When Moses made the earthly copy of the heavenly temple, he filled it with angels. Figures of cherubim were embroidered in the gorgeous curtain which formed the ceiling, in the veil at the entrance to the sanctuary, and in the second veil. Above the mercy seat two golden angels stood with bowed heads. Wherever the priest ministered, angels surrounded him.
When John saw the temple above, he “heard the voice of many angels round about the throne” (Revelation 5:11). As Daniel beheld the judgement in session he observed angel ministers in attendance, “ten thousand times ten thousand” (Daniel 7:10). References in Hebrews 12:22 and 1:14 describe them as “an innumerable company of angels” and “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” The expressions “for them” and “for us” recur frequently in Hebrews (see 6:20; 7:25; 9:12, 24; 10:20).
The love of the Father, the gift of the Son, and the ministry of the Spirit—all are working in our behalf. The Saviour’s incarnation, His sacrifice on the cross, and His mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary—all are in our behalf. Now we see that God’s host of angels are all working in our behalf too. These messengers form the channel of communication between heaven and earth. You remember the dream at Bethel in which Jacob saw the mystic ladder with the angels of God ascending and descending. The ladder represented Jesus, who links heaven and earth together, and under His direction the angels work constantly to bring us blessings from the upper world.
At the head of His army of angels God has placed two special leaders who stand at either side of His throne. In the ancient sanctuary the golden cherubim above the mercy seat represented them. Gabriel is on the right hand, filling the position from which Lucifer fell. Christ calls him His angel (see Revelation 1:1; Desire of Ages, p. 99). As a token of His special love, He appoints Gabriel to bring the messages to His people. “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches” (Revelation 22:16). If the Saviour were to appear personally on earth as He did two thousand years ago, we would treasure His every word. The Scriptures insist that the message Gabriel brings is “the testimony of Jesus.”
The same process is also called “the spirit of prophecy,” because the angel appears to the prophet in vision and the prophet writes out the message for the church. Note each link in the wonderful chain of communication: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw” (Revelation 1:1, 2).
As John beheld the glorious vision he fell at Gabriel’s feet. But the angel reminded him that he and John were fellow servants in communicating the “testimony of Jesus,” which “is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Gabriel had served with the former prophets, and now he had brought to John a message for the church (see Revelation 22:8, 9).
“When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8). Enthroned as Priest and King in the temple above, Jesus poured upon the early church the gift of the Holy Spirit, through whose guidance the New Testament was written. The same angel that had brought messages to Isaiah and Daniel now appeared to Peter, Paul, and John with messages direct from Jesus. So the New Testament as well as the Old is the Word of God, the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy.
Both the Old and New Testaments promise the special manifestation of the gift of prophecy in the last days (see Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17, 18; Revelation 12:17; 19:10). God sent the manifestation of the spirit of prophecy in the great Advent movement to make ready a people prepared for the Lord—a people who can stand without an intercessor after the sanctuary closes.
James White presents this clearly in the old book Life Sketches of James and Ellen White (1888 edition), pages 430, 431: “ ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be’ (Revelation 22:11, 12).
“This proves that probation will close, that every case will be decided and fixed, before the Lord comes to give rewards. And so it surely must be, for as his priesthood is entirely on the throne of his Father, it must close before his coming in his kingdom. But no one could be saved if the advocacy of Christ were closed before the Judgment were decided in favour of the saints.
“And what a thought! Probation closed; the priestly work of Christ forever ended; and the time of trouble to be passed through! The mass of the people think that if a person is prepared to die, he is prepared for the coming of the Lord. But they do not consider the difference between dying, and standing alive to meet the Lord at his appearing. It is one thing to die in Christ, to yield our spirits to him while he is pleading for us before his Father’s throne, and quite a different thing to stand in the time of trouble, after Jesus has ceased to plead in man’s behalf; after his priesthood is closed, and he is preparing to come to redeem his own, and to take vengeance on his foes.
“They who now realize these things will bless Heaven that means has been devised in the mercy of God for the perfecting of the saints, and that we are not left without direct help from on high to carry on such a work as that which lies before us.”
Now I’d like to discuss the relation of this gift to the Bible and to the Ten Commandments. In earlier chapters we studied God’s new covenant promise to write His law in our minds and in our hearts, for the law contains the whole duty of man, everything that God requires. In the Old and New Testaments God has given us a pair of glasses which, properly focused, magnify the law so that we can understand God’s will in its broad applications to the problems of human life.
Did you ever see someone reading a book, using not only a pair of glasses but also a reading glass? Why? His eyes needed special help. Similarly, in these last days when the result of six thousand years of sin has impaired our vision, Heaven has sent us special help—the writings of Ellen G. White. Her books magnify the Bible, which, in turn, magnifies the Ten Commandments.
If someone says, “Why do I need the ‘spirit of prophecy’ when I have the Bible?” I would remind him that if everyone had fully kept the Ten Commandments, we wouldn’t need the detailed instruction in the Old and New Testaments. But if I were lost in a wilderness and someone should point out a guide who knew the way home, I don’t think I would say, “If I had only stayed on the path, I wouldn’t have needed the guide; so I will not listen to him now!” I need all the assistance I can get from Jesus at the mercy seat. He has sent special help because I need it.
Very soon after His entrance into the most holy place, Jesus sent His angel to Portland, Maine, where He gave to young Ellen Harmon a vision of the remnant traveling the pathway of light from 1844 to the city of God. at message gave many of the early Adventists assurance and hope. In a later vision God revealed that she was to receive His messages and deliver them for the Master. The thought overwhelmed her. How could she, a frail girl of seventeen with limited education and poor health, undertake such a work? But Jesus assured her, “I will be with you.”
In obedience to His command, she took up the pen and for seventy years wrote out the messages Gabriel brought from heaven. Those messages do not take the place of the Bible. Rather, they magnify God’s Word. Hence, those who know Ellen G. White’s books the best love the Bible the most, for in all these pages they hear Jesus speaking in words of love, reproof, instruction, and comfort.
In our world where every wind of doctrine blows, all kinds of ideas abound regarding how to be saved. But in the writings of Ellen G. White we find broad, balanced counsels leading us away from a cold legalism on the one hand and from an extreme emphasis on faith without works on the other hand. Steps to Christ has helped millions understand and experience righteousness by faith. Indeed, all her inspired volumes shed rays of light on the practical problems of victorious living.
Early Writings and The Great Controversy floodlight the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary, particularly His closing ministry in the most holy place. Especially Early Writings, pages 250-261, and GC 409-435, 479-491, make these truths crystal clear. The angel who comes from the most holy place directs us to the most holy place.
Another of the great blessings that have come through this gift is health reform. Many of the concepts revealed over a century ago have now been confirmed by scientific research. Outstanding men and women in the world around us have marvelled as they have read such books as The Ministry of Healing and Counsels on Diet and Foods. Recent studies indicate that Seventh-day Adventists in general enjoy better health and longer life than those who do not know and follow these counsels.
Truly we are a rich people if this gift is “confirmed” in us—if we are assured of its authority and delight in following its counsels. We should avail ourselves of the help Jesus has provided through special messages of love to His remnant church. Thus, we shall “come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7). R&R WDF
