THE TEACHINGS OF VERN BATES-
THIS
STUDY IS OF THE HIGHEST IMPORTANCE
"I
am thankful that the instruction in my books establishes
present truth for this time. These books were written under
the demonstration of the Holy Spirit. I praise the Lord with heart
and soul and voice, and I pray that He will lead into all truth
those who will be led."-Letter 127; 1910.
"Satan
will be ready to give to anyone who is not learning every day of
Jesus, a special message of his own creating, in order to
make of no effect the wonderful truth for this time. "-1
Selected Messages, 191.
"Men
may get up scheme after scheme, and the enemy will seek to
seduce souls from the truth, but all who believe that the Lord has
spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message, will
be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days."-Letter
50, 1906.
"Satan.
. seeks by all the means in his power to shake the confidence of
God's people in the voice of warning and reproof through which God
designs to purify the church and prosper His cause."-4
Testimonies, 211.
"The
Bible must be your counselor. Study it and the testimonies God has
given; for they never contradict His Word."-3 Selected
Messages, 32
"There
is one straight chain of truth, without one heretical sentence,
in that which I have written."-3 Selected Messages, 52
"Soon
every possible effort will be made to discount and pervert the
truth of the testimonies of God's Spirit . . There will be
those [who] . . will bring in all conceivable fallacies,
and will present them as coming from Mrs. White, that they may
beguile souls . . There are those who will misinterpret the
messages that God has given, in accordance with their
spiritual blindness."- 1 Selected Messages, 41.
|
Men and women are going to many camp meetings this year, including every
independent camp meeting, in order to convert believers to Bates' theory,
that the great majority of Spirit of Prophecy writings are contaminated,
uninspired, and need to be thrown away. Bates' message is also gradually
circulating through many local church groups. It is extremely urgent that
you carefully read this three-part study and share it near and afar off
with other believers. Defend the Spirit of Prophecy! God will reward
you. Be prepared to resist this evil teaching when it comes to your area.
This
is an extremely important study. There are people who are being misled
into rejecting nine-tenths of the Spirit of Prophecy books because of
false teachings circulated by Vern Bates. I urge you to share copies of
this tract set widely! Order them from us or make Xerox copies.
If
you are going to a camp meeting this year, obtain copies ahead of time and
share them. Also consider securing copies of our several booklets
defending the Spirit of Prophecy.
PART
1 - BATES' SEVEN BASIC ERRORS
PART
2 - WHAT THE CHANGES WOULD BE
PART
3 - REPLY TO BATES' BOOK
PART
4 - A TWO PRONGED ATTACK
BOOKS
DEFENDING ELLEN WHITE
THOUGHT
INSPIRATION, NOT ROBOT INSPIRATION
Vern
Bates, located in the Pacific Northwest, declares that nearly all the
Spirit of Prophecy writings are "corrupt" and cannot be relied
on. At the close of his booklet, Revival of the True Spirit of Prophecy
Writings (RTSPW), Bates confidently declares of those who have read
his attacks on Ellen White's books:
"The
following reaction is typical of those who are honestly searching for the
truth, who have been confronted with . . this booklet, for the first time:
'What can I now really believe in? I feel like throwing my books away!”
—RTSPW, p. 26.
His
solution is to do just that, and only read a few early Spirit of Prophecy
books.
Vern
Bates wants to decide for you which Scriptures you can study and which
you are forbidden to read. The only other person who dares do that is the
pope of Rome.
People,
who have phoned Bates, with question, find that he tends to evade them by
changing the subject to one of his pet claims. So you would do well to
read this, so you can learn the truth. If you reject nine-tenths of the
Spirit of Prophecy, as Bates wants you to do, then you will be stripped of
much of your latter-day protection against further deceptions by the
devil.
How
would you like to spend your life turning people away from the abundance
of treasure, the precious words of God, which have been given us in the
Spirit of Prophecy? I would not want to be in Vern Bates' shoes in the day
when the Judgment meets and the books are opened. I have spoken with a
number of people who, having accepted his ideas, no longer read the Spirit
of Prophecy. They tell me they have been told there is something wrong
with them; but, upon questioning, they are not really sure what it is.
What
people do not realize is, that Bates' peculiar theories have implications
which he does not dare mention. His imaginings, if true, would place the
Word of God in a strait jacket. As an English-speaking person, you would
not even be able to find an inspired Bible worth reading!
-
PART ONE BATES' SEVEN BASIC ERRORS
Bates
has at least eight primary errors, on which he constructs his entire
fabric of conjecture:
His
first error is the theory that all inspired writings, both in the Bible
and in the Spirit of Prophecy, are produced by verbal dictation. It is
not visions but voices that is important.
A voice dictates one word after the next; and, like a robot, the prophet
writes each word down. Bates has a strict form of the error of verbal
inspiration. Only that written down by verbal dictation is inspired. Yet a
prophet says and does a variety of things, recorded in the Written Word.
According to this theory, God does not impart knowledge to the prophet by
what he sees in visions. It is only dictated words, as the prophet holds a
pen in hand, that are inspired. Most of his correspondence, the letters
he writes, are not worth reading. (See quotations on Thought Inspiration
below.)
But
there is more. The second error of Bates is his idea that only the
original wording is inspired, only those first dictated sentences.
Therefore, no translation of the Spirit of Prophecy into other languages
can be inspired! If you cannot read English, the Spirit of Prophecy
contains no message to you from Heaven. Indeed, unless you can read Greek
and Hebrew, the Bible is also useless; since, according to Bates, only
the original wording is inspired. - Yet Bates, himself, sells a Spanish
translation of one Spirit of Prophecy book!
Such
theories are foolishness!
