in receiving the Word, accepts all its conditions and requirements. His habits, customs, and practices are brought into submission to God’s word. In his view the commands of finite, erring man sink into insignificance beside the word of the infinite God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 59, 60.

  • How important is the personal cultivation of the heart? Jeremiah 4:3, 4.

Note: “Throughout the parable of the sower, Christ represents the different results of the sowing as depending upon the soil. In every case the sower and the seed are the same. Thus He teaches that if the word of God fails of accomplishing its work in our hearts and lives, the reason is to be found in ourselves. But the result is not beyond our control. True, we cannot change ourselves; but the power of choice is ours, and it rests with us to determine what we will become. The wayside, the stony-ground, the thorny-ground hearers need not remain such. The Spirit of God is ever seeking to break the spell of infatuation that holds men absorbed in worldly things, and to awaken a desire for the imperishable treasure.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 56.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     Who only is able to understand Christ’s teachings?

2    How can we help the wayside hearer?

3    Some readily accept the truth and fail to count the cost. What is this cost?

4    How can something good choke the precious seeds of truth?

5    As we study the word of God, what will we notice about some of our habits and character traits? What should we do about these?

Recipe – Baked Onion Blossom

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Ingredients

  • 2-4 medium red or sweet onions
  • 2-4 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • dash salt
  • herbs/spices: dried rosemary, thyme, parsley, paprika, garlic granules or fresh minced, etc.

Process

  • Slice onion ends; peel. Using a knife, make 4 vertical cuts in each onion; cut each quarter two more times, leaving root end intact. Gently pull onion “petals” down, separating segments.
  • Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Arrange onions root end down.
  • Drizzle oil into and around onion petals. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with herbs/spices.
  • Bake at 400˚ F for about 30-40 minutes or until onions are tender and edges are crispy.
  • Delectable served as a side dish with a green salad.

 

Food – Onions

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Onions may make you cry, but they certainly don’t give you any reason to be sad. On the contrary, onions offer a bounty of health benefits along with the tears.

A member of the allium family—like garlic, leeks, and chives—the onion has been appreciated for thousands of years. Egyptian slaves building the pyramids were fed a diet that included onions, and onions were a prized food of the well-to-do in ancient China.

During the Civil War, Union general Ulysses S. Grant showed how essential onions were by sending a message to Washington that read, “I will not move my armies without onions.” He got the onions—and his side won the war.

Coincidence? Maybe not. Thanks to the powerful flavonoid quercetin and a host of sulfur compounds, onions can make anyone a winner. Onions, which also have some potassium, vitamin C, and B vitamins, kill germs, help your heart, and fight cancer. Plus, they add great flavor and a pleasant aroma to almost any dish.

Even when applied to the skin, onions have healing powers. Onions have been used to kill funguses, yeasts, and parasites, soothe the sting of insect bites, and even to ward off infection from stingray wounds.

Why the tears? Crushing the cells of an onion releases a sulfur compound. When this compound reacts with the moisture in the eyes, it turns into sulfuric acid which irritates the eyes. The eyes then produce tears to flush the sulfuric acid out.

When you think of the onion’s delicious taste and mighty health powers, the only tears you’ll cry will be tears of joy.

Eat and Heal, © 2001, 266–269.

 

Baked Onion Blossom

Ingredients

  • 2-4 medium red or sweet onions
  • 2-4 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • dash salt
  • herbs/spices: dried rosemary, thyme, parsley, paprika, garlic granules or fresh minced, etc.

Process

  • Slice onion ends; peel. Using a knife, make 4 vertical cuts in each onion; cut each quarter two more times, leaving root end intact. Gently pull onion “petals” down, separating segments.
  • Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Arrange onions root end down.
  • Drizzle oil into and around onion petals. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with herbs/spices.
  • Bake at 400˚ F for about 30-40 minutes or until onions are tender and edges are crispy.
  • Delectable served as a side dish with a green salad.

 

Who is on the Lord’s Side?

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Throughout his letters to the early churches, Paul taught that the whole world was under the jurisdiction of the law of God. He explained that the law was not only given for the Jews and abolished by Christ for Christians, but that all needed to keep it.

A misunderstanding arose within the church regarding the ceremonial laws. In Acts the 15th chapter, we read that there were some people who taught the Christians in Antioch that unless they were circumcised according to the manner of Moses, they could not be saved. It says, “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question” (verses 1, 2).  Verse 5 says, “Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.’ ”

A council was held in Jerusalem amongst the church leaders and it was determined that it was not necessary to require the Christians to keep the law of Moses and to be circumcised. Paul then made some very strong statements concerning this in his letters, and as a result, some people have concluded that the apostle Paul taught that Christians no longer need to keep the law of God. The question is, however, which law was he referring to?

He wrote, “For He Himself [Christ] is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us [the Jews and the Gentiles], having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:14–17, literal translation).

Christ abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances. From this statement, people have said that if Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances, we do not need to keep the law of God.

However, in Colossians the 2nd chapter, it says, “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it [that is, in the cross]. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in regarding a festival, or a new moon, or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations [or ordinances] —‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle’ ” (verses 14–21)? He goes on to say, “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (verse 23).

So, people have concluded that Paul taught that the law of God was not binding on Christians. Some people have qualified that a little bit and say that it is necessary to keep the seventh commandment because even though Christians were released from being circumcised and keeping the law of Moses, they required them to keep the commandment dealing with immorality. Acts 15:28, 29: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

None of the other commandments are mentioned. The nations of the ancient world knew that immorality was wrong. There were strict penalties against adultery, taking another’s wife, and all knew that was wrong, but many of them did not think that fornication was wrong. They thought there was nothing wrong in having sexual relations with somebody who wasn’t married. For that reason, the apostles pointed out to the Christians that the seventh commandment included all manner of sexual immorality.

(The apostles also prohibited the Christians from eating of blood. In fact, nowhere in the Bible is permission given to the follower of the Lord to eat blood, though millions of Christians throughout the world eat blood today when they are eating meat.)

Paul said it was the law contained of ordinances that was abolished, and not God’s commandments. He said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

Think that through. Can you abolish a law and establish a law at the same time? Paul is talking about two laws. Paul says that there is a law of commandments contained in ordinances that is abolished (Ephesians 2:15) and a law that is established (Romans 3:31). Notice, this is not some new law that was given in New Testament times; it is a law from the times of the Old Testament that by faith in Christ is established. Paul says that “Where there is no law there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15). He also says that if the law wasn’t there he wouldn’t even know what sin was (Romans 7:7), because, as John says, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4 KJV).

Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3:  “I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (literal translation). Why did Christ die? Christ died for our sins. What is sin? You would think that everybody in the world would know by now what sin is, but many do not. Sin, the Bible says, is breaking God’s law. If you don’t have a law, then there isn’t any sin. And if you don’t have a sin, you don’t need a sacrifice and there is no need for a gospel, for the gospel is to save men from sin. The gospel doesn’t save men in breaking God’s law; it saves men from breaking God’s law. Remember the words of the angel to Joseph before the birth of Jesus: “Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 KJV).

So, there was a law that was abolished when Christ came, a law having to do with ordinances—concerning foods and drinks, feast days, and yearly ceremonies (Leviticus 23)—those things were done away at the cross of Jesus. Those were temporary laws that were given regarding things that would happen in the gospel dispensation in the future. But, the law of God, the Ten Commandment law, was not done away; in fact, Paul says, “It was established.”

