Bible Study for Mormons
One of the signs of the endtime church is that it has the Spirit of Prophecy. See Lesson #1 in particular and Lesson #2 for details on how to test an endtime prophet. In Lesson #3 we examined Joseph Smith who claimed to be the prophet of God and found out that he does not meet the Bible tests! But the Bible says that there will be a true endtime prophet, for that is one of the signs of the last day church in Revelation 12:17 and 19:10. To find the endtime prophet will help us find the true endtime church!
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman (church) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (endtime church), which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17. Revelation 19:10 defines what this testimony is: "....the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."
My testimony regarding involvement in the Mormon church and the Seventh-day Adventist church
As a young person of eight years of age, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My mother is of the Mormon faith, and it was basically her idea that I should be baptized along with my sister at that time. My father was not a church member of any faith, nor did he ever want to become one. My home was divided, and by the time I was eleven, my parents had separated and soon afterwards were divorced. Through all this turmoil, I needed an anchor. My father's mother and her daughter had become Seventh-day Adventists several years previous to my birth and lived close by us. As a very young girl, Grandma read to me Bible stories, and helped me get acquainted with Jesus who died on the cross for my sins. That broke my heart to learn that He died for me, and I can remember the tears that would come to my eyes when I would see a picture of Him dying, yet He had done nothing wrong. That early acquaintance with Jesus, and the faith-building stories from God's word that Grandma read to me, actually helped me to leave Mormonism, and become baptised into the Seventh-day Adventist church at the age of 12.
What was the difference? Why did I decide at a young age that Mormonism was not the true church, but that the Seventh-day Adventist church was? Mormonism is a faith which is not totally centered on Jesus Christ, but rather, on Joseph Smith first of all, and secondly, what the church teaches as doctrine which is according to the current President or prophet of their church. Much of the instruction which I received in attending classes was not founded in the word of God, the Bible. (We will study the doctrines of the Mormon church, and compare it to the Bible in later lessons.) Seventh-day Adventism centered their faith on Jesus and the Bible, plain and simple! But Seventh-day Adventism also has a prophet, not a man, but rather a "prophetess," by the name of Ellen G. White. But I did not come into the church because of the prophetess, I came in because my faith and love was on Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for my sins. I wanted to obey Him, and wanted to keep His Sabbath day holy, and to eat clean meats, not the unclean, and to follow Jesus! I wanted to belong to His endtime people!
My decision to be baptised by immersion into the Seventh-day Adventist Church was by an intelligent choice on my part. To be baptised as a Mormon at eight was before I understood what I was really doing. It was not in my heart to be a Mormon., but it was in my heart to obey the truth of the Bible! Therefore, it was not a struggle to accept the Lord Jesus Christ and want to belong to His people!
Testing the Prophet, Ellen G. White
So what about Ellen G. White, was she a true prophetess of the Lord? The only way to tell is to test her by the Bible, the very same way that we tested Joseph Smith. If she fails the test, then we know that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not the endtime church! Simple enough?
Test #1 "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
Are the writings of Ellen G. White to be placed above the Bible? This is what she said, "Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light."--The Review and Herald, Jan. 20, 1903. She considered her writings to be the lesser light to get people to read the "greater light," God's word, that they might follow the living Word, Jesus!
How did Mrs. White regard the Bible? Quoting her, she says "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. 'Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, R.V. ....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, page vii.
In Meeting the Mormon Challenge with Love, by Elder Leon Cornforth, he states on page 121: "This attitude toward the Bible is evident throughout the large body of Ellen G. White's writings--more than fifty books covering virtually every aspect of Christian living and Bible instruction--as well as thousands of letters and magazine articles. Nowhere in this enormous output of written words does she take a position that is out of harmony with plain Bible truth. Nowhere does she claim that the Bible is in error. Her work was always designed to point to the Bible and to support its teachings."