The
truth is that God inspires the writer, who then writes the concept down in
his own words. These concepts are then translated into other languages.
The King James Version, for example, is inspired of God! You believe it,
don't you? Yet it was translated, by men, into other languages. It does
not contain the original words the prophet wrote down.
Sometimes
in vision the prophet is shown pictures of past history or future events
which have not yet occurred. Bates' theory requires that such views are
uninspired; only the dictated words are inspired.
.
Bates' third error is the theory that once a prophet writes something, it
is set in concrete. That point can never be mentioned again in a later inspired
statement by the prophet, It cannot be enlarged upon or added to in a
later writing.
The first mention of a topic is alone inspired of God. Bates says that in
order to eliminate Ellen White's later books so you will buy his
reprints of her earliest books—he makes money on the sale of those early
reprints. For example, he charges $94.00 for the first four books of the
Testimonies (containing testimonies 1-30); whereas you can buy them in the
ABC for $14.99 each.
According
to his theory, the prophet can never later enlarge on something earlier
written; therefore Desire of Ages is not inspired. Since it is an immense
enlargement of a few very brief chapters written in earlier years about
Christ's life on earth! AlI her later books are in the same category.
If
you will pause and think a minute, you will recall many examples in both
the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy in which a point or concept was later
adapted, changed, or enlarged. Deuteronomy includes an enlargement of
events and details in Leviticus. Kings and Chronicles enlarge on Samuel
and duplicate one another. Matthew, Mark. Luke, and John continually retell
what the others have said. In Acts, Paul repeatedly recounts the story of
his conversion.
In
Jeremiah 36, a sizeable amount of the book of Jeremiah is written
down.—but Jeremiah dictates it to Baruch; God does not do the dictating
to Jeremiah. Then, after King Jehoiakim burns it, Jeremiah adds to it
still more words—thus enlarging the book! "There were added besides
unto them many like words" (Jeremiah 36:32). Yet, according to Bates'
theory, the second writing of it could not be inspired.
In
the Gospels, one inspired writer describes an event one way and another
does it another way. According to the implications of Bates' theory,
only one is inspired. Bates says his theory is right because we should not
add to the Bible (Revelation 22:18-19). It is true that we should not
write into Scripture what we think to 'be inspired comments. But God can
add to it all He wants! He can enlarge it; He can add the Spirit of
Prophecy writings to it. Bates tries to limit what God can do, and dares
to say which parts of the Inspired Word we are permitted to read.
If
Bates' theory was correct, then Ellen White could not write anything about
any Bible topic, event, or prophecy—since Bible writers already earlier
wrote about those concepts and events. Actually, John the Revelator could
not write part of his book, which provides additional information to the
data given in Daniel. Indeed, Daniel Seven is an enlargement of future
information given in Daniel Two; and Daniel Eight and Daniel Eleven are
further enlargements. So only Daniel Two can be inspired!
.
Bates' fourth error is that if one book provides variant information of
another book, the second one written is worthless and should be discarded.
For example, he quotes one Spirit of Prophecy passage which says that an
event occurred at night and another which says it occurred in the day.
Therefore the entire second book is not inspired.
But
we would then need to toss out Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; for they all
provide different details about the same incidents.
.
Bates' fifth error is that if a sentence or paragraph is moved from
its original location, its inspiration ceases. He uses error to help
defend his position, that later restructuring or rewriting of earlier material
by Ellen White is not inspired. As you may know, she followed Jesus'
command, to "gather up the fragments that nothing be lost"
(John 6:12). She would take paragraphs, here and there from her earlier
writings, and use them in later writings.
.
Bates also uses the above error, to defend his sixth error, that Spirit of
Prophecy compilations are worthless.
Because paragraphs on similar topics have been placed together from
earlier writings, they no longer contain valid information.
As
you can see, strange errors lead to strange conclusions. All the
Testimonies are compiled from letters! Part of the material in even her
earliest books was drawn from articles and letters she had written.
Bates
does not want his followers to recognize all the implications of his
teachings. But if a person is going to buy the package, he should be
consistent and accept all that it involves:
Bates
says you should not read Spirit of Prophecy compilations; yet he prints
and sells Spirit of Prophecy compilations he has put together! One
example is his book, Revival of the True Sprit of Prophecy Writings
(analyzed later in this study), which contains Bible and Spirit of
Prophecy passages he has brought together. He has also published other
books which consist of compiled materials from various sources.
If
compilations are useless, then all Bible studies are also! They consist of
compilations!
In
fact, if you adopt his theory, you should not quote the Bible or Spirit of
Prophecy in your conversations or sermons; for, in doing so, you have
lifted it out of context!
Liberal
Adventists have a similar teaching. Because Bible verses disprove their
errors, they claim that it is wrong to quote Bible verses in support of
anything; only single Bible passages are to be used. That claim was part
of their defense of women's ordination at the 1995 Utrecht Session.
.
Bates' seventh error, on which he builds his house of cards, is the theory
that God does not protect his inspired writings.
In
the case of Ellen White's Writings, Bates claims that they were only safe
as long as James White was alive. Bates is very adamant about that. Those
writings were only safe as long as James lived. As soon as James died,
enemies would have a free hand to ruin them. According to Bates, the idea
that God protects His Word is fiction. Of course, if you believe Bates,
then you cannot trust the Bible either. Bates' idea is that only people
protect God's Word; God never does.
Which
person in Israel was protecting Moses' writings while he was alive? Who
was protecting them after he died and "everyone did what is right in
his own eyes"? The same would hold true for the other 45 Bible writers.