Notice he says: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19 KJV). Or many translations add the words, “keeping the commandments of God is what matters,” or “is everything.”

Circumcision is not anything; whether you are circumcised or not circumcised is not the issue. The issue is, do you keep the commandments of God, for that is what matters. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1–4).

Paul said that the righteous requirement of the law will be fulfilled in those who walk according to the Spirit, those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. So what about the person who is not filled with the Holy Spirit? Paul says that person is not going to keep the law. In fact, he says, a person who has a sinful nature, who has not been converted or received the Holy Spirit, cannot keep the law of God. He says, “For to be carnally minded is death, But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:6, 7). Notice, he says, “the carnal mind,” the person who is not converted, that person is not subject to the law of God; in fact, it’s impossible, nor indeed, can that person be subject to the law of God. But then he goes on to say, that’s not your situation. You’ve chosen to follow Christ; you’re filled with the Holy Spirit. He said, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (verse 14).

Paul taught that there was coming a time in the future of the Christian church when multitudes of people considering themselves to be Christians would violate the law of God and still expect that they were going to go to heaven, regardless that they were living in deliberate violation of God’s holy law. Paul taught that an antichrist power would come that would enter the Christian church and cause Christians to break the law of God. He was not the first one who predicted this.

Daniel prophesied that this antichrist power “shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and laws. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25).

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church: “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition …” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–3). Paul predicted that the Second Coming of Christ would not come in his day. He said that before that great event there would be a great apostasy, a falling away from the truth, and the antichrist would be revealed. He said that this “man of sin [or antichrist] … opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (verse 4).

In Ephesians 2, the church of God is likened to a temple. A temple is a building where a deity resides. The church is to be a temple for the indwelling of God, but the antichrist is going to sit in the temple; in other words, in the church. The antichrist is going to arise in the church and he is going to exalt himself above every god that is worshiped, and he is going to show himself that he himself is God. Paul says, “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed” (verses 5–8, first part).

Notice that the antichrist is described here as the lawless one. In Daniel the antichrist is described as a power that intends to change times and laws. Here it is described as a lawless power, a power that teaches people to break God’s law. This antichrist power is going to continue until Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven and then it will be destroyed. Paul said, “Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (verse 8).

He says in verses 9, 10, “The coming of the lawless one [the antichrist] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Friend, do you love the truth? Paul said that if you don’t receive the love of the truth, you are going to be deceived by miracles that will be performed by evil spirits and you will think that they are being performed by the Holy Spirit. “For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (verses 11, 12).

Those who believe the lie and have pleasure in unrighteousness will still lose their soul. They well may plead ignorance or that they were deceived, but they neglected to receive the love of the truth and had pleasure in unrighteousness. Having pleasure in unrighteousness is taking pleasure in sin, in breaking God’s law. Those people will all be condemned.

The book of Revelation reveals the startling fact that in the very last days almost the entire world will worship the antichrist power. This is a violation of the first commandment that forbids the worship of anyone except the God of heaven. The second commandment forbids a person to bow down to any image or idol but, “All the world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3, last part). Then it says in verse 8, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

We are coming to a time when everybody in the world, except those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, is going to worship the antichrist. Whom will you worship? In Revelation, it is pointed out that in the last days a line will divide the people of the world into two groups—on one side will be those who keep God’s commandments; on the other side will be those who worship the antichrist and the image of the antichrist (Revelation 13, 14).

Revelation 12:17 says that “The dragon [the devil] was enraged with the woman [God’s people], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” The devil is enraged with those who keep God’s commandments and he tries to destroy them. He causes a law to be passed that all who refuse to worship the antichrist and the image to the antichrist will be killed (Revelation 13). The devil is going to try to destroy every person who keeps God’s commandments. But God’s children will still be keeping His commandments. Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

O, friend, we are headed toward a gigantic spiritual crisis that is going to divide the whole world into two camps—those who keep God’s commandments and those who do not keep God’s commandments. It is just that simple.

In the last chapters of the book of Revelation this warning is repeated. In fact, in the last two chapters it is repeated at least three times. Looking at one in Revelation 22:14 and 15, it says, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral (7th commandment), and murderers (6th commandment), and idolaters (2nd commandment), and whoever loves and practices a lie” (9th commandment). You see, in the final analysis, whether you are on the inside or whether you are on the outside in the last generation depends on whether or not you are loyal to God’s law.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

 

Health – Kids: Connection to Nature Lessens Distress, Hyperactivity, and Behavioral Problems

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City lifestyle has been criticized for being an important reason for children being disconnected from nature. This has led to an unhealthy lifestyle in regard to active play and eating habits. Even worse, many young children do not feel well psychologically – they are often stressed and depressed. Sixteen percent of pre-schoolers in Hong Kong and up to 22% in China show signs of mental health problems.

Recent research shows that spending time in nature may bring many health benefits, and many environmental programs around the world are trying to decrease ‘nature-deficit’ and ‘child-nature disconnectedness’ in order to improve children’s health. For example, the World Health Organization, in order to monitor implementation of the Parma Declaration commitment to providing every child with access to “green spaces to play and undertake physical activity,” has set a 300-meter target. Interestingly, 90 per cent of the Hong Kong population lives within 400 metres of such areas. However, despite the extensive, adjacent greenness, families are not using these areas.

“We noticed a tendency where parents are avoiding nature. They perceive it as dirty and dangerous, and their children unfortunately pick up these attitudes. In addition, the green areas are often unwelcoming with signs like ‘Keep off the grass,’ ” said Dr. Tanja Sobko from the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Hong Kong. Until now, it has not been possible to measure connectedness to nature in preschool children, mostly due to the fact that they are too young to answer for themselves.

A new 16-item parent questionnaire to measure “connectedness to nature” in very young children has been developed by Dr. Sobko and her collaborator Prof. Gavin Brown, Director of the Quantitative Data Analysis and Research Unit at the University of Auckland. The questionnaire identified four areas that reflect the child-nature relationship: enjoyment of nature, empathy for nature, responsibility towards nature, and awareness of nature.

The study consisted of two parts: the initial interviews with the families and the subsequent development of the questionnaire. Altogether, 493 families with children aged between 2 and 5 have participated in the study. Finally, the new questionnaire was tested against the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a well-established measurement of psychological well-being and children’s behaviour problems. The results revealed that parents who ensured that their child had a closer connection with nature discovered that the child had less distress, less hyperactivity, and fewer behavioural and emotional difficulties, and improved pro-social behaviour. Interestingly, children who took greater responsibility towards their interaction with nature had fewer peer difficulties. The results give a new possibility for investigating the link between the outdoor environment and well-being in pre-school children.

The study is part of Dr. Sobko’s research-based program “Play&Grow,” which is the first in Hong Kong to promote healthy eating and active playtime with preschool children by connecting them to nature. Launched 2016, it has so far included almost 1000 families from all over Hong Kong.

