xl
Counsels for the Church
“Jesus might have remained at the Father’s side. He might have
retained the glory of heaven, and the homage of the angels. But He
chose to give back the scepter into the Father’s hands, and to step
down from the throne of the universe, that He might bring light to the
benighted, and life to the perishing.
âCœNearly two thousand years ago, a voice of mysterious import
was heard in heaven, from the throne of God, âC˜Lo, I come.âC™
âC˜Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body has thou
prepared me.... Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of
Me,) to do Thy will O God.âC™
Hebrews 10:5-7
. In these words is
announced the fulfillment of the purpose that had been hidden from
eternal ages. Christ was about to visit our world, and to become
incarnate... In the eyes of the world He possessed no beauty that they
should desire Him; yet He was the incarnate God, the light of heaven
and earth. His glory was veiled. His greatness and majesty were hidden
that He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted man.âC
[U+009D]
Perhaps the most crucial test of the true prophet is found in his life,
his work, and the influence of his teachings. Christ enunciated this test
in
Matthew 7:15, 16
: “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
As we look at the fruit as manifested in the lives of those who
have followed the spirit of prophecy counsels, we see that it is good.
The testimonies have yielded good fruit. As we look at the church,
knowing that we have been lead into various lines of activity by these
counsels, we must acknowledge that Mrs. White’s work measures up
to this test. The unity of teaching in the writings penned over a period
of seventy years also bears positive witness to the integrity of the gift.
Practical Test of a Good Prophet
In addition to these four major Bible tests, the Lord has given
evidences that make it clear that the work is of His direction. Among
these are:
The timeliness of the message. God’s people are in some special
need, and the message comes just in time to meet the need, as did the
first vision given to Mrs. White.
The practical nature of the messages. The information revealed to
Mrs. White in the visions was of practical value, meeting practical