This
present study totally disproves this terrible charge by Bates. God
protects His Word, just as He protects His people. It is the Bible and
Spirit of Prophecy that connects us to God. He has to protect His writings
or it would be totally obliterated by men. It is only through the Word
that we can learn the truth and the way to heaven.
.
Bates' eighth error is the claim that God permitted wicked men to later
change Ellen White's writings, and He—God—did nothing to stop it;
He did not warn Ellen, so she would stop it. This present study disproves
that error also. His view is that Ellen could not stop the corruption of
her writings, nor can we rely on God to protect them. He imagines that God
is helpless to defend His Inspired Writings.
You
ask. How could Ellen White have stopped it? First, she always had friends
in top leadership on all levels; loyal supporters who would tell her
things and she could work with. Second, she could have taken her case to
the laity, as she did about righteousness by faith in 1889 and 1890.
Third, she could have printed her books outside the church (as she did
With Steps to Christ, because Smith stalled the printing of the 1888
Great Controversy for two years). Ellen White had courage and
tenacity; she was not the lazy Wimp that Bates makes her out to be.
HOW
DOES BATES PROVE IT?
How
does Bates prove his theories? He supports his errors with a collection of
insinuations based on hypothetical assumptions. irrelevant quotations, and
supposed errors in the Spirit of Prophecy.
For example, in one place Ellen White writes that there are those in the
church who are not converted. Bates says that general statement proves
that she knew church leaders were changing her writings. A Bible verse mentioning
that men were evil at the time the Bible writer wrote is the basis for a
Bates' conjecture that, therefore, Bible writings have also been changed
by wicked men! Bates quotes a Spirit of Prophecy statement, that Urlah
Smith was an "Eli" and not faithfully reproving sin. Therefore,
Bates conjectures, based on that statement, that Smith must have been
changing her writings. Bates' charges are a collection of false assumptions
based on hypothetical leaps of logic.
What
is Bates' solution to the problem?
Bates claims that he knows of a tiny number of early, small Spirit of
Prophecy books, which are "uncontaminated." Yet. examining them,
you find that none of her major books are among them—not one! Great
Controversy is gone. Desire of Ages is gone, and nine-tenths of all the
rest.
Yet,
even if you were to read in his little collection, you would find that
concepts are repeated in them (something Bates says would make them
uninspired).
You
will find a variety of statements by people. You will find comments on
Bible verses and prophecies. Yet because they duplicate and enlarge on
what the Bible says, according to Bates' theory, they must be uninspired
also!
Bates'
ideas are a house of cards that falls to pieces as soon as you closely
examine it!
-
PART TWO
WHAT
THE CHANGES WOULD BE
What
would be removed or added?
Only wicked men would attempt to change the Spirit of Prophecy writings,
but what objectives would they have in mind?
First,
what would they remove?
Unconverted church leaders are excellent politicians. They would remove
everything that pointed out sin. Reproof of sin would inevitably weaken
their position and control over the people. Yet you can hardly read a
paragraph or page in a Spirit of Prophecy book which does not condemn
wrongdoing. And this includes the later compilations of her writings, such
as Ministry of Healing: against drug medication and for natural remedies;
Great Controversy: against the sins of church leaders and warnings
against letting them gain too much control in the church (yet the critics
say corrupt church leaders wrote Great Controversy!); Desire of Ages:
against the overarching sins of church leaders; Councils on Diet and
Foods: against coffee, tea, and meat eating. On and on the list goes. All
nine volumes of the Testimonies are also full of them.
In
stunning contrast, open a copy of the Review or a union paper, or look at
the books advertised in the ABC catalog. You will find little or nothing
that reproves sin. Why? Because men, not God, inspired those publications.
It is the way of man to praise men and not mention wrongdoing. The Spirit
of Prophecy writings —all of them—are totally different: They condemn
sin! , Why then, we ask, does Bates want to get rid of those books?
Perhaps the Spirit of Prophecy writings condemn his sins. It is a strange
fact that Bates' objective is the same as that of the liberals in our
church, who are so immersed in sin that they find it necessary to destroy
confidence in the holy books. The Spirit of Prophecy writings are an
amplification of the Ten Commandments. Why does Bates want to get rid of
them?
Early
leaders in our church would also have wanted to remove how they mistreated
Ellen and James. (Read "Sketch of Experience" in Vol. 1 of the
Testimonies (570-585). It was not taken out, when the Testimonies were
reprinted after James' death.)
Church
leaders would want everything tossed out that weakened their control over
church members. Then why is "The Scriptures a Safeguard" in all
three editions of Great Controversy? It is a most violent attack on the
primacy of church authority. The first (historical) half of the book is
also powerful. Why was Testimonies to Ministers, an equally strong book,
published as a compilation nearly a decade after her death?
Second,
what would they add?
If the leaders wrote or heavily changed her books after 1881, as Bates
charges, this is what they would have added: flattering comments about
leaders, how good they are, how they never make mistakes, and how we need
to trust and obey them. We would be told of the wise committee decisions
they make. We would find recommendations concerning big buildings, big
salaries, going into debt, consolidation, and centralized control by a few
men. Because so many condemnations of sin would have been removed, lots of
useless details of no consequence would be added to fill the missing
pages.
What
was actually changed when
Testimonies, Books 1-4, were reprinted in the mid-1880s? Everything
is primarily just as it originally was, with two main exceptions: First, a
number of unimportant phrases were slightly rewritten or omitted (exactly
what wicked leaders would want left in). Second, a few "I saw"
and "I was shown" were left out. This was done in accordance
with her later conviction that the Testimonies should be shared with
non-Adventists. Third, some names of people were changed to letters of the
alphabet. Fourth, there are a few instances in which she omitted, from the
final printing, some specific paragraphs about individuals at Battle
Creek. (See my tract, Searching for Changes in the Testimonies
[WM-1075].).