I have also read many of her books, and I have never found them to be out of harmony with the Bible. Cornforth says, "This is the most fundamental test that can be applied to one who claims to be a prophet and speak for God. The words and writings of such a person must be 100 percent in harmony with the revelation of Himself that God has already given in the Bible through inspired prophets. God does not contradict Himself, and His inspired word will be consistent with itself in all ages. Later prophets of God will in no way be out of harmony with the revelation of God given by the earler prophets and recorded in the Bible. In this regard, no apologies are needed as we compare the writings of Ellen G. White with the inspired Word of God--the Holy Bible." Ibid., pages 121, 122. And Mrs. White kept the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord. She taught that we should keep God's commandments, and she taught the faith of Jesus.
Test #2 "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." Matthew 7:15, 16.
What was said about her by people that had come to know her? I will be quoting again from Elder Cornforth:
"More than 150 years have passed since Ellen White began her prophetic ministry; decades have gone by since her death in 1915. Therefore, there has been ample time to study her life and to determine the nature of the fruit borne by her life and ministry. A few days after her death, the local newpaper had this to say about her:
'She was a humble, devout disciple of Christ and ever went about doing good. Her writings have been published in books, papers and periodicals and from her prolific pen has come writings on many religious topics. She was revered by all the members of the Seventh-day Adventist church and honored and respected by all who appreciate noble womanhood consecrated to unselfish labor for the uplifting and betterment of mankind.' (St. Helena, California Star, July 23, 1915).
"One of her close associates, who had had opportunity to observe her life and writings first hand for many years, had this to say about the influence of her writings:
"'Their fruit is such as to show that the source from which they spring is the opposite of evil....They have aroused and rearoused us to greater consecration to God, more zealous efforts for holiness of heart, and greater diligence in the cause and service of our Master. They lead us to Christ....The lead us to the Bible.' (Uriah Smith, Review and Herald, June 12, 1866).
"Ellen White was not perfect. She was a human being with all the weaknesses we all experience. Yet, in her life and in her ministry, she exhibited what God's grace can accomplish in one who is consecrated to Him. Her life and the influence of her writings, demonstrate the fruit we would expect a true prophet to demonstrate." Cornforth, pages 122, 123.
Test #3 "The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him." Jeremiah 28:9
This next section I wish to quote largely from Elder Cornforth again, and I know that you will enjoy reading this.
"As with other prophets of God, prediction of future events makes up a very small part of the total writings of Ellen White. A prophet's work is concerned much more with counsel, encouragement, reproof, etc. than it is with predicting the future. However, Ellen White did receive divine revelations of future events at times--especially in the early years of her ministry. Here are a few examples.
"In 1849, Ellen White was in Rocky Hill, Connecticut where a small group of Adventists were meeting. A minister there was working earnestly to bring people into the church. He seemed very zealous and consecrated to God's work. However, God gave Ellen White a vision in which she was shown that this minister and a woman in the congregation were engaged in an adulterous relationship. Confronted with this charge, the lady denied it vigorously and the minister made a strong plea to the church to support this 'poor saint of the Lord' against such a wicked, false charge.
"That night, the young woman became severly ill and feared she was going to die. She sent for Ellen White and confessed that what God had shown Mrs. White was true and that she was guilty of adultery just as Mrs. White had stated. (As recounted in John N. Loughborough, The Great Second Advent Movement, pages 229, 230).
"In a similar incident, a lay preacher was holding revival meetings in Oswego, New York. This man was the county treasurer. He appeared very committed to preaching the gospel and had a great burden for saving sinners. A young man and his fiancee were attending the revival and wondered whether they should continue to attend and join this man's church. In a vision, God showed Ellen White that the preacher was not what he appeared to be.
"'Wait a month,' she counselled the young couple, 'and you will know for yourself the character of the one holding this revival.'
"Within two weeks, the preacher was taken ill and the affairs of the treasurer's office had to be assumed by the sheriff. It was discovered that there was a shortage of $1,000 in the county funds. Although the man and his wife denied any wrongdoing, the money was discovered hidden in a snow bank behind their house. Needless to say, the revival collapsed.
