"Prophecy must
be fulfilled. The Lord says, `Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the Great and Dreadful day of the Lord' (Mal.
4:5). SOMEBODY is to come in the spirit and power
of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say, `You are too earnest,
you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way."--
Testimonies
to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 535
Appendix
Notes
Elijah
and the Modern Church
Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and
smite the earth with a curse. Mal. 4:5, 6. The closing words of Malachi
are a prophecy regarding the work that should be done preparatory to
the first and the second advent of Christ. Those who are to prepare
the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah,
as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ's first
advent.
The
Faith I Live By, p. 290
A
Purified Church
When I was last in Battle
Creek, I said before a large congregation that I did not claim to be
a prophetess. Twice I referred to this matter, intending each time
to make the statement, "I do not claim to be a prophetess." If I
spoke otherwise than this, let all now understand that what I had in mind
to say was that I do not claim the title of prophet or prophetess.
Selected
Messages Book 1, p. 35
Ellen
G. White and Her Writings
"Moreover, we all know
that the work of typical Elijah was to do away with the prophets and
priests who served Baal instead of God those who led ancient Israel into
the greatest fallacy and folly of the day. Accordingly, the antitypical
Elijah's work, being in the spirit and power of typical Elijah, must
therefore be similar to typical Elijah's work-restoring Truth and righteousness,
and bringing judgment upon the false prophets and teachers in the antitypical
day which in itself is the separating of the chaff from the wheat-the
work of the Judgment for the Living.
Now the question:
Is the ancient prophet Elijah himself to re-appear, or is some other, having
the same spirit and power, to take his place?
John the Baptist's
statement that he himself was not the Elijah, and Jesus' statement that
John was the Elijah of that day, not of our day, clear three points:
(1) That John was
not in any sense of the word fulfilling the mission of the Elijah who is
to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, but that he the
last prophet to the church of his day, simply came in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to prepare the way for; the Lord's first advent. So it
is that the Elijah of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, the last
prophet to the church of this day, comes in the same spirit and power,
to prepare the way for the Lord's second advent.
(2) That as John
was the Elijah of his day, yet not Elijah the Tishbite himself, then
the promise of the prophet Elijah is not necessarily to be fulfilled
in person by the ancient prophet himself.
(3) That as the
Elijah of Christ's first advent was one person, and also as the
Elijah of MT, Carmel of old was one person, not a multitude of priests,
then by parity of reasoning the Elijah of today must also be one person,
not a multitude of ministers.
The promise, itself,
moreover, is for only one, not for more, and with but one exception,
we know not of any other time when God employed even two prophets (let
alone many) at one time, to convey one message to one people. He invariably
called one, and that one himself, under the direction of the Spirit,
employed others to help him take the message to the people. Thus
only were any others ever identified with a called one.
Again, if any should
possibly entertain the idea that this promise of a prophet means a multitude
of preachers, then as surely as your soul lives, that one is fooling himself
as badly as those misled followers of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram fooled
themselves in their presumptuous thinking that those three prophetic
office seekers and self-promoters were also prophets as was Moses.
Those three impostors, be it not forgotten, even claimed that the whole
multitude were holy! (Num. 16:1-3) But were they? And as surely
as the earth swallowed them then, just so surely will all such in these
days, too, be swallowed by the earth when it opens its mouth and takes
away the flood. (Rev 12:16)
Now let us hear what
the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination had to say in their
day:
"But was the prophecy
wholly fulfilled in John the Baptist? We answer, No; for it is
more intimately connected with the great day of the Lord than was the mission
of John, His work had exclusive references to the first advent; but
the prophecy must relate more especially to the second advent, which
is the crowning event of the ushering in of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord."-"Review and Herald," February 23, 1864
"Do you say the
prophecy must be fulfilled by one person? We answer, Not necessarily;
for the cause of John was shown us that it is not the individual but the
spirit and power that fulfills the prophecy; and why may not this
spirit and power accompany a body of men as well as a single individual,
especially if the magnitude and importance of the work demand such an
increased agency?" RH Feb. 23, 1864
"We say then, that
we believe that the third angel's message is now completing the fulfillment
of Malachi 4:5,6. Hence, let none be beguiled with the fancy that Elijah
is yet personally to appear, but give heed to the work already going
on before their eyes." RH Feb. 23, 1864
The founders of the
Denomination are here seen unquestionably to discredit the idea of the
ancient prophet's personal reappearance. Moreover, these passages say that
though the prophecy itself dose demand an individual prophet, it
does not restrict the work to a an individual, but to a group,
to a body of helpers, directed by the Lord and endowed with the spirit
and power of Elijah."