What
about compilations prepared after her death?
Read Testimonies to Ministers, Counsels on Diet and Foods, and her books
on evangelism, teaching, schools, temperance, etc. All the compilations
condemn sin and none encourage slavish submission to leadership—any
more than the books written while she was alive. The compilations contain
precious gems of truth gathered together on given topics. They are both
inspirational and deeply instructive. Here Is one example: Read “The
Reason for the Delay" in the book. Evangelism (694-697).
It is a most powerful collection of statements—which urges us to prepare
our hearts to meet Jesus! It is a valuable compilation!
-
PART THREE -
REPLY
TO BATES' BOOK
Bates'
booklet. Revival of the True Spirit of Prophecy Writings, begins
with a collection of Bible quotations under the heading. "The
Inspiration of the Bible Writers." But, by printing this compilation
of Bible quotes. Bates has himself made a compilation. And that, according
to his theories, negates the inspiration of those quotations!
This
first section consists of a normal collection of quotations, that the
Bible is safely inspired. This assures the reader that the booklet must be
all right. Yet later in the booklet, Bates will insinuate, to the reader,
that many of the Bible writings have been corrupted and are not inspired
because men changed them—and therefore their inspiration is
questionable.
Spirit
dictation vs. thought inspiration—
The next section is entitled, "Dictation of the Holy Spirit."
Bates quotes a few Spirit of Prophecy sentences which say that the Holy
Spirit dictated information to some Bible writers. This is the only proof
he offers in support of his theory, that every inspired word of Scripture
was given by direct dictation. Then, without quoting it, he mentions that,
in 7 Bible Commentary, 945-946, and 1 Selected Messages, 15-23, Ellen
White says something quite different. He dares not quote those passages.
Bates confidently asserts that the few sentences about the Holy Spirit
dictating some messages must occur in all cases, and the pages upon pages
of contrary statements by Ellen White—must have been written by
someone else! Very convenient. Beware of those people who are quick to
tell you that "other people" wrote the Spirit of Prophecy
passages they do not like! I urge you to read the 7BC 945-946 and 1 SM 1523
statements for yourself! The 7BC passage fills nearly an entire page! The
1SM passage consists of five different letters, three of which are quite
lengthy. Bates says to throw all that out and only accept his theory. Also
read pp. 5-6 (v-vi) in the Introduction to Great Controversy. The entire
Introduction is excellent. Bates says the entire book should be thrown in
the trash can.
"God
sets no man to pronounce judgment on His Word, selecting some things as
inspired and discrediting others as uninspired. The testimonies have
been treated in the same way; but God is not in this. "-1 Selected
Messages, 23.
Bates
next quotes several Bible texts which say that men should not add to or
take away from God's Word. -Yet this is exactly what Bates is trying to
do! —to take away most of the Spirit of Prophecy writings from your
heart and life!
His
next section is "How Dangerous is it to Change God's Word?"
Bates quotes Eve's misstatements, which got her in trouble. Yet it is
Bates who is trying to change God's Word! He is not merely trying to
change pieces of it; he is determined to get rid of massive sections!
The
Spirit of Prophecy protector: James White or God?
—Bates' next section is "Changing the Spirit of Prophecy
Writings." He begins by declaring that James White was ordained
as the one to protect the Spirit of Prophecy writings. Bates then quotes
several passages in which Ellen states that God revealed that James was to
be her helper. Bates concludes: "As long as James White was alive to
protect the Spirit of Prophecy writings, the original messages were
essentially uncorrupted and pure." James died in 1881; so, according
to Bates' repeated claim, after that date the Spirit of Prophecy had
absolutely no protection!
But
Bates is careful to omit those passages in which, she later said how
Marian Davis (who began helping her in 1878) and her son, William C. White
(who began when James died), were also given to be her helpers. Bates
assumes that James was the only helper God ever gave her, ignoring her
repeated statements that she was later given others. See my books, The
Secret Writers Charge (96 pp., $7.00 + $2.50) and How God Protected
Ellen White’s Writings (28 pp. $2.00 + $2.50), for much more on
this.
The
charge that Smith changed them—Bates' next section is "The Role of
Uriah Smith in Rejecting the Testimonies of the Holy Spirit." Several
Spirit of Prophecy quotations are cited which indicate that Uriah Smith
did not properly care for his children and that he was not taking a bold
stand for the Spirit of Prophecy. In one instance, he waited six months
before publicly reading a Testimony.
We
agree that such actions on Smith's part are deplorable; but that does
not support Bates' blatant charge, in this section, that he changed the
Spirit of Prophecy writings! As he does throughout his booklet, Bates will
make a charge Without providing anything solid in the way of evidence.
The
charge that others changed them—Bates'
next section is "The Death of Elder James White." In this
section, he says that, because James died, other people began changing her
writings. It is so because Bates thinks it is so!
The
attack on Early Writings
—Here is how Bates gets rid of the book, Early Writings: He quotes a
single sentence by Haskell, which said "The book, Early Writings,
was largely a compilation of testimonies to prove positions taken after
much fasting and prayer" (Review, Vol. 5, p. 87). Therefore, Bates
says, because it is a "compilation," the book is no good. If you
Will look in the table of contents of Early Writings, you will see it is
composed of three large sections from earlier smaller booklets she wrote.
Yet, because Haskell used the word, "compilation," Early
Writings is a bad book and should not be read —not because the earlier
booklets were bad, but because they were combined into a single book!
Yet Bates' entire booklet is itself a compilation of quotations! He is
opposed to Spirit of Prophecy compilations as evil, while his (Bates') are
supposed to be all right! Bates next quotes a couple of passages in which
Ellen mentioned that some of the brethren were not good men. —But she
does not say they changed her writings! She never said that anywhere!