"In addition to such specific instances of predictions fulfilled, Ellen White also made more general references to future events. She predicted increased disasters--both natural and man-made--as time progressed. In spite of the limited resources of the tiny, struggling Adventist Church in the early days, she predicted a large publishing ministry that would encircle the entire world like streams of light. This prediction has been fulfilled today.
"These, and other examples of predictions that have come to pass, indicate that the source of her visions and revelations was divine and that her work is in harmony with this Bible test of a true prophet.
"During her ministry, Ellen White received an estimated 2,000 visions-- prophetic dreams--including some 200 public visions between 1844 and 1884. The public visions were expecially prevalent during the early years of her work and became fewer later in her ministry. These early public visions often took place in meetings and were witnessed by a number of individuals. They were often accompanied with physical manifestations that were designed to demonstrate their supernatural nature. Here is how one writer, who witnessed her in vision more than fifty times, described her general condition in these early public visions:
"'In passing into vision she gives three enrapturing shouts of Glory! which echo and re-echo, the second, and especially the third, fainter, but more thrilling than the first, the voice resembling that of one quite a distance from you, and just going out of hearing. For about four or five seconds she seems to drop down like a person in a swoon, or one having lost his strength; she then seems to be instantly filled with superhuman strength, sometimes rising at once to her feet and walking about the room. There are frequent movements of the hands and arms, pointing to the right or left as her head turns. All these movements are made in a most graceful manner. In whatever position the hand or arm may be placed, it is impossible for any one to move it. Her eyes are always open, but she does not wink; her head is raised, and she is looking upward, not with a vacant stare, but with a pleasant expression, only differing from the normal in that she appears to be looking intently at some distant object. She does not breathe, yet her pulse beats regularly. Her countenance is pleasant, and the color of her face as florid as in her natural state.' (J.N. Loughborough, The Great Second Advent Movement, pp. 204, 205).
"This condition is similar to that described by the prophet Daniel when he was in vision. He says: 'I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.' (Daniel 10:8). He goes on to say, 'As for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.' (verse 17).
"During these public visions, Ellen White was usually completely unconscious of anything happening around her; she did not breathe during the time she was in vision--sometimes lasting from a half hour up to several hours. During a vision she received in Vermont in the summer of 1853, a physician, F. C. Castle, held a lighted candle close to her wide-open eyes; not a muscle of the eyes responded to the light of the candle. The physician then carefully checked her respirations and found none. He was unable to account for her condition on natural or scientific principles.
"On another occasion, in Rochester, New York in June, 1854, two physicians examined Mrs. White during vision. They held a mirror close to her mouth to determine if there was any moisture deposited on the glass or any signs of breathing, but could find no evidence whatsoever that she was breathing.
"During a vision in 1857, D. T. Bourdeau placed his hand over her mouth and pinched her nostrils firmly between the thumb and forefinger of his other hand so that it was impossible for her to breathe even if she had desired to do so. He held her thus for about ten minutes, long enough to have suffocated her under normal conditions, and she was not affected in the least!
"One other physical evidence of the supernatural nature of her visions may be noted. In the summer of 1845 in Randolph, Massachusetts, Ellen White received a vision during a meeting being held in the home of a Mr. Thayer. During this vision which lasted for approximately four hours, Ellen White picked up a large, heavy family Bible and held it above her head in one hand, saying 'The inspired testimony from God.' Then, with the large Bible still held in one hand above her head, she continued for a long time to turn the pages with her other hand and place her finger on passage after passage, repeating the texts of Scripture to which she was pointing although her gaze was directed elsewhere and she could not have seen the words in any case, due to the Bible being held above her head. Some of those present climbed upon a chair in order to see the Bible passages to which she was pointing and confirmed that she was quoting them correctly. (Related by A. W. Spaulding, Origin and History of Seventh-day Adventists, vol. 1, pp. 139-141).
"These physical phenomena are not strictly a test of a true prophet, however, they supply confirming evidence that the visions received had their origin in God. These supernatural manifestations which often accompanied the public visions of Ellen G. White were designed to help others accept her role as a divinely-inspired messenger for God as the biblical tests of a true prophet were being developed in connection with her work." Cornforth, pp.123-126.