General
Conference Special page 30-37
Lessons
From Elijah's Experience
From Elijah's
experience during those days of discouragement and apparent defeat, there
are many lessons to be drawn,-- lessons invaluable to the servants
of God in this age, marked as it is by general departure from right. The
apostasy prevailing today is similar to that which in the prophet's day
over spread Israel. In the exaltation of the human above
the divine, in the praise of popular leaders, in the worship
of mammon, and in the placing of the teachings of science above
the truths of revelation, multitudes today are following after Baal.
Doubt and unbelief are exercising their baleful influence over mind
and heart, and many are substituting for the oracles of God the theories
of men. It is publicly taught that we have reached a time when human
reason should be exalted above the teachings of the Word. The law of
God, the divine standard of righteousness, is declared to be of no effect.
The enemy of all truth is working with deceptive power to cause men and
women to place human institutions where God should be, and to forget that
which was ordained for the happiness and salvation of mankind. Yet this
apostasy, widespread as it has come to be, is not universal. Not all in
the world are lawless and sinful; not all have taken sides with the enemy.
God has many thousands who have not bowed the knee to Baal, many
who long to understand more fully in regard to Christ and the law,
many who are hoping against hope that Jesus will come soon to end
the reign of sin and death. And there are many who have been worshipping
Baal ignorantly, but with whom the Spirit of God is still striving.-
Prophets and Kings, pp. 170, 171.
Christian
Service, p. 57
World
Conditions Facing the Christian Worker
Elijah had passed through
great excitement and labor during the day but the Spirit of the Lord
came upon him because he had been obedient and had done His will in
executing the idolatrous priests. Some will be ready to say: What a hard,
cruel man Elijah must have been! And anyone who defends the honor of
God at any risk will bring censure and condemnation upon himself from
a large class.
Testimonies
for the Church Volume Three, p. 287
The
Laodicean Church
The
Laodicean Church
Second
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
09-16-73
Those whom God
has chosen for an important work, have ever been received with distrust
and suspicion. Anciently, when Elijah was sent with a message from
God to the people, they did not heed the warning. They thought Elijah
unnecessarily severe. He must, they thought, have lost his senses,
that he would denounce them, the favored people of God, as sinners,
and their crimes, so aggravating, that the judgments of God would awaken
against them.
God desires human
beings to be more closely associated with Him. Therefore He takes them
away from their friends and acquaintances.
When God was preparing Elijah for
translation, He moved him from place to place,
that he might leave behind the methods
and customs he had previously followed,
that he might not settle
down on his leas and thus
fail of obtaining moral greatness and spiritual soundness.
It was God's design that Elijah's influence should be a power to help
many souls to a more perfect experience.--Letter 59, 1901, p. 8. (To
A. G. Daniells June 5, 1901.)
Manuscript
Releases Volume Nine, p. 11
Counsel
Regarding the Moving of Workers
Of great importance
to the church is the history of Elijah. Elijah was not called from
a high station in life or from a city of renown to take his place in the
work of God. He was born among the mountains of Gilead, on the other side
of the Jordan, and came from among a nation that was over spread with
the idolatry and the abominations of the Amorites. Elijah entered
upon his work with the word of faith and power upon his lips. Here
surely was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Ever since the death
of Solomon the evil of idolatry had been coming in among the Israelites,
and now the tide of corruption threatened to overthrow the land like a
flood. It seemed that no barrier could prevail against its ruinous influence
or prevent the torrent of idolatry and general corruption from sweeping
everything before it.