Bates assumes that it must be so.
How
Testimonies, Vols. 1-4, were corrected —After
this, Bates quotes the church resolution, to correct typographical
mistakes in the initial small books of the Testimonies before they were
reprinted as the larger Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1-4.
He
charges that a committee completely rewrote those testimonies! But Bates
does not tell you the fact that it was Marian Davis and W.C. White who,
with Ellen's approval, asked that those corrections be made —and that it
was Marian and W.C. White who made those corrections! I discuss this in
detail in my book, How God Protected Ellen White’s Writings (28
pp. $2.00 + $2.50). Although a committee of five was appointed, they were
church leaders who spent no time on the task.
Notice
that Bates' charges are consistently keyed to his theory, that God does
not protect His Word!
What
did Marian Davis do? She corrected the mistakes the typesetters made when
setting the type for the earlier small testimony booklets. Sue also carefully
checked the new typesetting for the printing of Testimonies, Vols. 1-4.
There is nothing wrong with a trusted helper doing that! Bates ignores the
fact that Ellen White had good helpers after James died. Marian started
working with her in 1878, three years before James died, and continued
working with her until her death in 1904. By that time, Ellen White also
had several other helpers. My books, How God Protected Ellen White's
Writings and The Secret Writers Charge discusses all this.
Bates'
single objective is to get you to lose confidence in the Spirit of
Prophecy writings.
The
charge that Ellen White could only write once on a topic
—Bates' next section is "Sr. White was not Authorized to Change
Her Writings." At this juncture, Bates deepens the error: He
now declares that Ellen White could not reword or enlarge on any concept
she earlier wrote on. We earlier noted that such a position would
eliminate a lot that is in the Bible. Bates' objective is for you to get
rid of all her later books.
Here
are two of the quotations Bates uses to support his contention: "I
have not been instructed to change that which I have sent out"
(Review, Vol. 5, p.110). "I am not to retract one word of the message
I have borne" (Review, Vol. 5, p. 231). Her meaning is obvious; she
is not talking about being forbidden to later write more on a given topic.
Bates claims she was not permitted to later write again or enlarge on any
concept.
The
charge that only Ellen White's earlier books are inspired —Bates'
next section is "The Spirit of Prophecy Volumes vs. the Conflict
of the Ages Series." Bates puts her very small earlier books
against her later enlarged ones. He maintains that only the earlier ones
are inspired. But all the "proof" he provides are some
quotations in which Ellen said the Testimonies should be circulated! That
does not prove that other books could not be written by her or circulated.
He also quotes her statement that her small books, Life of Christ
and Life of Paul, are ready for publication and should be
circulated when printed. In such simple statements, Bates tries to find
sinister forbiddings of later books by her! He carefully ignores her many
later statements which stress the importance of circulating Great
Controversy, Patriarchs and Prophets, Desire of Ages, Christ Object
Lessons, etc.
The
charge that others wrote the Conflict Series —Bates
next boldly denounces the Conflict Series as having been written by other
people. What is his proof for this? All Bates has to offer are some nebulous
comments made at the 1919 Bible Conference. For a careful analysis of that
conference, you will find it in the back of my book, The Secret Writers
Charge (96 pp., $7.00 + $2.50). We know that, in 1909, W.W. Prescott
wanted to make changes in Great Controversy.
We
also know that Ellen and her helpers totally rejected his extensive
manuscript wherein he listed changes he wanted to see made. (They dealt
almost entirely with historical details in the first half of the book.) I
would not trust Prescott any further than I could throw him; but he, like
the other leaders, could not penetrate the barrier of Ellen White and her
helpers.
The
charge that the 1888 Great Controversy is no good —Bates
next dares to attack the 1888 Great Controversy as worthless. He sure has
nerve. There is not one thing wrong with that, the second edition of her
most important book.
I
genuinely believe that, unless he repents. Bates will be a lost man. And
if you get dose to his tents, like those who stood with three rebels
against an earlier prophet of God (Numbers 16:26-34), the earth will
erelong swallow you when it takes him down.
You
are very welcome to reject Great Controversy, as Bates does; but if you
do, in the judgment you will stand by his side, to face the same
condemnation. Are those strong words? I think not. They ought to be stronger.
Believers need to be warned away from this open pit dug by the devil for
Adventists willing to be deluded.
What
is the problem With the Spirit of Prophecy? I will tell you: On every
page, it condemns sin. That is why men devise a thousand excuses to ignore
and reject it. Throughout our denomination, it is the men who love their
secret sins who preach against Ellen White’s writings.
The
charge that Patriarchs and Prophets is no good
— Next, Bates turns his guns on Patriarchs and Prophets and
denounces that book as useless. His evidence is six quotations —three
from the small Spirit of Prophecy, Vol.1 (1SP) and three from Patriarchs
and Prophets (PP). He managed to find three places where the two were
different.
LUCIFER
HAD ENVY AND HATRED IN HEAVEN.
In
the first of the three comparative quotations, Lucifer in heaven bows with
the other angels, "but his heart is filled with envy and hatred"
(1SP 18) while in Patriarchs and Prophets, "in his heart there was a
strange, fierce conflict. Truth, justice, and loyalty were struggling
against envy and jealousy" (PP 36, 37). Keep in mind that envy and
jealousy is hatred! There really is no problem here.
Why
is there any difference at all? The answer is simple: The first chapter of
Patriarchs and Prophets is an immense enlargement of what is in her
earlier description on the Fall of Satan in heaven. The earlier book (1SP)
is heavily compressed. A similar compressed portrayal is presented to us
in Early Writings. 14-16, where, within three pages, we go from 1844 to
beyond the Second Advent to heaven.