The findings have been published in the multidisciplinary Open Access journal, PLOS ONE. The new scale has already attracted international attention and is being adopted by universities worldwide including Western Australia and Deakin Universities. In addition, the HKU-developed “Play&Grow” program is also on track to be conducted in Australia. …

The next step is to further fine-tune future health promotion/disease prevention interventions, which Dr. Sobko and the team are committed to. … The new exciting extension of this work is to test the effect of exposing children to nature and then assessing for changes in their gut microbiota.

(Adapted from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190111095125.htm.)

For children, play is learning. There is no better space for kids to learn than the outdoors, and there is no better play resource than nature.

One of the best lessons children can be taught in their early years is to play outdoors. Children innately reap great benefits as they grow connection with and appreciation of the natural environment. In the structured, busy and technologically-advanced world we live in, the role of outdoor play that we experienced as children is being forgotten.

“Nature play” significantly improves all aspects of child development – physical, cognitive, social and emotional. …

There are many benefits to participating in nature play as a child, which also resonate into adulthood. Such outcomes from nature play include achievement, innovation, creativity, positive relationship development, skill development, self-awareness directly related to employability skills planning, organizing, decision making, innovation, problem solving, communication and working with others. The connection between these skills and the skills that will contribute to success later in life are clear to see.

Conversely, children who are not supported, encouraged, inspired or provided the opportunity to develop an intrinsic love of outdoor play are increasingly becoming disconnected from nature, to their detriment.

Children who don’t regularly participate in outdoor play lead sedentary lifestyles and are put at risk. Richard Louv, the American social commentator who wrote Last Child in the Woods, coined the term “nature deficit disorder” to describe as an illness afflicting children disconnected from nature. Symptoms of nature deficit disorder (as outlined by Louv, 2005) include depression, hyperactivity, boredom and loneliness. It may also manifest in reduced motor development and diminished mental and psychological health, including lack of attention, learning ability and creativity.

According to “Beyond Blue to Green,” a 2010 Australian report on the benefits of contact with nature for mental health and wellbeing, if we don’t take drastic changes to curb current sedentary indoor lifestyle trends, it is foreseeable that obesity, depression, stress, anxiety and mental health issues – which are all closely linked – will also continue to rapidly increase.

(Adapted from https://www.natureplayqld.org.au/nature-play-in-early-years-education.)

“In early ages, with the people who were under God’s direction, life was simple. They lived close to the heart of nature. Their children shared in the labor of the parents and studied the beauties and mysteries of nature’s treasure house. And in the quiet of field and wood they pondered those mighty truths handed down as a sacred trust from generation to generation. Such training produced strong men.

“ … we may learn from them lessons that will make our seasons of recreation what the name implies—seasons of true upbuilding for body and mind and soul.” The Adventist Home, 501.

“For the first eight or ten years of a child’s life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, the mother the best teacher, nature the best lesson book. Even when the child is old enough to attend school, his health should be regarded as of greater importance than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded with the conditions most favorable to both physical and mental growth.

“To the nervous child, who finds lessons from books exhausting and hard to remember, it [work in garden and field] will be especially valuable. There is health and happiness for him in the study of nature. …

“Working the soil is one of the best kinds of employment, calling the muscles into action and resting the mind.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 179.

“Little children should be permitted to run and play out of doors, enjoying the fresh, pure air, and the life-giving sunshine. Let the foundation of a strong constitution be laid in early life.” The Review and Herald, January 10, 1882.

“In order for children … to have health, cheerfulness, vivacity, and well-developed muscles and brains, they should be much in the open air … .” Counsels on Health, 177, 178.

Editorial – Knowing the Time, Pt. IV

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There is no command for any one to search the Scripture in order to ascertain, if possible, when probation will close. God has no such message for any mortal lips. He would have no mortal tongue declare that which He has hidden in His secret councils.” Review and Herald, October 9, 1894.

“The world placed all time-proclamation on the same level and called it a delusion, fanaticism and heresy. Ever since 1844 I [Ellen White] have borne my testimony that we were now in a period of time in which we are to take heed to ourselves lest our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon us unawares. Our position has been one of waiting and watching, with no time-proclamation to intervene between the close of the prophetic periods in 1844 and the time of our Lord’s coming. We do not know the day nor the hour, or when the definite time is, and yet the prophetic reckoning shows us that Christ is at the door.

“We have not cast away our confidence, neither have we a message dependent upon definite time, but we are waiting and watching unto prayer, looking for and loving the appearing of our Saviour, and doing all in our power for the preparation of our fellow men for that great event. We are not impatient. If the vision tarry, wait for it, for it will surely come, it will not tarry. Although disappointed, our faith has not failed, and we have not drawn back to perdition. The apparent tarrying is not so in reality, for at the appointed time our Lord will come, and we will, if faithful, exclaim, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us’ (Isaiah 25:9).

“I have also been pronounced a deceiver because I have said, ‘The Lord will soon come; get ready, get ready that ye may be found waiting, watching and loving His appearing.’ But in the Revelation I read this statement, ‘Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be’ (Revelation 22:12). ‘Behold, I come quickly blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book’ (Revelation 22:7). ‘Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown’ (Revelation 3:11). Was the One who bore this testimony a deceiver, because the ‘quickly’ has been protracted longer than our finite minds could anticipate? It is the faithful and true witness that speaks. His words are verity and truth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 270, 271.

“The Saviour did enter the Most Holy Place in 1844 to cleanse the sanctuary and the investigative judgment had commenced for the dead. I have been repeatedly urged to accept the different periods of time proclaimed for the Lord to come.

“I have ever had one testimony to bear: The Lord will not come at that period, and you are weakening the faith of even Adventists, and fastening the world in their unbelief. There have been plainly set before me events of great and thrilling interest, which must transpire before Christ will come. Satan will move mightily from beneath, and will delude the world, while the Lord God Omnipotent will move from above and prepare a people to stand in the great day of His wrath.

“The time-setters have pronounced the curse of the Lord upon me as an unbeliever who said, My Lord delayeth His coming. But I have told them that the books of heaven would not make my record thus, for the Lord knows that I loved and longed for the appearing of Christ. But their oft-repeated message of definite time was exactly what the enemy wanted, and it served his purpose well to unsettle the faith in the first proclamation of time, which was of heavenly origin.” Ibid., 269, 270. [Emphasis added.]

Bible Study Guides – Importance of the Spirit of Prophecy

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November 24, 2007 – November 30, 2007

Key Text

“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:8, 11-13.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, vii-xii; Selected Messages, Book 1, 24-39.

Introduction

“The word of God is sufficient to enlighten the most beclouded mind and may be understood by those who have any desire to understand it. But notwithstanding all this, some who profess to make the word of God their study are found living in direct opposition to its plainest teachings. Then, to leave men and women without excuse, God gives plain and pointed testimonies, bringing them back to the word that they have neglected to follow. The word of God abounds in general principles for the formation of correct habits of living, and the testimonies, general and personal, have been calculated to call their attention more especially to these principles.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 663, 664.

1 Of what would Paul not have the Corinthian believers to be ignorant? 1 Corinthians 12:1.

note: In his preface to Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 29, James White wrote: “The object of the gifts, as stated by Paul, was ‘for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith.’ [Ephesians 4:12, 13, first part.] These were Heaven’s appointed means to secure the unity of the church. Christ prayed that his people might be one, as he was one with his Father. Read John 17. Paul exhorted the Corinthians in the name of Christ to be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment. Read 1 Corinthians 1:10; Romans 15:5; Philippians 2:1, 2; 1 Peter 3:8; 5:5. The gifts were given to secure this state of unity.”

