Chapter Sixteen—Two Typical Objections Considered

Probably no objection to the work of Mrs. White has been more common than this: Adventists consider Mrs. White’s writings as another Bible, and she aids and supports this false view. Here is a criticism that strikes both at Mrs. White and at the movement that believes in her. We willingly grant that this criticism is often honestly, though mistakenly, made.WBEGW 119.1

In answer, let us first restate a few facts earlier set forth: Mrs. White most certainly claimed that God gave to her the gift of the Spirit of prophecy, and very specifically, that God gave to her visions. God gave to the Christian church, as one of the gifts of the Spirit, the gift of prophecy. The Bible foretells that God’s last people in the world will have in their midst the “testimony of Jesus Christ,” which is “the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 12:17; 19:10). Hence there is nothing unscriptural in the idea of prophetic guidance in the church in our times. This important point should be clearly understood before we go further.WBEGW 119.2

But because we believe that we have divinely inspired guidance for our day do we therefore believe we have another Bible, a substitute for what Christians have had through the long centuries? The answer is No.WBEGW 119.3

While it is true that God saw fit to have the writings of certain prophets preserved in what we describe as the Holy Scriptures, it is also true that He raised up other prophets to give timely, inspired messages for particular moments in earth’s history. (See, for example, Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4; 2 Samuel 7:2; 2 Kings 22:14; Luke 2:36; Acts 21:8, 9.) The fact that their writings were not drawn into the canon of Scripture does not make these men of God less than prophets, or their writings less than inspired.WBEGW 120.1