SATAN SAID HE AFTERWARD
REPENTED
The
second set of two quotations is actually about two different incidents: In
PP 39. Lucifer nearly reaches the point of truly repenting, but pride
forbade him. In 1 SP 29, after Satan is cast out of heaven, he is sorry
that he has lost all the advantages he enjoyed in heaven and he requests
an audience With Christ. "He related to the Son of God that he
repented of his rebellion and wished, again, the favor of God" (1SP
29).
Bates
is trying to show that, after Lucifer refuses to repent, he then does.
This is supposed to show that Patriarchs and Prophets is a bad book.
But
not so quickly: In PP 39. Lucifer almost repents, but does not do so. In
the full light of heaven, he refuses to repent and is cast out. But in 1SP
29, it does not say that Satan repented! It only says that he said he
repented! There is an immense difference between genuine repentance and
merely saying so.
Bates
is careful not to quote the rest of the passage (1SP 29:2.30:1). "He
repented not of his rebellion" (1SP 30:1). The context clearly shows
that all Satan was sorry about was the results of his rebellion. It does
not say he was genuinely sorry for his sins. He just wanted to be in
heaven again.
EGYPTIANS
ENTER RED SEA AT NIGHT
The
third set of quotations is about the Egyptian host crossing the Red Sea.
Bates skillfully uses capital letters to heighten the impression that
there is a great difference between 1SP 209 and PP 287,288. But, upon
closer examination, we find the two descriptions are very similar:
In
both books, as the darkness of night deepens, the Israelites are
enlightened by the pillar of fire and begin going through the Red Sea. But
the Egyptians do not see them enter it. Nothing different here.
In
both books, the light is brilliant enough that the Egyptians see the
Israelites off in the distance and chase after them. In 1SP 209, it says
their pursuit into the Red Sea begins "in the morning";
but in two later phrases in 1SP 209, we will learn that morning has not
yet come! So "in the morning" here must mean in the great
light from the pillar, which suddenly appeared to the Egyptians in the
darkness. In later years, Ellen had a more detailed vision of the event
before she wrote Patriarchs and Prophets.
In
both books, the Lord begins troubling the Egyptians, slowing them down.
In both 1SP 209: 1-2 and PP 287:3, we are told that this happens "in
the morning watch." The "morning watch" occurs before
sunrise. It is the last guard duty of the night, as the guard watches for
sunrise. So sunrise is nearing, but has not yet arrived.
In
both books, we are told that the Egyptians are suddenly afraid and try to
regain the shore they left.
In
both books (!) we are told that, just at the time of sunrise. Moses raises
his hand and the waters rush over the Egyptians; their bodies are seen by
the Israelites. Bates was careful not to quote this: 1SP 210:0 says
"And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea
returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the
Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the
midst of the sea." PP 287 says: "But Moses stretched out his rod
. . .and the piled-up waters . . rushed together . . As morning broke
it revealed . . the . . bodies." (Bates did not quote this 1SP 210:0
paragraph which includes "when the morning appeared." because it
clearly undercuts his entire objection. Also note that, when the morning
appeared, the Israelites saw the dead bodies; so the Egyptians must have
been crossing in the night.)
The
charge that Desire of Ages is no good
—Next, Bates attacks Desire of Ages. He only managed to locate two
unusual passages.
STANDING BESIDE THE
ALTAR
An
apparent oddity is the statement that Christ is today standing before the
altar of incense, pleading our cases. That altar is located in the first
apartment. "Christ might commission the angels of heaven to pour out
the vials of His wrath on our world, to destroy those who are filled with
hatred of God. He might wipe this dark spot from His universe. But He does
not do this. He is today standing at the altar of incense, presenting
before God the prayers of those who desire His help.
“The
souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the accusing and the
strife of tongues. No man or evil angel can impeach these souls. Christ
unites them to His own divine-human nature. They stand beside the great
Sin Bearer, in the Light proceeding from the throne of God." -Desire
of Ages, 568.
The
context is speaking about Christ's great love and care for His erring
earthly children. Ellen Is so filled with feeling that she waxes eloquent
with powerful symbolic language to illustrate her meaning: "pour out
the vials of His wrath," "wipe this dark spot,"
"standing at the altar of incense," "turn to Him for refuge,"
"strife of tongues," "impeach these souls." Notice the
final sentence: They stand beside their Sin Bearer, "in the light
proceeding from the throne of God." That light Is not now in the
first apartment, which is blocked by a veil from God's glory in the
second. So, by faith, they are standing by Him in the second, not the
first, apartment.
Metaphorical
statements can be doctrinally inaccurate. A few lines down from
"standing at the altar" is "They stand by the Great Sin
Bearer." Both are symbols: neither one is literally true. We are not
now standing by our Great Sin Bearer in heaven. These are metaphors.
Here is another example of a metaphor:
"For
as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain
before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
“And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the
Lord.
"And
they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have
transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their
fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."
-Isaiah 66:22-24.
Verse
24 is obviously metaphorical and not a reality. After the wicked have
been eliminated, the righteous will not go forth from the holy City and
look at dead corpses all over the ground. The wicked were totally burned
up in the fire, which purified the earth. The metaphor means that the
wicked are no longer able to trouble anyone. The effects of a fire which
no creature can quench will have done its work thoroughly. The wicked are
gone.
"While
the earth was wrapped in the fire of destruction, the righteous abode
safely in the holy City. Upon those that had part in the first
resurrection, the second death has no power. While God is to the wicked a
consuming fire, He is to His people both a sun and a shield. Revelation
20:6; Psalm 84:11.
