Daily Devotional, Year 4: January 5 (Noble Bereans, Part 36: “Harold Camping vs. Ellen White”)

By admin On January 13th, 2018

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Daily Devotional, Year 4: January 5

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Noble Bereans,

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Part 36:

“Harold Camping vs. Ellen White”

To read part 1, click here…”September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”

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So, in this little series, the subject of those noble Bereans has been introduced. And today, it is still worthy of a little more exploration into another area of concern.

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Let’s review the key Bible passage… “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming there, went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:10, 11

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St Paul Preaching (Raphael, 1515) Wikipedia US public domain

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AN OPEN-MINDED SPIRIT IN BEREA

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Okay, so those in Berea were more noble, because they:

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1. “Received the Word with all readiness of mind.”

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2. “And searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

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And so, the Bereans were ready to receive new teachings, which no doubt, conflicted with the supposed, “orthodox” teachings of that day.

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Thus there was an open-mindedness which permeated their hearts, and a willingness to search the Scriptures daily, in hopes that these seemingly new teachings were indeed true!

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La Bible, Notre-Dame – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

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HAROLD CAMPING: ‘ELLEN WHITE A FALSE PROPHET’

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So just how can it be that Harold Camping did not believe that Ellen White was a true Christian, but instead referred to her as “a false prophet”?

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After all, are not both of these two vital messages which White and Camping each proclaimed, prophesied of in Revelation 14!?

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Well, Harold Camping’s two main objections to Ellen White was that she believed in the literal observance of the 7th Day Sabbath, and secondly, that God no longer sends direct messages through prophets, but communicates through the Bible only.

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Ellen G. White – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Harold Camping – Wikipedia – copyrighted – not-for-free-use

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CAMPING A LIFELONG ADVOCATE FOR SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

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Yes, since childhood, Harold Camping personally observed the Sunday Sabbath, and publicly encouraged its observance throughout his 50 year radio ministry.

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And to understand more about this, the reader can go to the following article…Daily Devotional, Year 2 – DECEMBER 15 (Noble Bereans, Part 10: Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Doctrinal Error of the Sunday Sabbath) (click here)

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Harold-Camping

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“the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”

2nd Thessalonians 2:9

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But Harold Camping also strongly believed that God is no longer giving direct revelations nor speaking directly to people, especially considering how many church-attendees now claim to be receiving direct revelations from God.

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Yes, the number of those who are supposedly receiving visions, voices, dreams, tongues, etc., is now at almost pandemic levels today!

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And all this causes a great amount of confusion in the church-world, to say the least, especially considering the unbiblical and often even outrageous behavior of many who supposedly receive these signs and wonders!

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Falling Backwards – cropped/altered image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Share-alike License

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NOT SO MUCH BACK IN THE 1800’S

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But one explanation for why God so miraculously communicated with Ellen White could very well be, that back in her day, there were virtually no signs or wonders occurring.

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Oh yes, there were a handful back in the 1800’s, who claimed to have received signs and wonders.

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But today, you can go into most any church, and before long meet persons who claim that God is miraculously working, via voices, visions, dreams, tongues, healings and other signs and wonders.

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It’s as common as grass, today!

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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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MUCH LESS CONFUSION BACK THEN

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No, this great phenomenon of “signs and wonders” was not happening back in Ellen White’s day, except in rare instances.

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And so, while Mrs. White’s ministry was not smothered beneath millions of other reported signs and wonders, this is no longer the case. Rather, it now appears as if the entire Christian community today is literally teeming with this phenomenon! Almost every church-member claims to have received some sign and wonder, it would seem!

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Listen to 1st Corinthians 14:27, 31, 33… “If any man speak in an [unknown] tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret…For ye may all prophesy one by one…For God is not the author of confusion…”

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Here is a general principle laid down, that God wants no part of those churches in which parishioners are all speaking in tongues at the same time, but rather, “one by one…For God is not the author of confusion…”

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Ellen G. White – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TODAY’S CHURCH-WORLD: A BABYLON OF CONFUSION

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Now, just what does all this have to do with Ellen White?

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Well, if Ellen White’s ministry had occurred in today’s Christian world, her messages would no doubt be confused by all the other millions of instances of voices, visions, tongues, dreams, etc., also currently taking place in churches around the world.

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Nevertheless, while Harold Camping’s teachings against the countless revelations now occurring is a valid message and warning for today, it is very possible for God to have made an exception with Ellen White back in the day when virtually nobody was involved with signs and wonders.