Test #4 "Hereby know ye the spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 1 John 4:2
Let's examine what Ellen White says about Jesus, from her book The Desire of Ages--
"By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey. It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, 'I AM THAT I AM....Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.' Ex. 3:14. This was the pledge of Israel's deliverance. So when He came 'in the likeness of men,' He declared Himself the I AM. The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, is God 'manifest in the flesh.' 1 Tim. 3:16. And to us He says: 'I AM the Good Shepherd.' 'I AM the living Bread.' 'I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.' John 10:11; 6:51; 14:6; Matt. 28:18. I AM the assurance of every promise. I AM; be not afraid. 'God with us' is the surety of our deliverance from sin, the assurance of our power to obey the law of heaven." pp. 24, 25.
Describing Christ's act in pardoning the woman brought to Him in adultery, she writes, "In His act of pardoning this woman and encouraging her to live a better life, the character of Jesus shines forth in the beauty of perfect righteousness. While He does not palliate sin, nor lessen the sense of guilt, He seeks not to condemn, but to save. The world had for this erring woman only contempt and scorn; but Jesus speaks words of comfort and hope. The Sinless One pities the weakness of the sinner, and reaches to her a helping hand. While the hypocritical Pharisees denounce, Jesus bids her, 'Go, and sin no more.'" p. 462.
Here is an example of her inspired counsels regarding health in the same book, though she wrote much in the area of health in her other books, "Christ feels the woes of every sufferer. When evil spirits rend a human frame, Christ feels the curse. When fever is burning up the life current, He feels the agony. And He is just as willing to heal the sick now as when He was personally on earth. Christ's servants are His representatives, the channels for His working. He desires through them to exercise His healing power.
"In the Saviour's manner of healing there were lessons for His disciples. On one occasion He anointed the eyes of a blind man with clay, and bade him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam....He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.' John 9:7. The cure could be wrought only by the power of the Great Healer, yet Christ made use of the simple agencies of nature. While He did not give countenance to drug medication, He sanctioned the use of simple and natural remedies.
"To many of the afflicted ones who received healing, Christ said, 'Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.' John 5:14. Thus He taught that disease is the result of violating God's laws, both natural and spiritual. The great misery in the world would not exist did men but live in harmony with the Creator's plan." pp. 823-824.
Mrs. White wrote, "We need far less controversy, and far more presentation of Christ. Our Redeemer is the center of all our faith and hope." (Evangelism, page 172.) I would encourage you to read the book, The Desire of Ages, and test out the prophetess for yourself, and see if what she has written does not agree with the word of God!
The challenge to our Mormon friends:
"We have looked at the Bible tests of a true prophet and have applied them to Joseph Smith, Jr. (Lesson #3) and to Ellen G. White. Although no single test is sufficient to prove beyond any doubt that a person who claims to speak for God is truly a genuine prophet, failure to meet even one of the tests is enough to disqualify a person as a true spokesperson for God.
"As we saw at the beginning [of Lesson #1,] Mormons themselves plainly throw out the challenge--either Joseph Smith was a true prophet or a fraud. There can be no middle ground, they say, and the validity of the Mormon claim to be God's only true church on earth stands or falls with the genuineness of Joseph Smith Jr.
"I ask my Mormon friends to weigh the evidence carefully. I am convinced that the person who applies the Bible tests honestly and candidly, will reach the conclusion that the life and writings of Joseph Smith, Jr. cannot be harmonized with the tests of a true prophet as given in the Bible." Cornforth, pp. 126, 127.
Where to find the books:
Meeting the Mormon Challenge With Love, by Elder Leon
Cornforth. (order)
The Desire of Ages, by Ellen G. White. (read online) or
(order)
An APPENDIX to this article, "Ellen G. White: Prophet or Plagiarist?" will be helpful to read.
Our next study will be "Studying the Bible as the True Foundation of Faith"