"
'I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away.' Revelation 21:1. The fire that consumes the
wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No
eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful
consequences of sin.
"One
reminder alone remains: Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His
crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are
the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought."-Great
Controversy, 674.
(A
similar figure of speech is found in Malachi 4:3, to indicate that the
total destruction of the wicked is described. Cf. 4:1-3.)
"Standing
by the altar." in DA 568, is also a metaphor and not a reality.
Christ is pleading for us today; that is what it means. Ellen has dozens
of statements about Christ's work for us in the second apartment after
1844 (GC 409-432. 479-491). So we have total clarity, as to her
meaning.—and the fact that this one passage must be interpreted as a
most beautiful metaphor.
Yet,
even though it is a metaphor, it nonetheless teaches a very real truth!
The type of intercessory ministry Christ was doing in the first apartment
did not cease when He went into the second! If Christ did not figuratively
stand today by the golden altar, offering up our prayers with His
righteous merits and intercession, we could not be forgiven of our sins!
Until the second apartment work of investigative judgment ends, Christ's
mediation must continue. Jesus is symbolically standing today by the
altar of intercession.
STANDING ON THE SUMMIT
Desire
of Ages is one of the most glorious books Ellen wrote. Why people would
want to pick flaws in it is almost beyond comprehension. Another apparent
(apparent) oddity, that Bates points to, is found near the end of the
book.
"Its
steeps had echoed the triumphant shouts of the multitude that proclaimed
Him king. On it’s sloping descent He had found a home with Lazarus at
Bethany. In the garden of Gethsemane at its foot He had prayed and
agonized alone. From this mountain Re was to ascend to heaven. Upon its
summit His feet will rest when He shall come again. Not as a man of
sorrows, but as a glorious and triumphant king He will stand upon Olivet,
while Hebrew hallelujahs mingle with Gentile hosannas, and the voices of
the redeemed as a mighty host shall swell the acclamation, 'Crown Him Lord
of all!' "-Desire of Ages. 830.
Frequently,
in Bible prophecy, the prophet describes an incident and then skips entire
centuries and mentions another. In other prophecies, missing portions
are filled in. The Spirit of Prophecy does the same thing. Frequently an
inspired source does not give the full picture all at once. Think about
it. You do not find the complete picture in Daniel 2, 7, 8, 9, or 10-12.
You do not find it anywhere in Revelation. You have to carefully fit
them together.
In
the above passage, Ellen is very briefly mentioning a future event. Be
aware that, in doing so, she may skip over intermediate predicted events,
just as the Bible writers do.
The
purpose of the above passage is quite obvious: It is solely to list those
times when the Mount of Olives is important in history, from Christ's time
on down to the end of sin.
(1)
His stay at Lazarus' home. (2) His agony in Gethsemane. (3) His ascension.
(4) His later return to the top of the mount. When does the fourth
incident occur: at Christ's Second Coming or at His Third? Obviously, His
third, for these reasons:
1
- Scripture explains Scripture, and Ellen elsewhere says Christ will not
again touch Olivet till His Third Coming (EW 17-18,51-53,291; GC 662-663).
2
- As "its steeps . . echoed the triumphant shouts of the multitude
that proclaimed Him king" during His triumphal entry, so, the passage
says, when He next touches the top of the mount, everyone —everyone—will
praise Him, as He once again returns, and proclaim Him King. When does
that occur? Not at Christ's Second Advent, for then the righteous are pale
with tear and the Wicked are crying out in horror (Great Controversy.
641-642). It occurs at His Third Advent. He descends from heaven With His
people and the holy City, and He is praised by His redeemed, some of whom
were Jews and some were Gentiles. Then the dead are raised to life and
Jesus and the redeemed enter the holy City.
3
- At the coming described in DA 830, the trump of God does not sound nor
do the dead in Christ arise from the dead. That is because it is Christ's
Third, not His Second Advent.
4
–Two Pages after Desire
of Ages, 830, there is a parallel passage (page 832). But this one is
speaking not about Christ's Third Coming. —but about His Second. He will
descend from heaven in a cloud, the trump of God will sound, the dead in
Christ will rise, and He receives His faithful ones to Himself that where
He is, there they may be also.
The charge that Acts of
the Apostles is no good—
Next, Bates attacks Acts of the Apostles.
WHEN CHRIST'S
PRIESTHOOD BEGAN
It
is marvelous how hard Bates has to look in order to scrape together
something bad about Ellen White's books. Here is the first of two
"terrible" quotations that he found:
"As
in the typical service the high priest laid aside his pontifical robes and
officiated in the white linen dress of an ordinary priest, so Christ laid
aside His royal robes and garbed Himself with humanity and offered
sacrifice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim. As the high priest,
after performing his service in the Holy of Holies, came forth to the
waiting congregation in his pontifical robes, so Christ will come the
second time, clothed in garments of whitest white, 'so as no fuller on
earth can white them.' Mark 9:3. He will come in His own glory, and in the
glory of His Father, and all the angelic host will escort Him on His
way."-Acts of the Apostles, 33.
Bates
charges the above passage with teaching error, because it says Christ
was a priest on earth before ascending to heaven. Bates says Christ could
not be a priest until He entered the Sanctuary in heaven. What is the
answer? Here it is:
Christ's
ministry is the antitypical fulfillment of the tabernacle service. In the
type, the earthly ministry, the priest offered the lamb on the altar. He
then carried the blood into the tabernacle.
Although
Bates does not believe it, Christ on earth offered Himself. He was the
priest offering the sacrifice, and He was the sacrifice. If, in the
antitype, Christ was not the priest, offering the lamb who was? Common
people? Satan? Angels?
