As we think about prophecy and prophets, it's interesting to note the great interest that has arisen in modern prophets in the last few years. More than 2,000 of the nations leading newspapers carry prophetic columns. Books on prophecy, modern prophets, New Age, and astrology sell by the millions each year. And as with all true gifts, Satan has come up with his many counterfeits. The very fact that he has so many counterfeits, though, ought to tell us there is a genuine gift! Christ warned of false prophets in Matthew 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." As one of the signs of the last generation, we see false prophets, astrologers, and psychics all around us.

The Bible will make it abundantly clear how you can detect the true from the false. First John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." God says "try them," test them. God has given several tests to determine His true prophets. The Bible teaches that the gift of prophecy was to always be an active gift in the church to the end of time. Ephesians 4:8, 11-13, "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 fullness of Christ."

Now as we look at all these gifts, we find that most are common in the churches today. But notice the second gift. Prophets! Hardly a church today claims to have this gift. Why is it missing? After all, it was to remain with all the others to the end of time. It was certainly in the early church. Acts 13:1, "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers: as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch and Saul." Again in Acts 21:9, "And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy." We see God used both men and women as prophets in the church.

Now why did the prophets seem to disappear out of the church? In order to answer that we must go back to the Old Testament. As God dealt with His people there, so He did in the New Testament and will to the end of time. In Jeremiah 26:4-6 God had two requirements. "And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth." Keep the law and obey the prophets. These two things--law and prophets--always go together. If God's people turned from the law, He withdrew the gift of prophecy. We can read of this happening in Lamentations 2:9, "Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD." There was no vision because the law was not being kept. Ezekiel 7:26 contains the same warning. "Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients." One more text illustrates this: Ezekiel 20:3, "Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to inquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you." Why would God not speak to them? Notice verses 8, 12-13, "But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them." Two of God's commands had been broken, and for that reason God would not speak to them through the prophets.

Now we are prepared to answer why the gift of prophecy is missing today? This gift of prophecy faded out of the Christian Church exactly when the law began to be changed and neglected. And this is why most Christian churches today do not have or believe in this gift. But now, when the law and the commandments were restored, God would also restore the gift of prophecy. Isn't that exactly what Revelation 12:17 said? "They keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy!" And friends, I'm happy to tell you that all the gifts of the spirit are alive and well including the gift of prophecy in God's Remnant Church! But before we go on, let's look quickly at several points the Bible gives to determine the true from the false. With these Bible tests, you can always identify the genuine. When the United States government became concerned about the great number of counterfeit $20 bills in the United States, they set up a six week course in Washington D.C. for bank tellers all over the United States. They met there to learn how to detect counterfeit money. How many counterfeit bills do you think they studied in those six weeks? NONE! They only studied the genuine. And knowing the genuine, a counterfeit became immediately apparent. So it is with prophets. Study the genuine, and you'll know the counterfeit.

Numbers 12:6, "And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream." God speaks in visions or dreams. A prophet does not teach his ideas, but is God's mouthpiece. And there are two kinds of revelations--written like Daniel and John; and oral like Enoch and Elijah who did not write the Bible, but were certainly prophets. Let's get an example in Acts 11:27-28, "And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar." Agabus is called a prophet, but there is no book of Agabus in the Bible. It's significant that God does not speak through crystal balls, tarot cards, palm reading, or astrology. In fact, God says those who practice these things will be lost! Isaiah 47:12-14, "Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it."

A prophet's teachings are always 100 percent in agreement with the Bible. Deuteronomy 13: 1-4, "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder. And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him." And that fits in with Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Like Elijah calling Israel from idolatry, Nehemiah called for a reform in Sabbathkeeping. John the Baptist reproved Herod for adultery. Their teachings were always biblical which is why the Bible, written by many people over many years, agrees with itself. God never contradicts.

There are eight additional tests that also help us know the true from the counterfeit.

1. A true prophet does not prophesy for fees, charges or payments (2 Kings 5:15, 16).

2. A true prophet does not give his own private interpretation of his or of another true prophet's prophecy: it is always the Lord's exegesis and interpretation, based on what He has revealed (2 Peter 1:20).

3. A true prophet, with all other things equal, does not prophesy in his own name; it is always in the name of the Lord.(2 Peter 1:21).