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That is one great reason why Ellen White’s ministry had such a great impact back then. Today, her ministry would most likely not even “raise an eyebrow”, being swept away by this current tide of “signs and wonders” within the church-world!

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Hands in air – cropped image – Wikimedia

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MARTIN LUTHER: BOOK OF JAMES, ‘A PERFECT STRAW-GOSPEL’?

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But even though Harold Camping’s negative views about Ellen White are somewhat troubling, this is not the only instance of such a disagreement. For example, it is commonly reported that the great theologian and church reformer, Martin Luther, had actually considered the New Testament Book of James to be, “made of straw”. He just didn’t see that Book as being the inspired Word of God!

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(above information according to the “Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth by Charles Ryrie, article .’The Canon'” as published on the www.biblestudy.org website)

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Now obviously, nobody fully understands everything in Scripture: not Martin Luther, nor Harold Camping, nor Ellen White, nor any of the rest of us!

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And so, while Harold Camping was disputably one of the world’s greatest theologians, he constantly made the disclaimer, “Don’t trust in me! I too have feet of clay! Trust only in God’s infallible Word, the Bible!”

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Luther – Wikipedia – public domain

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“THE LORD ALONE SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY”

Isaiah 2:11

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Now, of course, the Lord has not left us in confusion concerning the disagreement between these first two messages from Revelation, Chapter 14.

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Yes, these cloudy issues and seeming contradictions are right now being rectified via the third message of Revelation, Chapter 14.

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And Camping’s hard-line stance against E.G. White can be reconciled in the following way…

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After all, God is not desiring for any human to be exalted and deified as some sort of infallible authority. And let’s be ever aware that, it’s human nature to do just that! Therefore, God allowed the messengers of these three Revelation 14 messages to all have “feet of clay” in one way or another.

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And in that way, God’s people will not begin to trust in human instrumentalities, but instead, we must trust solely and entirely in God’s wonderful and infallible Word, the Bible!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Orion the Soldier and the Revelation 12 Dragon (Hyades & Pleiades, etc. – winter constellations – www.signsofheaven.org – not for commercial use

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STUDY, BEREAN, STUDY!

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Now, one thing has to be remembered.

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The proper way to test the authenticity of Ellen White’s Message and Harold Camping’s message is to study each message separately, that the truth-seeking Berean might prove to his or her own self, the veracity of each message. And this website is confident that any and every true worshiper of God will become satisfied that these two messengers were faithful servants of Christ.

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This same method of testing applies to the message of the 3rd angel. Spend copious amounts of time studying this message on its own merits, apart from the other two messages.

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“Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good!”

1st Thessalonians 5:21

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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TO READ PART 37, CLICK HERE…

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January 6 (Noble Bereans, Part 37: “The New Waldenses”)

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to be an open-minded seeker of truth, even if it means giving up a very highly regarded Church opinion! Let me be willing to investigate any seemingly new teaching if it appears to have some biblical validity…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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***FINALLY WALKING UPWARD* INTO THE HIGHWAYS *OF ETERNITY***

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Day by day, you will find yourself walking, like the Disciples, spreading the precious Gospel seed wherever the Spirit leads.

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Taking the lovely name of Jesus, with every word spoken. Walking through this sin-darkened world, witnessing to those who take notice that of a truth, Jesus is present within you. Even like faithful Enoch, walking through the highways and byways of life in this world, spreading the Gospel-seed of unpretentious love.

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Day by day, you will become more and more closed in with God. Moment by moment, your heart will become intertwined with God’s heart, eventually two hearts beating as one heart.

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And just like Enoch, when the appointed time of sojourning on earth is finally done…you will walk onward…and upward…and into the highways and byways of eternity. (“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24).

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ThomasCole-Pilgrim of the Cross at the End of His Journey – Wikimedia – US public domain

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TOMORROW…

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January 6 (Noble Bereans, part 37: “The New Waldenses”)

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THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BY ELLEN G. WHITE

**O NOBLE BEREAN (i.e., an open-minded Bible truth-seeker): This 44 chapter audio book is a brief history of the Church, from the Cross of Christ forward to the Return of Christ.**

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Chapter 3 – “An Era of Spiritual Darkness”

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Martin Luther – 95 Theses – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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EXCERPTS FROM THE OPEN FORUM QUESTION/ANSWER RADIO TALK-SHOW…

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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) are invited to listen to this, a small 30 minute sampling of the late Harold Camping’s nearly 50 year long series of 90 minute nightly talk shows…This is Open Forum Show #54

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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons lic.

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