The labors of
the prophet were not easy. His whole
life was devoted to the work of reform. His
was a voice crying in the wilderness to rebuke sin and press back the tide
of evil. He presented his message as a converting power to all who would
receive it. And while he came to the people as a reprover of sin, his
message offered the balm of Gilead for the sin-sick souls of all who
would be healed.
Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald
01-25-12
City
Work--No. 2
Elijah had walked with
God. His work had been painful and trying, for the Lord through
him had reproved the sins of Israel. Elijah was a prophet of God;
yet he was compelled to flee from place to place to save his
life. His own nation hunted him like a wild beast that they might destroy
him. But God translated Elijah. Angels bore him in glory and triumph
to heaven.
Early
Writings of Ellen G. White
Spiritual
Gifts, p. 162
In the closing work
of God in the earth, the standard of His law will be again exalted.
False religion may prevail, iniquity may abound, the love of many may wax
cold, the cross of Calvary may be lost sight of, and darkness, like the
pall of death, may spread over the world; the whole force of the popular
current may be turned against the truth; plot after plot may be formed
to overthrow the people of God; but in
the hour of greatest peril, the God of Elijah will raise up human instrumentality's
to bear a message that WILL NOT BE SILENCED
In the populous cities of the land, and in the places where men have gone
to the greatest lengths in speaking against the Most High, the voice of
stern rebuke will be heard. Boldly will men of God's appointment denounce
the union of the church with the world. Earnestly will they call upon
men and women to turn from the observance of a man-made institution to
the observance of the true Sabbath.
Christian
Service, p. 165
Religious
Liberty
John separated himself
from friends, and from the luxuries of life. The simplicity
of his dress, a garment woven of camel's hair, was a standing rebuke
to the extravagance and display of the Jewish priests, and of the people
generally. His diet, purely vegetable, of locusts and wild honey,
was a rebuke to the indulgence of appetite, and the gluttony that
everywhere prevailed. The prophet Malachi declares, "Behold, I will send
you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers." Here the prophet describes
the character of the work. Those who are to prepare the way for
the second coming of Christ, are represented by faithful Elijah, as
John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ's first
advent.
Counsels
on Diet and Foods, p. 71
Health
Reform and the Third Angel's Message
God would have His honor
exalted before men as supreme, and His counsels confirmed in the eyes of
the people. The witness of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel gives
the example of one who stood wholly for God and His work in the earth.
The prophet calls the Lord by His name, Jehovah God, which He
Himself had given to denote His condescension and compassion. Elijah calls
Him the God of Abraham and Isaac and Israel. He does this that he may excite
in the hearts of his back slidden people humble remembrance of the Lord,
and assure them of His rich free grace. Elijah prays, "Be it known
this day that thou art the Lord God of Israel." The honor of God is
to be exalted as supreme, but the prophet asks further that
his mission also may be confirmed. "Let it be known that thou
art God in Israel," he prays, "and that I am thy servant, and have done
all things at thy word." "Hear me, O Lord," he pleads, "hear me."
SpTB15,
p. 4
Letters
from Ellen G. White to Sanitarium Workers
The widow of Zarephath
shared her morsel with Elijah, and in return her life and that of her son
were preserved. And to all who, in time of trial and want, give sympathy
and assistance to others more needy, God has promise great blessing.
He has not changed. His power is no less now than in the days of Elijah.
No less sure now than when spoken by our Savior is the promise, "He
that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's
reward." Matthew 10:41.
Prophets
and Kings, p. 131
The
Voice of Stern Rebuke
It was only by the
exercise of strong faith in the unfailing power of God's word that
Elijah delivered his message. Had he not possessed implicit confidence
in the One whom he served, he would never have appeared before Ahab.
On his way to Samaria, Elijah had passed by ever-flowing streams, hills
covered with verdure, and stately forests that seemed beyond the reach
of drought. Everything on which the eye rested was clothed with beauty.