4. A true prophet points out the sins, transgressions, and iniquities of the people against God (Isaiah 58:1).

5. A true prophet warns the people of God's coming judgments (Isaiah 24:19-21).

6. A true prophet edifies the church with counsel and advice in religious matters (1 Corinthians 14:3, 4).

7. A true prophet, when in vision, will not breath (Daniel 10:15,17).

8. A true prophet, can be recognized by the results of his or her works (Matthew 7:16-20).

1. Prophets were always to be an active gift in the Christian Church.

2. If God's people strayed, and broke the law, God would remove the gift of prophecy.

3. God has two requirements--keep my law, and obey my prophets.

4. God's Remnant Church in Revelation would keep the commandments and God would restore the spirit of prophecy!

5. God's Remnant Church must have the gift, for the remnant is like the original church.

6. We must beware of false prophets, and test the spirit to see if it's of God.

As God's people in the early 1800s all began to read and study, we found that the truth of the Bible became clear. Each church contributed truth until all that had been lost through the Dark Ages was restored. God again had a group of people who obeyed Him and kept His commandments. He then did what He always had done--He restored all the gifts of the spirit including prophecy.

A young lady born in Maine, named Ellen Harmon, later Ellen White, was a Methodist Christian. She among thousands of others joined the movement to find and restore the truth. At the age of 17, she had her first vision. As she continued through life, she had over 2,000 visions, often in public, ranging from a few minutes to over four hours. This group of Christians from various denominations soon became known as Adventists, and Ellen White was a very active participant. Many believed her visions were from God, and that God used her to restore the spirit of prophecy in the Remnant Church.

It is important at this point, however, to draw some lines. You may ask, "How would I know if she was a genuine prophet of God"' Of course you can't know until you have had time to "test the spirit" yourself. Also it's important to realize that the Adventist church does NOT base any of its beliefs on Ellen White or her visions. To establish this firmly let's quote from the official publication of the church's doctrine.

Seventh-day Adventist Believe, p. 227. The Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible: "The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture. They cannot be placed on the same level. The Holy Scriptures stand alone, the unique standard by which her and all other writings must be judged and to which they must be subject. The Bible is the supreme standard. Seventh-day Adventists fully support the Reformation principle of sola scriptura, the Bible as its own interpreter and the Bible alone as the basis of all doctrines."

You will find that Ellen White said the same thing. In her first book, published in 1851, she said, "I 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. ... 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. ... Little heed is given to the Bible," she said, therefore "the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light."

You see, she said hers was a "lesser light" to lead us back to the greater light-the Holy Bible. Today millions of Christians throughout the world have tested Ellen White's gift of prophecy by the Bible tests and believe she passes all the tests completely.

1. Ellen White always received her information in visions and dreams. Many times doctors would examine her while in vision and her supernatural gift was in perfect harmony with other Bible prophets.

2. Ellen White's gift of prophecy has been proven 100 percent correct. Her amazing insights and writings in areas of religion, education, health, evangelism, prophecy, nutrition and medical science are still amazing the world today. Seventy years before the Surgeon General's report on smoking she warned about smoking and said it caused cancer. The world discovered that in 1964. She also talked about prenatal influence and the electrical current in the body which was only recently discovered. She predicted the ecumenical movement, the joining of Protestants and Catholics in a time when Protestants were still protesting. Many other examples could be given.

3. What about being 100 percent in agreement with the Bible? One can read all her books and not once does she contradict the Bible! Nor did she ever claim to be above the Bible. In her book The Great Controversy, p. 204- 205, she said. "In our time there is a wide departure from their (the Bible's) doctrines and precepts, and there is need of a return to the great Protestant principle, the Bible, and the Bible alone!" She upheld the law and Jesus. Her book, The Desire of Ages, is the best ever written on the life of Christ. In her life, Ellen White wrote over 55,000 pages, her books total more than 100. She is the fourth most translated writer in earth's history. In all these books, her words are always in harmony with the Bible, and Jesus Christ. The Son of God is exalted.

God gave the gift of prophecy to His Remnant Church to help it to go forward to all the earth. Through her counsels, the Adventist Church has established over 200 hospitals in the world. Loma Linda University in California is ranked among the best in the United States, and the United States Government has sent its heart team all over the world. Under her guidance, mission work went forward so that today Seventh-day Adventists have the largest Protestant mission outreach in more countries than any other church in the world.

Her counsel in proper education has led to the establishment of over 4,000 grade schools worldwide, with 250 high schools, colleges, and universities.

We could go on, however, you can be encouraged in knowing God's Remnant Church has a prophet through whom God has spoken to give guidance to His last day-Remnant Church. And you are encouraged to test and see if she meets the Bible tests. Let's again make clear that her writings in no way take the place of Scripture, or are above the Scripture. For weeks now we have only studied the Bible and this is the rule of faith alone. But we also can praise God for a prophet, to guide, instruct, and lead the Remnant Church just as He has led His church throughout the history of the Bible. As you study, test, and see, you will be filled with joy to know God today has a complete church, coming behind in no gift. And you will praise the Lord, for the Spirit of Prophecy.

Second Chronicles 20:20, "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."