Conclusion

But, some ask, Why is it there has been only one prophet in the remnant church, while in Bible times there were many? In ancient times one after another was called to witness for God. Sometimes there were contemporaneous prophets. In this connection it is well to consider that in Bible times the prophet delivered his message orally. In some cases copies were laboriously made by hand, but even the scrolls were not generally available, and at times were even lost to the leaders of the people.ASM 5.4

It therefore became necessary for the Lord to keep His message before His people through repeated oral testimony. The oral messages were soon forgotten, so another, and still others, would be called to testify for God.ASM 5.5

In our day the Spirit of Prophecy messages have been printed not only in the English language, but in many other leading languages of the world. They have been distributed very widely. These books witness in the homes of all Seventh-day Adventists who care to secure them. They are read from the pulpits of our churches and reprinted in our journals. Thus Ellen White could truthfully declare:ASM 5.6

“Whether or not my life is spared, my writings will constantly speak, and their work will go forward as long as time shall last.”—Selected Messages 1:55.

If we heed these counsels, if we study these messages that we may know God’s will for us and His instruction for the church, it may be that God can accomplish His work through the witness of one chosen vessel fully as well as were He to raise up another.ASM 5.7

In any case, we can rest in the same assurance which Ellen White had that God will take care of His work, and that He will be with His people “even to the end” (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 438).ASM 5.8

Among her last recorded words was an expression of confidence in the leadership of the church. She said:ASM 6.1

“I do not think I shall have more Testimonies for our people. Our men of solid minds know what is good for the uplifting and upbuilding of the work. But with the love of God in their hearts, they need to go deeper and deeper into the study of the things of God.”—The Review and Herald, April 15, 1915 (Fundamentals of Christian Education, 548).

If in the closing days of the great controversy God chooses to speak to His people through another living messenger, He alone will select the one for that purpose, and it will soon be known in the church, “from Dan even to Beersheba” that such a one is “a prophet of the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:20).ASM 6.2

Ellen G. White Estate
Washington, D. C.
Retyped May, 1989