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Ellen G. White -- Messenger or Medium? 49

Credentials of a True Prophet

To fulfill and qualify for the role of prophet or "messenger," a number of requirements must
be met. Since the occult covers a vast field of activities, expecting to find one single Bible text to
cover all psychic phenomena would be asking too much. Yet there are a number of very fundamen-
tal TESTS that beg for attention. We need a FOOLPROOF method for discerning whether Mrs.
White was a messenger or a medium, and one that will stand the test of time -- whether it be in Ellen
G. White's age or our own.

There are, basically, three essentials for establishing the credentials of a TRUE prophet.
These, as given through Moses, are as follows:

1/. The true prophet should speak in YEHOVAH's
name.

2/. The things foretold will come to pass.

3/. His (or her) prophesying must promote TRUE
WORSHIP and be in HARMONY with YEHO-
VAH God's revealed word and commandments.

Every prediction made must be RELATED
to YEHOVAH's will, purpose, standards or judg-
ment. To be even more precise, the actions of a true
prophet are not in contradiction to basic Biblical
doctrines, but rather SUPPORT and STRENG-
THEN precepts already outlined. It should be men-
tioned that a TRUE prophet NEVER makes predic-
tions simply to satisfy human curiosity or wield
control over others. Remember this!

Satan's Counterfeit Ellen G. White in her office

It must also be stated that Satan and his min-
ions can COUNTERFEIT some of these essentials! They can, for example, claim to be speaking in
YEHOVAH's name, and have convincingly done so. They also have an insight into the future, and
CAN foretell future events. We cannot be ignorant of the fact that Satan does have an understanding
of scripture -- including prophecy -- and can quote it at will to suit his own purposes.

We see an example of this in the temptation of Yeshua the Messiah: "Then Jesus was led by
the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was
hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become
bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that co-
mes from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the high-
est point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. FOR IT IS
WRITTEN: ''He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,

The Berean Voice November-December 2002