2 Enumerate the principal gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:28, 8-10.

note: “The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit. [1 Corinthians 12:8-11 quoted.] All men do not receive the same gifts, but to every servant of the Master some gift of the Spirit is promised. . . .

“The gifts are already ours in Christ, but their actual possession depends upon our reception of the Spirit of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 327.

It is important for the people of God to understand the role of the gift of prophecy in their midst. Wrote Ellen White: “In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 661.

3 What gift did Paul say the Corinthian believers were especially to desire? 1 Corinthians 14:1.

note: “The gift of prophecy is one of God’s choicest gifts to the human family. Indeed, it ranks next to the supreme gift of His only-begotten Son and of His Holy Spirit to a world estranged and separated by sin.” A. G. Daniells, The Abiding Gift of Prophecy, 15. < http://www.whiteestate.org/books/agp/AGPco1.html#c01> July 17, 2007.

“Some, I [Ellen White] was shown, could receive the published visions, judging of the tree by its fruits. Others are like doubting Thomas; they cannot believe the published Testimonies, nor receive evidence through the testimony of others; but must see and have the evidence for themselves. Such must not be set aside, but long patience and brotherly love should be exercised toward them until they find their position and become established for or against. If they fight against the visions, of which they have no knowledge; if they carry their opposition so far as to oppose that in which they have had no experience, and feel annoyed when those who believe that the visions are of God speak of them in meeting, and comfort themselves with the instruction given through vision, the church may know that they are not right. God’s people should not cringe and yield, and give up their liberty to such disaffected ones. God has placed the gifts in the church that the church may be benefited by them; and when professed believers in the truth oppose these gifts, and fight against the visions, souls are in danger through their influence, and it is time then to labor with them, that the weak may not be led astray by their influence.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 328, 329.

4 Where were spiritual gifts to be manifest? 1 Corinthians 12:28. For how long? 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.

note: “In the great crisis of 1844, an unbelieving world was arrayed against God’s disappointed people. Some shunned them, some ridiculed them, and many were hostile to them. They were surely a forsaken and scattered flock, knowing not what to do. Among them were some who, like Jehoshaphat and Judah, kept their eyes upon God and offered importunate prayer for divine guidance. The Lord heard their prayers, and gave them a remarkable answer through the prophetic gift. He chose for His messenger Miss Ellen Gould Harmon of Portland, Maine,—one of the truly devout and sorely disappointed believers in the coming of the Lord in 1844.” A. G. Daniells, The Abiding Gift of Prophecy, 258. <http://www.whiteestate.org/books/agp/AGPc01.html#c01> July 17, 2007.

“Those who maintain that the gifts of the Spirit, including the prophetic gift, ceased with the days of the apostles are thereby logically forced not only to turn a deaf ear to the claim of any present-day messenger for God, but to denounce such a one as an impostor.

“Those who believe in the abiding gift of prophecy must recognize the force of the Saviour’s injunction: ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ Matthew 7:15. Nor should they be unmindful of our Lord’s prediction that among the signs that were to herald the return of our Lord as imminent, is the appearance of ‘false christs, and false prophets,’ who ‘shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.’ Matthew 24:24.

“In order that one may ‘quench not the Spirit,’—the Holy Spirit, who has moved upon and inspired the prophets of all ages,—the apostle Paul enjoins the believers to ‘despise not prophesyings.’ In order to avoid deception by a subtle counterfeit, he adds the injunction: ‘Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21.” Ibid., 264.

“The welfare of the church as a whole, and of its individual members, is inseparably bound up with believing and heeding God’s prophets. These . . . are His chosen messengers, His appointed spokesmen, to His church on earth. . . . This plan of communication has been God’s chosen, uniform, and beneficent provision for revealing His will to man, ever since the separation caused by sin. Through this means, God counsels and instructs, He cautions, entreats, and warns, as need may occasion and as divine love indicates. The presence of the prophet among men is not, therefore, something new or unusual, something strange or fantastic. God is the author of this provision, and wayfaring man is its beneficiary. It is as old as the human need, and as constant as the divine love that prompted and instituted it.

“The vicissitudes of the church in all ages have been gauged by its allegiance or its disloyalty to the gift of prophecy, and its safety measured by its response to these heavenly leadings. Through the centuries spanning the patriarchal, Mosaic, and apostolic eras, we have seen this inviolable rule in operation, as revealed in the pages of Holy Writ.

“Then after the death of the apostles, the tragic march of events in the Christian era begins, is told in blood and tears, and is blotched with drift and apostasy. Steadily the nominal Christian church veers from those foundation principles—the precepts and practices, the letter and the spirit—that characterized the apostolic church. The departure centered in perversion of the law and the gospel, though it permeated every truth of Christianity.

“Tragic has been the lot of those who stood for the primitive faith. Hated and maligned, persecuted and isolated, they witnessed to the truth. But from time to time prophets—men and women—arose at the call of God, and denounced the iniquity of the disloyal. They encouraged the fidelity of the faithful, and guided and guarded the adherents of truth through the weary centuries.

“Now in these divinely denominated ‘last days,’ God’s great plan of redemption and the mad course of the human race approach their climax together. Iniquity so abounds among men, human philosophy is so defiant, man’s independence of God and of the provisions of redemption are so affronting in this supreme conflict between good and evil, that it was imperative for the gift of prophecy to be conspicuously manifest in the ranks of the remnant church.” Ibid., 370, 371.

5 What is God’s purpose in bestowing spiritual gifts in the church? Ephesians 4:11-14; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 14:22, last part.

note: The testimony of Uriah Smith, one of the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, concerning the influence of the spirit of prophecy on the lives of church members will be helpful: “Their fruit is such as to show that the source from which they spring is the opposite of evil.

“They tend to the purest morality. They discountenance every vice, and exhort to the practice of every virtue. They point out the perils through which we are to pass to the kingdom. They reveal the devices of Satan. They warn us against his snares. They have nipped in the bud scheme after scheme of fanaticism which the enemy has tried to foist into our midst. They have exposed hidden iniquity, brought to light concealed wrongs, and laid bare the evil motives of the false-hearted. They have warded off dangers from the cause of truth upon every hand. They have aroused and re-aroused us to greater consecration to God, more zealous efforts for holiness of heart, and greater diligence in the cause and service of our Master.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 469, 470.

6 How does the True Witness deal with the Laodicean church, and what counsel does He offer? Revelation 3:14, 19

note: The chastening process is accomplished by the messages of reproof and correction given through the prophets. Applying the words of this text to the testimonies she bore, Ellen White declared: “The Lord has seen fit to counsel Elder Smith, to give him words of reproof because he had erred; but is this an evidence that God has forsaken him? No. ‘As many as I love I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent’ (Revelation 3:19). The Lord reproves wrongs in His people, but is this an evidence that He has rejected them? No. There are errors in the church, and the Lord points them out by His own ordained agencies, not always through the testimonies.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 81.

