T. HOUSEL JEMISON
“If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known
unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” Numbers 12:6.
A study of the Biblical doctrine of the gift of prophecy is
vital for every Seventh-day Adventist, first, because Adventists accept the
Bible as the inspired word of God, prepared for men through the operation of the
gift of prophecy; and second, because Seventh-day Adventists believe that God
has revived the gift of prophecy in the remnant church through the life and work
of Ellen G. White. It is the purpose of this book to outline the reasons for,
and the function of, the prophetic gift in both ancient and modern times, so
that confidence in the current applicability of the teachings of the Bible and
the Ellen White writings might be increased, and that their use might be more
fully understood.
The subject matter of the book falls naturally into three
categories: (1) a study of the practical working of the gift of prophecy as
revealed in the Bible (chapters 1-9); (2) the second advent movement, and the
life and work of Ellen White in relation to that movement (chapters 10-15); the
place of the writings of Mrs. White in the church today, and a study of some of
the topics on which she has written (chapters 16-24). In the first group of
chapters no reference is made to the Ellen White writings. First the Scriptural
foundation is laid. Then Mrs. White's life and experience are introduced and
Bible tests are applied to her. Finally, her writings are brought into
consideration.
While this book has been prepared primarily for use in college
classes in the Gift of Prophecy, it should be useful to Seventh-day Adventist
ministers and others who wish to make a careful study of the place of the
prophetic gift in the church today. The importance of the subject increases with
each passing year. “As the end draws near and the work of giving the last
warning to the world extends, it becomes more important for those who accept present truth to have a clear understanding of
the nature and influence of the Testimonies, which God in His providence
has linked with the work of the third angel's message from its very
rise.”—Testimonies, vol. 5, P. 654.
Point will be given to the study if certain objectives are kept
in mind:
1. To learn the need for and the function of the prophetic gift
as a means of communication between God and His people.
2. To gather from the Bible information concerning the scope of
the work and the lines of instruction given through the ancient prophets.
3. To note something of the characteristics of the men called
to this work, and the individual style of their writings.
4. To discover the experiences that are characteristic of the
prophets in receiving and passing on their messages.
5. To determine the results of various attitudes of individuals
and nations toward the prophets and their messages.
6. To learn how to apply the Bible tests by which we may tell
whether a prophet is true or false.
7. To learn whether the exercise of the gift of prophecy might
be expected to end with the close of the writing of the canonical books of the
Bible, or if we might expect to find the gift exercised in the remnant church in
a manner similar to that in which it operated in ancient times.
8. To discover whether we may reasonably expect that the scope
of work and lines of instruction covered by any manifestation of the gift of
prophecy in the remnant church might be as varied and extensive as such work and
instruction by the ancient prophets.
9. To draw conclusions regarding the responsibility of
the individual members of the remnant church in view of an exercise of
the gift of prophecy among them.
10. To investigate the claims of Ellen White to be a messenger
of the Lord to the remnant church.
11. To apply to the life and work of Ellen White the Bible
tests of a prophet.
12. To consider such portions of the Ellen White writings as
are appropriate for those engaged in the study.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the Board of Trustees of the
Ellen G. White Publications, who greatly hastened the preparation of this book
by granting me time to carry out the major portion of the project as part of my
responsibility as associate secretary of the Ellen G. White Publications, and to
Arthur L. White, secretary of the board, for his valued counsel and constant
helpfulness. Thanks is given to the large group of college Bible teachers,
administrators, and others who helped plan the outline for the book, and who
read the complete manuscript and submitted constructive criticisms. Of this
group K. J. Reynolds, J. C. Haussler, and R. W. Olsen have been especially
helpful. The latter gave the book trial in the classroom by using it in
mimeographed form as the textbook for his college class in the Gift of Prophecy
for one year.
Supplementary materials and suggestions for classroom use of
this book are available to college teachers from the office of the Department of
Education, General Conference of Seventhday Adventists, Takoma Park, Washington
12, D.C.
It is hoped that this book will strengthen confidence in, and
increase understanding of, the function and importance of the gift of prophecy
among God's people in all ages.
T. Housel Jemison.
Washington, D.C.
In the mid-nineteen-fifties T. Housel Jemison, an associate
director of the White Estate, wrote a book entitled, A Prophet Among You.
This comprehensive work on the gift of prophecy focused specifically on the life
and ministry of Ellen G. White. For many years it was used in Seventh-day
Adventist colleges as the standard textbook on the gift of prophecy.
But in recent decades, much has been learned regarding
inspiration/revelation, hence in 1989 the Board of Trustees of the Ellen G.
White Estate authorized production of a new book. Sponsors included not only the
White Estate but the General Conference Department of Education and the Board of
Higher Education.
Herbert E. Douglass was selected as the author. Dr. Douglass, who
taught Spirit of prophecy courses in college, had also served as a college
president, associate editor of the Adventist Review, and book editor of
the Pacific Press. He immediately began work on the project, researching the
subject thoroughly.
Exposure to a galaxy of scholars and ideas is reflected in the
footnotes throughout the book, but the fact that an author is quoted on a
particular point should not be taken as an endorsement either of the person or
of all the ideas or positions held by that person.
We believe that this book presents the prophetic ministry of Ellen
G. White in a way that makes it appealing to both young and old. Instead of
approaching the subject from the abstract to the personal, it leads from the
personal to the abstract. As a result, readers will become acquainted with Mrs.
White. Further, they will be drawn closer to the personal God whom she served;
they will admire the wise and careful way in which He communicated His messages
to His messenger; and they will be awe-struck as they observe the way He led her
through the theological, medical, and social mine fields of her day.
Readers will find at the end of each chapter a series of study
questions that will lead into further, deeper discussion of the subject covered
by the chapter. The questions may function as a review of the chapter, and may
encourage research that will enlarge readers’ understanding of the topic
presented in the chapter.
We believe that everyone who reads this book will understand
better how God works through His prophets, and will be deeply convicted that
Ellen White was divinely called to the prophetic office. They will also face the
future with new confidence and strengthened faith, exclaiming with God’s
messenger: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget
the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history” (Life
Sketches, p. 196).