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    Chapter 1—Experiences and Warnings in the Past

    As we approach the end of earth’s history and look forward to the soon return of Jesus, there is a growing interest among the people of God in the role of the Holy Spirit. By speaking of an early and a latter rain, Bible writers have given us the assurance that the Holy Spirit will be actively involved in the closing events of history (Hosea 6:3; Zechariah 10:1; James 5:7). Seventh-day Adventists see the prophecies concerning the former and latter rains as applying to the history of the Christian church, and to the experience of God’s people. Historically, the prophecies dealing with the former rain were fulfilled in the power given at Pentecost, which propelled the early church into its world mission, but a greater display of Holy Spirit power, the latter rain, will accompany the completion of the gospel commission. The prophetic symbolism that depicts the giving of the latter rain is seen in the work of the augmenting angel of Revelation 18:1.CESDAC 1.1

    The prophecies dealing with the early and latter rains are also fulfilled in the individual life. As the early rain fell upon the newly planted seed in the Middle East causing the seed to sprout and enabling the plant to grow, so the Holy Spirit guides the repentant sinner into the new birth experience and a growing relationship with Jesus. As the latter rain prepared the grain for harvest, so the final infusion of the Spirit’s power just prior to the return of Jesus will complete the work of redemption within the hearts of God’s waiting people, and enable them to stand prepared for translation.CESDAC 1.2

    Many Seventh-day Adventists have asked, Are ecstatic experiences and free demonstrations of emotions evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and will these experiences accompany the giving of the latter rain? Early demonstrations among the Millerites, which included swooning, shouting, and praising God with a loud voice, carried over after 1844 into the experience of those who established the Seventh-day Adventist Church, along with at least four documented experiences of speaking in tongues. Does the absence of these experiences indicate that the church has grown cold and formal, devoid of the Spirit’s power, and are we to look for the lively experiences of earlier years to be revived as the power of the latter rain descends upon the church?CESDAC 1.3

    An excellent document can be found at the Ellen G. White Estate that reviews and evaluates the experiences that occurred among early believers in the Seventh-day Adventist message. This document, “Charismatic Experiences in Early Seventh-day Adventist History,” consists of a series of 12 articles that were prepared for the “Review and Herald” in 1972 and 1973 by Arthur L. White, then secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate. The historic details that Arthur White reports need not be repeated here. A summary of his series will be helpful, however, in understanding the counsel Ellen White gives the church as we anticipate the falling of the latter rain. The reader who is interested in these early charismatic experiences is encouraged to study this document for himself.CESDAC 1.4

    Ecstatic religious experiences are reported in the early writings of both James and Ellen White, with reports of tongues-speaking in 1847, 1848, 1849, and 1851 (“Tongues in Early SDA History,” The Review and Herald, March 15, 1973). Arthur White summarized his study of tongues-speaking in our early experience by saying: “There is no record of Ellen White’s giving explicit support to, or placing her endorsement upon, these ecstatic experiences with unknown tongues, although she was an eyewitness to three of the four.... She was later shown that a person’s thinking and his feelings have a large influence on such experiences.”—“Bible Study Versus Ecstatic Experiences,” The Review and Herald, March 22, 1973CESDAC 2.1

    Arthur White also noted: “It is interesting to observe that Ellen White, with the many, many visions given her down through the years, and facing many, many experiences, felt unable to declare unequivocally that there would be an ecstatic experience, such as speaking in unknown tongues, in connection with the outpouring of the Spirit of God. In fact, at no time did she link the evidences of the outpouring of the Spirit—sometimes spoken of as the baptism of the Holy Spirit—with ecstatic experiences.”—“The Gift of Tongues at Portland, Maine,” The Review and Herald, April 5, 1973CESDAC 2.2

    With reference to the fanatical excitement, which included tongues-speaking, that attended one group of people who set the time of Jesus’ coming at 1854, Ellen White wrote: “Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only to man but by the Lord and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church.... But the influence of such meetings is not beneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source.”—Testimony for the Church, vol. 1, p. 412CESDAC 2.3

    As early as 1850, Ellen White was shown the order that existed in heaven and among the angels of God. She was then warned about “the exercises,” and was told that they were “in great danger of being adulterated, ... therefore implicit confidence could not be placed in these exercises.” She then said, “I saw that we should strive at all times to be free from unhealthy and unnecessary excitement. I saw that there was great danger of leaving the Word of God and resting down and trusting in exercises. I saw that God had moved by His Spirit upon your company in some of their exercises and their promptings; but I saw danger ahead.”—Ms 11, 1850, see Manuscript Releases 5:226, 227CESDAC 2.4

    What was the danger that the prophet saw casting its shadow across the path of God’s people? Could it be that she realized Satan would introduce ecstatic experiences into our worship services with the intent of leading people away from God’s Word as the judge of one’s religious experience to emotional exercises as the criterion of a genuine experience? One thing is clear, as Ellen White’s understanding deepened, and God revealed to her the methods Satan would use to gain control of Christian churches at the conclusion of the great controversy, her words of caution became clearer and stronger as she moved the church farther away from ecstatic, emotional experiences.CESDAC 3.1

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