7 Instead of an indication of God’s rejection, of what is the chastening of the Lord a certain evidence? Hebrews 12:6, 7. What excellent results does this chastening produce? Verse 11.

note: “The Lord can bring victory out of that which may seem to us discomfiture and defeat. We are in danger of forgetting God, of looking at the things which are seen, instead of beholding by the eye of faith the things which are unseen. When misfortune or calamity comes, we are ready to charge God with neglect or cruelty. If He sees fit to cut off our usefulness in some line, we mourn, not stopping to think that thus God may be working for our good. We need to learn that chastisement is a part of His great plan and that under the rod of affliction the Christian may sometimes do more for the Master than when engaged in active service.” The Acts of the Apostles, 481.

“It is God who has led you through strait places. He had a purpose in this, that tribulation might work in you patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. He permitted trials to come upon you, that, through them, you might experience the peaceable fruits of righteousness.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 416.

8 How did the vision of the sheet let down from heaven, given to the church through Peter, teach an important Bible principle? Acts 10:1-35. Compare 11 Chronicles 19:7.

note: As the vision given to Peter on the housetop corrected him as a Jew in his prejudicial attitude toward the Gentiles, so the visions of Ellen White correct those who err from Bible principle.

“The Lord has sent His people much instruction, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little. Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light.” Colporteur Ministry, 125.

“Brother J would confuse the mind by seeking to make it appear that the light God has given through the Testimonies is an addition to the word of God, but in this he presents the matter in a false light. God has seen fit in this manner to bring the minds of His people to His word, to give them a clearer understanding of it.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 246.

9 How did Mrs. White indicate the relationship of her messages to the Bible?

note: “The Spirit was not given nor can it ever be bestowed to supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.” The Great Controversy, vii.

10 What claim did Mrs. White make for herself and her work?

note: “I [Ellen White] have had no claims to make, only that I am instructed that I am the Lord’s messenger; that He called me in my youth to be His messenger, to receive His word, and to give a clear and decided message in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 32. [Author’s italics.]

11 What did Mrs. White refrain from claiming?

note: In a public address delivered October 2, 1904, in Battle Creek, Michigan, Mrs. White stated: “During the discourse, I said that I did not claim to be a prophetess. Some were surprised at this statement, and as much is being said in regard to it, I will make an explanation. Others have called me a prophetess, but I have never assumed that title. I have not felt that it was my duty thus to designate myself. Those who boldly assume that they are prophets in this our day are often a reproach to the cause of Christ.

“My work includes much more than this name signifies. I regard myself as a messenger, entrusted by the Lord with messages for His people.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 35, 36.

12 What work did God “especially” assign to Mrs. White?

note: “The work which the Lord has laid out before me [Ellen White] especially is to urge young and old, learned and unlearned, to search the Scriptures for themselves; to impress upon all that the study of God’s word will expand the mind and strengthen every faculty, fitting the intellect to wrestle with problems of truth, deep and far-reaching; to assure all that the clear knowledge of the Bible outdoes all other knowledge in making man what God designed he should be.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 686.

Bible Study Guides – Primacy of the Bible

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November 17, 2007 – November 23, 2007

Key Text

“All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 11 Timothy 3:16, 17.

Study Help: Selected Messages, Book 1, 15-23; The Great Controversy, 593-602.

Introduction

“In His word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience.” The Great Controversy, vii.

“I [Ellen White] take the Bible just as it is, as the Inspired Word. I believe its utterances in an entire Bible. . . .

“Brethren, cling to your Bible, as it reads, and stop your criticisms in regard to its validity, and obey the Word, and not one of you will be lost.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 17, 18.

1 What claim did Paul make concerning the Holy Scriptures? 11 Timothy 3:15-17.

note: “Let all seek to comprehend, to the full extent of their powers, the meaning of the word of God. A mere superficial reading of the inspired word will be of little advantage; for every statement made in the sacred pages requires thoughtful contemplation. It is true that some passages do not require as earnest concentration as do others; for their meaning is more evident. But the student of the word of God should seek to understand the bearing of one passage upon another until the chain of truth is revealed to his vision. As veins of precious ore are hidden beneath the surface of the earth, so spiritual riches are concealed in the passage of Holy Writ, and it requires mental effort and prayerful attention to discover the hidden meaning of the word of God. Let every student who values the heavenly treasure put to the stretch his mental and spiritual powers, and sink the shaft deep into the mine of truth, that he may obtain the celestial gold,¾ that wisdom which will make him wise unto salvation.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 169, 170.

2 How did Peter describe the workings of divine inspiration? 11 Peter 1:21.

note: “The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands; and in the varied style of its different books it presents the characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are all ‘given by inspiration of God’ (11 Timothy 3:16); yet they are expressed in the words of men. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have themselves embodied the thought in human language.” The Great Controversy, v.

3 Did God communicate to the prophet, in each case, the very words of His message? Ezekiel 40:4; 11:24, 25. Compare Revelation 1:10, 11.

note: “God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled them to do this work. He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write. The treasure was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is, nonetheless, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God; and the obedient, believing child of God beholds in it the glory of a divine power, full of grace and truth.” The Great Controversy, vi, vii.

4 What term is sometimes applied to the prophets of God? Luke 1:70; 11 Peter 3:2.

note: “We are to take our position in the school of Christ as humble learners. He speaks as one having authority, and he affirms that all that is written in the law and the prophets is the word of the living God. It is the inspiration of One infallible, the divine communication to holy men of old, who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Review and Herald, October 3, 1899.

The life record of Ellen G. White, while not free from frailties, was distinguished for its Christlike consistency and integrity.

5 Of whom do the Scriptures testify? John 5:39.

note: “Holy prophets have foretold the manner of Christ’s birth, the events of his life, his mission, and his death and resurrection. In the Old Testament we find the gospel of a coming Saviour. In the New Testament we have the gospel of a Saviour revealed as prophecy had foretold. . . .

“There is no discord between the teachings of Christ in the Old Testament and his teachings in the New. While the Old Testament is constantly pointing forward to the true Offering, the New Testament shows that the Saviour foretold by prophecy, and prefigured by the typical offerings, has come. The dim glory of the Jewish age has been succeeded by the brighter, clearer glory of the Christian age.” Review and Herald, September 14, 1886.

“You should search the Bible; for it tells you of Jesus. As you read the Bible, you will see the matchless charms of Jesus. You will fall in love with the Man of Calvary.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 293.

6 In His earthly life, to what authority did Christ appeal? Luke 4:4, 8, 10; Matthew 26:31. Compare Deuteronomy 8:3; Zechariah 13:7.

note: “Jesus met Satan with the words of Scripture. ‘It is written,’ He said. In every temptation the weapon of His warfare was the word of God. Satan demanded of Christ a miracle as a sign of His divinity. But that which is greater than all miracles, a firm reliance upon a ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ was a sign that could not be controverted. So long as Christ held to this position, the tempter could gain no advantage.” The Desire of Ages, 120.

“We are to receive God’s word as supreme authority. We must accept its truths for ourselves. And we can appreciate these truths only as we search them out by personal study.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 402.

7 What is said of the enduring nature of God’s Word? Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; Psalm 119:89.

note: “This Holy Book has withstood the assaults of Satan, who has united with evil men to make everything of divine character shrouded in clouds and darkness. But the Lord has preserved this Holy Book by His own miraculous power in its present shape—a chart or guidebook to the human family to show them the way to heaven.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 15.