Then
He arose from the dead and carried the blood into the heavenly Sanctuary,
there to offer it on our behalf, So there is no problem here.
I
should mention two points about Hebrews 8:4. ("For if He were on
earth, He should not be a priest.") That is correct in the antitype;
Christ could not remain on earth after offering the sacrifice. He had to
go to heaven. Why?—because that is where His Sanctuary is! He was a
priest on earth when He offered the sacrifice, but not afterward. The
altar was on earth, the first and second apartments in heaven.
The
second point is this: A careful reading of the context preceding Hebrews
8:4 (chapters 5 and 7) reveals that Christ could not be a priest in the
earthly tabernacle—because He was not a Levite! Paul explains that His
ministry was after the order of Melchizedek.
Unlike
the Levites, Christ's priestly work began at the cross, when He offered up
Himself. He then went to heaven to continue lt. Soon it will forever end.
WHEN CHRIST MADE
ATONEMENT FOR SIN
Searching
as hard as he could, Bates found one more problem passage in Acts of the
Apostles.
"Listen
as he [Paul] makes plain the work of the Redeemer as the great high priest
of mankind—the One who through the sacrifice of His own life was to
make atonement for sin once for all, and was then to take up His
ministry in the heavenly Sanctuary. Paul's hearers were made to understand
that the Messiah, for whose advent they had been longing, had already
come; that His death was the antitype of all the sacrificial offerings,
and that His ministry in the Sanctuary in heaven was the great object that
cast its shadow backward and made clear the ministry of the Jewish
priesthood. "—Acts of the Apostles, 246.
Bates
says the above paragraph teaches that "the atonement was finished on
the cross," and was "completed then." That is what Bates
charges. What is the answer?
The
paragraph does not say the atonement was finished or completed at Calvary.
What does it say? It says the truth and, in doing so, agrees with all her
other statements on the atonement. On the cross, Christ made atonement for
sin once for all. Who is "all"? Every sinner who would ever live
on earth. The atonement was sufficient to cover every sin! Thank God! And
the sacrifice for sin need only be made once.
But
the atonement was not applied until later. Christ went to heaven and into
the first apartment; there He pled His atoning blood, individually for
men, for eighteen centuries. Yet even for those who accepted Him, the
atonement was not yet completed when men accepted it. In 1844, He began
the final phase of the atonement, as the books were opened and the cases
of the dead who had ever professed faith in Christ were examined. Soon,
none know how soon, the judgment will pass to the living. Then, when it is
completed, the general close of probation will occur, and soon after
Christ will return for His own.
The
charge that Prophets and Kings is no good— Finally, Bates attacks Prophets
and Kings. He could not let it stand alone as one safe book out of
five. So he says it is full of error "scattered throughout, "
-yet without naming any. You probably know that the last two or three
chapters of this book were compiled from her earlier books immediately
after her death. Ellen died before it was completed. She had looked over
the data to go into them. Read those closing chapters for yourself. They
are very nice —because they are all from her earlier writings. Which do
you trust more: God's protection of His Word or Bates' charges?
God
gives each of us freedom of choice and probationary time. You and I have
a decision to make. We can hold tightly to God's Word or we can reject it.
If we chose to set aside the Spirit of Prophecy, God will not stop us. But
the results, erelong, will be fearful.
"God
will never remove every occasion for doubt. He gives sufficient evidence
on which to base faith, and if this is not accepted, the mind is left in
darkness." -Patriarchs and Prophets, 432.
Bates'
"solution"-
The last heading in Bates' booklet is entitled, "The Solution."
As we quoted at the beginning of this study, he introduces it with these
words: "The following reaction is typical of those who are honestly
searching for the truth, who have been confronted with . . this booklet,
for the first time: 'What can I now really believe in? I feel like throwing
my books away!' ..
And
what is the "solution"? He wants you to only read safe books you
buy from him. But it will cost you. For example, the equivalent of
Testimonies, Vols. 1-4 (containing Testimonies 1-30), will cost you $45.00
for the first one and $49.00 for the second—a total of $94.00! At the
ABC, you can purchase them for $14.99 each. What a way to make a living!
Destroy people's confidence in nearly all of the Sprit of Prophecy, so
they will buy your version of the little that remains!
PART FOUR A TWO-PRONGED ATTACK
Satan's
attack on the Spirit of Prophecy is ceaseless. He knows that each
believer that turns from those books is more likely to later drift off
into sin.
The
devil is masterminding a two-pronged attack through several different
groups, which do not recognize they are actually allies working toward a
common objective.
One
group is composed of influential liberals who, in our college classes,
camp meetings, and churches, are subtly instilling the idea that
"Ellen White's writings were for her time. Things are different
now." Teachers at Walla Walla College, for example, are traveling
through the churches and gradually destroying confidence in the Spirit
of Prophecy. Among others, teachers at Andrews University are doing the
same. Many church members are inclined to accept this—because they trust
what prominent men in the church say.
However,
Satan is also hurling darts at those who do not trust what church leaders
say! According to this teaching, because there were unconverted church
leaders in Ellen White's day,—that proves they must have changed her
writings to suit themselves.
This is a masterpiece
of a deception!
There
are believers who, over the years, have met with discouragement and rebuff
at the hand of church-men who refuse to stand true to our historic
standards and beliefs. So when someone comes along and makes any kind of
charge about something bad that earlier leaders were doing, it is readily
believed by some.
That
which makes this deception a masterpiece is that they earlier learned to
distrust leadership because of its attempts to set aside the Spirit of
Prophecy. But now they are willing to, themselves, set aside the Spirit of
Prophecy because of their distrust of leadership! -Opposition to
leadership has become more important than God's Word! —vf
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