The prophet might have wondered how the streams that had never ceased their
flow could become dry, or how those hills and valleys could be burned with
drought. But he gave no place to unbelief. He fully believed
that God would humble apostate Israel, and that through judgments they
would be brought to repentance. The fiat of Heaven had gone forth;
God's word could not fail; and at the peril of his life Elijah fearlessly
fulfilled his commission.
Conflict
and Courage, p. 205
A
Voice in the Wilderness
A life of monotony
is not the most conducive to spiritual growth. Some can reach the
highest standard of spirituality only through a change in the regular order
of things. When in His providence God sees that changes are essential
for the success of the character-building, He disturbs the smooth current
of the life. He sees that a worker needs to be more closely associated
with Him; and to bring this about, He separates him from friends and
acquaintances. When He was preparing Elijah for translation, God
moved him from place to place, that the prophet might not settle down at
ease, and thus fail of gaining spiritual power. And it was God's design
that, Elijah's influence should be a power to help many souls to gain a
wider, more helpful experience.
Gospel
Workers. 1915., p. 269
Helps
in Gospel Work
Let us look at the
case of Elijah. The time has come when he must meet his mortal enemy,
the cruel Ahab, the despot of Israel, the apostate from the religion of
his fathers. In anger the king inquiries, "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?"
Does Elijah weaken before the king? Does he cringe and cower,
and resort to flattery in order to mollify the feelings of the enraged
ruler? Israel has perverted her way, and forsaken the path of allegiance
to God, and now shall the prophet, to preserve his life, betray sacred,
holy trusts? Does he prophesy smooth things to please the king,
and to obtain his favor? Will he evade the issue? Will he conceal
from the king the true reason why the judgments of God are falling
upon the land of Israel? NO;
as the messenger of God he must proclaim
the truth, just such truth as the occasion
demands. He carries a great weight of sorrow on account of the apostasy
of Israel. He must hold up before them their defection, that they may
humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, that his fierce anger may be
turned away from them. Elijah faces the enraged king, and answers,
"I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy Father's house, in that
ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed
Baalim."
Danger
in Adopting Worldly Policy in the Work of God
PG-
13
The Lord abhors indifference
and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work. The whole universe is watching
with inexpressible interest the closing scenes of the great controversy
between good and evil. The people of God are nearing the borders
of the eternal world; what can be of more importance to them than that
they be loyal to the God of heaven? All through the ages, God has had moral
heroes, and He has them now--those who, like Joseph and Elijah
and Daniel, are not ashamed to acknowledge
themselves His peculiar people. His special
blessing accompanies the labors of men of action, men who will not
be swerved from the straight line of duty, but who with divine energy
will inquire, "Who is on the Lord's side?" (Exodus 32:26), men who will
not stop merely with the inquiry, but who will demand that
those who choose to identify themselves with the people of God shall step
forward and reveal unmistakably their allegiance to the King of kings and
Lord of lords. Such men make their wills
and plans subordinate to the law of God. For
love of Him they count not their lives dear unto themselves. Their
work is to catch the light from the Word and let
it shine forth to the world in clear, steady rays.
Fidelity to God is their motto.
Prophets
and Kings, p. 148
Carmel
Elijah's retreat on
Mount Horeb, though hidden from man, was known to God; and the weary
and discouraged prophet was not left to struggle alone with the powers
of darkness that were pressing upon him. At the entrance to the cave wherein
Elijah had taken refuge, God met with him, through a mighty angel
sent to inquire into his needs and to make plain the divine
purpose for Israel.
Not until Elijah
had learned to trust wholly in God could he complete his work for those
who had been seduced into Baal worship. The signal triumph on the heights
of Carmel had opened the way for still greater victories; yet from the
wonderful opportunities opening before him, Elijah had been turned away
by the threat of Jezebel. The man of God must be made to understand
the weakness of his present position as compared with the vantage ground
the Lord would have him occupy.
Prophets
and Kings, p. 167
"What
Doest Thou Here?"