“God will not break His covenant, nor alter the thing that has gone out of His lips. His word will stand fast forever as unalterable as His throne. At the judgment this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God, and the world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence.” Prophets and Kings, 187.

8 What unique power is found in the Word of God? 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2:2; John 17:17.

note: “The truths of the Bible, received, will uplift the mind from its earthliness and debasement. If the word of God were appreciated as it should be, both young and old would possess an inward rectitude, a strength of principle, that would enable them to resist temptation.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 319.

“Let the student take the Bible as his guide and stand like a rock for principle, and he may aspire to any height of attainment. All the philosophies of human nature have led to confusion and shame when God has not been recognized as all in all. But the precious faith inspired of God imparts strength and nobility of character. As His goodness, His mercy, and His love are dwelt upon, clearer and still clearer will be the perception of truth; higher, holier, the desire for purity of heart and clearness of thought. The soul dwelling in the pure atmosphere of holy thought is transformed by intercourse with God through the study of His word. Truth is so large, so far-reaching, so deep, so broad, that self is lost sight of. The heart is softened and subdued into humility, kindness, and love.” Ibid., 322.

9 What noble example in Bible study was set by the Bereans? Acts 17:11. Compare Psalm 119:33, 36, 38, 40.

note: “We should exert all the powers of the mind in the study of the Scriptures and should task the understanding to comprehend, as far as mortals can, the deep things of God; yet we must not forget that the docility and submission of a child is the true spirit of the learner. Scriptural difficulties can never be mastered by the same methods that are employed in grappling with philosophical problems. We should not engage in the study of the Bible with that self-reliance with which so many enter the domains of science, but with a prayerful dependence upon God and a sincere desire to learn His will. We must come with a humble and teachable spirit to obtain knowledge from the great I AM. Otherwise, evil angels will so blind our minds and harden our hearts that we shall not be impressed by the truth.” The Great Controversy, 599.

“Never should the Bible be studied without prayer. Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given.” Steps to Christ, 91.

10 What important principle stated with respect to Revelation can be applied to the whole Bible? Revelation 22:18, 19.

note: “When men, compassed with human infirmities, affected in a greater or less degree by surrounding influences, and having hereditary and cultivated tendencies which are far from making them wise or heavenly-minded, undertake to arraign the word of God, and to pass judgment upon what is divine and what is human, they are working without the counsel of God. The Lord will not prosper such a work. The effect will be disastrous, both upon the one engaged in it and upon those who accept it as a work from God. Skepticism has been aroused in many minds by the theories presented as to the nature of inspiration. Finite beings, with their narrow, short-sighted views, feel themselves competent to criticize the Scriptures, saying: ‘This passage is needful, and that passage is not needful, and is not inspired.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 709.

“The language of the Bible should be explained according to its obvious meaning, unless a symbol or figure is employed. Christ has given the promise: ‘If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.’ John 7:17. If men would but take the Bible as it reads, if there were no false teachers to mislead and confuse their minds, a work would be accomplished that would make angels glad and that would bring into the fold of Christ thousands upon thousands who are now wandering in error.” The Great Controversy, 599.

11 Why cannot the “natural man” understand the Scriptures? 1 Corinthians 2:10-14.

note: “We need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit in order to discern the truths in God’s word. The lovely things of the natural world are not seen until the sun, dispelling the darkness, floods them with its light. So the treasures in the word of God are not appreciated until they are revealed by the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness.

“The Holy Spirit, sent from heaven by the benevolence of infinite love, takes the things of God and reveals them to every soul that has an implicit faith in Christ. By His power the vital truths upon which the salvation of the soul depends are impressed upon the mind, and the way of life is made so plain that none need err therein. As we study the Scriptures, we should pray for the light of God’s Holy Spirit to shine upon the word, that we may see and appreciate its treasures.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 113.

12 What will be the experience of all who live by the truths of the Bible? Psalm 119:99, 103, 104.

note: “When the testing time shall come, those who have made God’s word their rule of life will be revealed. In summer there is no noticeable difference between evergreens and other trees; but when the blasts of winter come, the evergreens remain unchanged, while other trees are stripped of their foliage. So the falsehearted professor may not now be distinguished from the real Christian, but the time is just upon us when the difference will be apparent. Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity.” The Great Controversy, 602.

Bible Study Guides – Integrity of the Prophetic Message

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November 10, 2007 – November 16, 2007

Key Text

“[As] the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.” 11 Chronicles 18:13.

Study Help: The Acts of the Apostles, 534-536.

Introduction

“My Instructor said to me [Ellen White], Tell these men that God has not committed to them the work of measuring, classifying, and defining the character of the testimonies. Those who attempt this are sure to err in their conclusions. The Lord would have men adhere to their appointed work. If they will keep the way of the Lord, they will be able to discern clearly that the work which He has appointed me to do is not a work of human devising.

“Those who carefully read the testimonies as they have appeared from the early days, need not be perplexed as to their origin. The many books, written by the help of the Spirit of God, bear a living witness to the character of the testimonies.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 49, 50.

1 What can be said concerning the surety of the messages of the prophets? 11 Peter 1:19.

note: “We must come to the sure word of prophecy for our authority. Unless we are intelligent in the Scriptures, may we not, when this mighty miracle-working power of Satan is manifested in our world, be deceived and call it the workings of God; for the word of God declares that, if it were possible, the very elect should be deceived. Unless we are rooted and grounded in the truth, we shall be swept away by Satan’s delusive snares. We must cling to our Bibles. If Satan can make you believe that there are things in the word of God that are not inspired, he will then be prepared to ensnare your soul. We shall have no assurance, no certainty, at the very time we need to know what is truth.” Review and Herald, December 18, 1888.

2 What did the prophets often designate to be the source of the messages they bore? Hosea 1:1; Haggai 1:3, 7, 13.

note: The Bible prophets have declared that the word they gave the people came from God. They often introduced the divine communication through them by a phrase such as “the word of the Lord came unto me, saying.” Some variants are:

“Thus saith the Lord.” 11 Samuel 7:8.

“As God hath said.” 11 Corinthians 6:16.

“And God spake.” Genesis 8:15.

“The Holy Ghost saith.” Hebrews 3:7.

“I the Lord have said.” Ezekiel 21:17.

“The Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake.” Acts 1:16.

“God has committed to his servants a message for this time; but this message does not in every particular coincide with the ideas of all the leading men, and some criticise [sic] the message and the messengers. They dare even to reject the words of reproof sent to them from God through his Holy Spirit.

“What reserve power has the Lord with which to reach those who have cast aside his warnings and reproofs, and have accredited the testimonies of the Spirit of God to no higher source than human wisdom? . . . You cannot neglect God’s messages of warning, you cannot reject them or treat them lightly, but at the peril of infinite loss.” Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 02b, 116.

3 What is the Word of the Lord said to be? Psalm 119:105.

note: “The psalmist declares, ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ [Psalm 119:11.] And Paul wrote to Timothy, ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’ [11 Timothy 3:16, 17.]

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.” Gospel Workers, 250. [Emphasis added.]

4 What circumstances led King Ahab of Israel to inquire of the prophet Micaiah concerning a proposed military expedition? 11 Chronicles 18:18. How did Ahab’s officer attempt to influence Micaiah in his message to the king? Verse 12. What did Micaiah resolve to do regardless of circumstances? Verses 13, 16, 17.

note: “Jehoshaphat was firm in his request that the man of God be called; and upon appearing before them and being adjured by Ahab to tell ‘nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord,’ Micaiah said: ‘I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.’ 1 Kings 22:16, 17.

“The words of the prophet should have been enough to show the kings that their project was not favored by Heaven, but neither ruler felt inclined to heed the warning. Ahab had marked out his course, and he was determined to follow it.” Prophets and Kings, 195, 196.

5 As Jeremiah delivered an important prophetic message to the leaders of Judah, of what did they accuse him? Who was said to have originated the counsel Jeremiah declared to be from the Lord? Jeremiah 43:2, 3.

note: “The poor people, after passing through many trials, were finally persuaded by their leaders to take refuge in the land of Egypt. Against this move, Jeremiah lifted his voice in protest. ‘Go ye not into Egypt,’ he pleaded. But the inspired counsel was not heeded, and ‘all the remnant of Judah, . . . even men, and women, and children,’ took flight into Egypt. ‘They obeyed not the voice of the Lord: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.’ Jeremiah 43:5-7. . . .

“The sorrow of the prophet over the utter perversity of those who would have been the spiritual light of the world, his sorrow over the fate of Zion and of the people carried captive to Babylon, is revealed in the lamentations he has left on record as a memorial of the folly of turning from the counsels of Jehovah to human wisdom.” Prophets and Kings, 460, 461.

6 What did Balak request Balaam to do, and with what results? Numbers 22:1-7; 23:5-11.

note: “Balaam was once a good man and a prophet of God; but he had apostatized, and had given himself up to covetousness; yet he still professed to be a servant of the Most High. He was not ignorant of God’s work in behalf of Israel; and when the messengers announced their errand, he well knew that it was his duty to refuse the rewards of Balak and to dismiss the ambassadors. . . . But his pride was flattered by the words of the ambassadors, ‘He whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.’ [Numbers 22:6.] The bribe of costly gifts and prospective exaltation excited his covetousness. He greedily accepted the offered treasures, and then, while professing strict obedience to the will of God, he tried to comply with the desires of Balak.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 439.

7 What did Balaam state about the source of his message? Numbers 22:38. On what was this explanation based? Verse 20.

note: “As he [Balaam] professed to be God’s prophet, . . . all he should say would be supposed to be uttered by divine authority. Hence he was not to be permitted to speak as he chose, but must deliver the message which God should give him. ‘The word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do,’ was the divine command. [Numbers 22:20.]” Patriarchs and Prophets, 441.

8 When the king remonstrated with Balaam for not cursing Israel, what was Balaam’s answer? Numbers 23:12, 25, 26; 24:10-13.

note: “The ingenuity of men has been exercised for ages to measure the Word of God by their finite minds and limited comprehension. If the Lord, the Author of the living oracles, would throw back the curtain and reveal His wisdom and His glory before them, they would shrink into nothingness and exclaim as did Isaiah, ‘I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips’ (Isaiah 6:5).” Selected Messages, Book 1, 18.

9 To whom did Ellen White give credit for the messages found in her books?

note: “Sister White is not the originator of these books. They contain the instruction that during her lifework God has been giving her. They contain the precious, comforting light that God has graciously given His servant to be given to the world.” Colporteur Ministry, 125.

10 Specifically, how did God speak through His servant, Ellen White?

note: Articles in church papers: “I [Ellen White] do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision―the precious rays of light shining from the throne.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 67.

The letter testimonies: “You might say that this communication was only a letter. Yes, it was a letter, but prompted by the Spirit of God, to bring before your minds things that had been shown me. In these letters which I [Ellen White] write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me.” Ibid.

Interviews: “This morning I [Ellen White] attended a meeting where a select few were called together to consider some questions that were presented to them by a letter soliciting consideration and advice on these subjects. Of some of these subjects I could speak, because at sundry times and in divers places many things have been presented to me.” The Southern Work, 72.

11 With what assuring words did Mrs. White answer the charge that she had been influenced in the content of her writing?

note: “Some are ready to inquire: Who told Sister White these things? They have even put the question to me: Did anyone tell you these things? I could answer them: Yes; yes, the angel of God has spoken to me.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 314.

Addressing the officers of one of the denomination’s large institutions at a time of crisis, Ellen White wrote from Australia: “Even now unbelief is expressed by the words, ‘Who has written these things to Sister White?’ But I know of no one who knows them as they are, and no one who could write that which he does not suppose has an existence. Some one has told me, ―He who does not falsify, misjudge, or exaggerate any case.” Special Instruction Relating to the Review and Herald Office and the Work in Battle Creek, 16.

12 What answer did Mrs. White give to the suggestion that certain testimonies reflected her personal opinion?

note: “In the testimonies sent to Battle Creek, I [Ellen White] have given you the light God has given to me. In no case have I given my own judgment or opinion. I have enough to write of what has been shown me, without falling back on my own opinions. You are doing as the children of Israel did again and again. Instead of repenting before God, you reject His words, and attribute all the warnings and reproof to the messenger whom the Lord sends.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 70.

While discussing the editorial policy of The Signs of the Times, a church paper, Ellen White prefaced her counsels by saying, “Permit me to express my mind, and yet not my mind, but the word of the Lord.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 112.

“What reserve power has the Lord with which to reach those who have cast aside His warnings and reproofs, and have accredited the testimonies of the Spirit of God to no higher source than human wisdom? In the judgment what can you who have done this offer to God as an excuse for turning from the evidences He has given you that God was in the work? ‘By their fruits ye shall know them.’ [Matthew 7:20.]” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 465, 466.

Bible Study Guides – Testing the Prophet’s Claims

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November 4, 2007 – November 10, 2007

Key Text

“Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 5, 671–676; Selected Messages, Book 2, 63–100.

Introduction

“Christ warned His disciples: ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.’ [Matthew 7:15-20.] Here is a test, and all can apply it if they will. Those who really desire to know the truth will find sufficient evidence for belief.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 671, 672.

1 By what unerring standards must the teachings of any who lay claim to the gift of prophecy be measured? Isaiah 8:20.

note: “In these days of peril we are not to accept everything that men bring to us as truth. As professed teachers from God come to us declaring that they have a message from God, it is proper to inquire carefully, How do we know that this is truth? Jesus has told us that ‘false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.’ [Matthew 24:11.] But we need not be deceived; for the Word of God gives us a test whereby we may know what is truth. The prophet says, ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ [Isaiah 8:20.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 951.

2 Did Ellen White’s work call people to God or away from God?

note: “While conflicting doctrines and theories abound, the law of God is the one unerring rule by which all opinions, doctrines, and theories are to be tested.” The Great Controversy, 452.

“I [Ellen White] recommend to you, dear reader, the Word of God as the rule of your faith and practice. By that Word we are to be judged. God has, in that Word, promised to give visions in the ‘last days’; not for a new rule of faith, but for the comfort of His people, and to correct those who err from Bible truth.” Early Writings, 78.

“Even the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart is to be tested by the Word of God. The Spirit which inspired the Scriptures, always leads to the Scriptures.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 43.

3 By what standard or test do some oppose the truth? 1 Timothy 6:20.

note: “When a man feels so very wise that he dares to dissect God’s Word, his wisdom is, with God, counted foolishness. When he knows more, he will feel that he has everything to learn. And his very first lesson is to become teachable.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 42.

4 What is another crucial test of a prophet’s work? Deuteronomy 18:20-22; Jeremiah 28:9. See also 1 Samuel 9:6; Lamentations 3:37.

note: “Jeremiah . . . cited the men of Judah to the prophecies of Hosea, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and others whose messages of reproof and warning had been similar to his own. He referred them to events which had taken place in fulfillment of prophecies of retribution for unrepented sin. In the past the judgments of God had been visited upon the impenitent in exact fulfillment of His purpose as revealed through His messengers.” Prophets and Kings, 445.

Although Ellen White’s work was not basically that of a forecaster of future events, yet in some instances she predicted conditions and events the fulfillments of which give evidence of her prophetic gift. For example, in 1904 she wrote: “The time is fast coming when the controlling power of the labor unions will be very oppressive.” Country Living, 9. In 1906, she wrote thus of calamities: “I am bidden to declare the message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme, will be destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by flood.” Evangelism, 27.

In other instances, the predictive nature of her statements is not so evident, but she stated insights into the society of her day that have become increasingly descriptive of present-day society: (1) Decadence―Testimonies, vol. 9, 13; (2) Anarchy―Education, 228; (3) Urban problems―Testimonies, vol. 7, 82; (4) Youth dissipation―Temperance, 274.

5 In applying the test of fulfilled predictions, what must be taken into consideration? Jeremiah 18:9, 10.

note: “[Jeremiah 18:1-10 quoted.] This presents before us God’s way of dealing with His people. He sends warnings. He pleads with them to cease to do evil and learn to do well. Hear the words of Christ, for they are spoken to all who claim to be His people. Blessings are promised to all who follow the Lord to do righteousness, but those who walk in their own ways show that under the trying circumstances liable to occur anywhere, they will prove unfaithful, and God cannot bless them.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1156.

“The angels of God in their messages to men represent time as very short. Thus it has always been presented to me [Ellen White]. It is true that time has continued longer than we expected in the early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear as soon as we hoped. But has the word of the Lord failed? Never! It should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 67.

6 What does John state as another mark of a true prophet? 1 John 4:1, 2.

note: “In this age of the world we see every grade and degree of skepticism. There are rank infidels, those who believe in the lying wonders of Spiritualism, and those who reject the claims of divine truth. All these are placed among the class that John has written of, and are controlled by the spirit of antichrist. Ignorance of the character of God, pride of understanding, and the love of sin, are the source of infidelity. Men deny the divinity of Christ, cast away the Bible, and thus seek to free themselves from personal accountability to God. They bring the Bible into conflict with ‘science, falsely so called.’ [1 Timothy 6:20.] These doubters can start inquiries which the most humble and pious Christian would be perplexed to know how to answer. But because their queries cannot be answered, is no evidence that the Bible is not true. A little child has asked questions in regard to God, the soul, and the future, that the most learned could not answer. The truth of God’s word will be revealed to those who are of a lowly heart, who will comprehend its duties and obey its precepts. It is pride of opinion that leads to skepticism, and to the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ.” The Signs of the Times, September 3, 1894.

“The Word of God is solid rock, and we may plant our feet securely upon it. Every soul must needs be tested, every faith and doctrine must needs be tried by the law and the testimony. Take heed that no man deceive you. The warnings of Christ on this matter are needed at this time; for delusions and deceptions will come in among us, and will multiply as we near the end.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 952.

7 What reasonable test should be applied to anyone professing to exercise the prophetic gift? Matthew 7:15-20.

note: “Christ warned His disciples: [Matthew 7:15-20 quoted]. Here is a test, and . . . you can apply it if you will. You need not go in uncertainty and doubt. Satan is at hand to suggest a variety of doubts, but if you will open your eyes in faith you will find sufficient evidence for belief. But God will never remove from any man all causes for doubts. Those who love to dwell in the atmosphere of doubt and questioning unbelief can have the unenviable privilege. God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe; but he who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things which he cannot make plain to his finite understanding will be left in the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and questioning doubts, and will make shipwreck of faith. You have seemed to consider it a virtue to be on the side of the doubting rather than on the side of the believing. Jesus never praised unbelief; He never commended doubts. He gave to His nation evidences of His Messiahship in the miracles He wrought, but there were some who considered it a virtue to doubt and who would reason these evidences away and find something in every good work to question and censure.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 232, 233.

8 What invitation did Ellen White give to investigators who sought to examine the fruitage of her prophetic visions?

note: “Let the Testimonies be judged by their fruits. What is the spirit of their teaching? What has been the result of their influence? ‘All who desire to do so can acquaint themselves with the fruits of these visions.’ . . .

“ ‘God is either teaching His church, reproving their wrongs and strengthening their faith, or He is not. This work is of God, or it is not. God does nothing in partnership with Satan. My work . . . bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 671.

9 How did Mrs. White explain her experience as God’s messenger?

note: “As the Lord has manifested Himself through the spirit of prophecy, ‘past, present, and future have passed before me [Ellen White]. I have been shown faces that I had never seen, and years afterward I knew them when I saw them. I have been aroused from my sleep with a vivid sense of subjects previously presented to my mind; and I have written, at midnight, letters that have gone across the continent and, arriving at a crisis, have saved great disaster to the cause of God. This has been my work for many years. A power has impelled me to reprove and rebuke wrongs that I had not thought of. Is this work of the last thirty-six years from above or from beneath?’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 671.

10 What warning does John sound to guard the church from deception? 1 John 4:1. See also Matthew 7:15.

note: “There will be false dreams and false visions, which have some truth, but lead away from the original faith. The Lord has given men a rule by which to detect them: ‘To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ [Isaiah 8:20.] If they belittle the law of God, if they pay no heed to his will as revealed in the testimonies of his Spirit, they are deceivers. They are controlled by impulse and impressions, which they believe to be from the Holy Spirit, and consider more reliable than the inspired word. They claim that every thought and feeling is an impression of the Spirit; and when they are reasoned with out of the Scriptures, they declare that they have something more reliable. But while they think that they are led by the Spirit of God, they are in reality following an imagination wrought upon by Satan.” The Signs of the Times, March 27, 1884.

11 Are we justified in testing those who claim divine enlightenment by the messages given through the spirit of prophecy?

note: “In these days of peril we are not to accept everything that men bring to us as truth. As professed teachers from God come to us declaring that they have a message from God, it is proper to inquire carefully, How do we know that this is truth? Jesus has told us that ‘false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.’ [Matthew 24:11.] But we need not be deceived; for the Word of God gives us a test whereby we may know what is truth. The prophet says, ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ [Isaiah 8:20.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 951.

12 What does Paul admonish Christians to do? 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21.

note: “The Lord does not want us to have a blind credulity, and call that the faith that sanctifies. The truth is the principle that sanctifies, and therefore it becomes us to know what is truth. We must compare spiritual things with spiritual. We must prove all things, but hold fast only that which is good, that which bears the divine credentials, which lays before us the true motives and principles which should prompt us to action.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 56.