Human History
In the previous chapter we analyzed the special circumstances that
surround
the prophet when visited by a divine or angelic presence. Visions,
prophetic
dreams, or the real presence of a celestial being, as happens in
theophanies, surround the prophet with an almost supernatural halo. For
the
sincere believer, the visionary experience is sufficient evidence,
especially when accompanied by phenomena inexplicable to the human mind,
such as foreseeing the future or revealing secret conditions. He is more
than ready to accept these messages as coming from God.
But in the inspired writings there are also narratives, biographies, and
literary segments that are not the direct result of a vision or prophetic
dream. Even the most classic examples of visionary activity, such as those
re****ted in the books of Ezekiel or Daniel, contain historical or
narrative
****tions for which the prophet did not depend for information on a vision
or
an angelic encounter. Are these records less inspired than the visions?
Are
there degrees of inspiration in the Scriptures? Our answer to these
questions, based on the biblical record itself, is categorically No. "All
Scripture
56
is inspired by God," Paul says, referring to the inspired writings (2
Timothy 3:16). Peter says "but men spoke from God as they were carried
along
by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). None of these servants of God ever
suggest that some parts of the sacred writings are less inspired than
others, or that the prophet, when speaking on God's behalf, on some
occasions could make the message less inspired than on others. Both
apostles
assert that all that the prophets speak on behalf of God is inspired.
There are no degrees or levels of inspiration or revelation in the
prophetic
writings. Rather, when we examine the prophetic writings we see various
"models" or ways that Divinity uses to inspire the prophet. The apostle
expresses it well, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has
spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1, 2). To understand the dynamics of
inspiration and divine revelation, we must try to discover these "various
ways" that God has spoken to the prophets.
In this chapter we will analyze two modes or systems of inspiration and
revelation found in the Scriptures and the writings of Ellen White: (1)
the
eyewitness model, in which the prophet acts as an eyewitness of the events
being related, and (2) the historical model, in which the prophet acts as
an
historian.
The Story of an Eyewitness
Sometimes God inspires the prophets to describe events or circumstances
that
they themselves have witnessed. The classic example in the Scriptures is
the
experience of the apostle John. His first epistle to the churches begins
by
saying:
57
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen
with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we
proclaim concerning the Word of life. . . . We proclaim to you what we
have
seen and heard" (1 John 1:1-3).
John, along with the other disciples, participated in the events of
Christ's
ministry, His death on the cross, and His resurrection and ascension. He
had
the op****tunity to witness gleams of glory at the transfiguration and to
be
astonished by the miracles, healings, and resurrections from the dead. He
saw the angels sustaining his beloved Lord in the garden of Gethsemane and
guarding the empty sepulcher. As far as these events are concerned, the
apostle had no need of a vision to know their history, because he himself
had been part of that history.
However, the apostle John, as well as Matthew-the two disciples of the
Lord
who wrote Gospels-did need divine revelation to interpret the events they
witnessed. It would not have been possible for the apostle John to
perceive,
behind the Teacher they followed, the eternal Son of God "Through (whom)
all
things were made" (John 1:13), if it had not been for a divine revelation.
The same is true of Peter. He could not have recognized in Jesus "the
Christ, the Son of the living God" if it had not been for the fact that,
as
Jesus told him: "this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in
heaven" (Matt. 16:16, 17).
As in the rest of the Scriptures, the personal testimony of the prophet or
of the apostle is guided by the divine presence in his mind, not only to
help him remember accurately what he saw as an eyewitness but to help him
interpret the events correctly.
58
Witness to the Great Acts of God
The Scriptures are a kind of a heroic epic poem, in which the great acts
of
God related to the plan of salvation are intermingled with human history.
In
describing those events, the divine and human instruments are combined.
God
inspires the prophet to participate in the history of the plan of
redemption, and then supplies, through visions and dreams, the information
the prophet lacks. When the chosen messenger is part of the historical
events, the Spirit inspires and encourages him to relate his eyewitness
testimony.
Moses is a classic Old Testament example. For the most part, the books of
the Pentateuch-the first five books of the Bible-describe human history.
Nevertheless, it is history that relates the great acts of God. Moses, of
course, needed special revelation to write the first chapters of Genesis
dealing with the creation of the earth and of humanity. Those who attempt
to
find a human explanation for divine inspiration conclude that the biblical
authors depended on other sources such as oral traditions, legends, or
theories popular in their times. If, however, Moses depended on the common
traditions or theories of his day about these origins, then the story of
Creation would have been very different. It is true that the leader of
Israel could have received certain oral traditions passed down from
generation to generation from his Hebrew ancestors, starting with Adam
himself. On the other hand, the attention and dedication to detail that
the
Lord revealed to His servant in matters such as the construction of the
tabernacle, or the dietary and sanitary laws, assure us that God must have
wanted the history of Creation recorded in the most perfect and detailed
way. It is possible that some
59
day modern science will verify and accept the biblical account and discard
evolutionary theories. But even if that does not happen, we may be assured
that the redeemed will be able to affirm the truthfulness of the first
chapters of Genesis. That story is a prophetic revelation, and the
prophetic
word is "more certain" (2 Peter 1:19) than any other source of human
knowledge, simply because it originates from divine knowledge.
The book of Exodus is a different matter. There the inspirational "model"
is
different. Moses did not need visions and dreams to relate the history of
the Exodus. He himself was part of it. In this case, God inspired the
prophet and leader of Israel to relate his own eyewitness account.
Nevertheless, this personal testimony is also unique, because the
description of historical events is consistently intertwined with divine
intervention. That intervention is sometimes a direct presence, sometimes
a
voice that directs and commands, at other times a symbolic presence, such
as
the cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night. Moses' eyewitness account
combines with divine intervention to make this a unique type of history,
because it is the history of the saving acts of God.
The books of Moses are not an exception in the Old Testament. Several
others, such as Joshua, Ezra, and Nehemiah, come down to us as result of
the
personal testimony of their authors. Other prophets, such as Isaiah,
Jeremiah, or Daniel, combine their personal experiences with the visions
revealed to them by the Spirit.
Eyewitness To The Birth Of The Last Church
The eyewitness pattern was also used by Ellen White
60
to describe historical events related to the Adventist movement. In some
of
her biographical works,[42] her emotions and feelings about personally
participating in the events and circumstances that form the history of
this
religious movement, come through clearly. You can feel the excitement of
the
imminence of the date of the anticipated appearance of the Lord in her
story; the immense discouragement suffered as a result of the Great
Disappointment; the anxiety to discover the truth in the Word of God, and
the joy of receiving answers to questions through the visions. In a manner
similar to the history of God's people in the past, this epic poem also
combines human and divine elements. The prophet's testimony mingles with
the
intervention of the Spirit. It is human history, but a history
incor****ated
into the great acts of God.
For that reason, the Lord surely inspired His messenger to give her
personal
testimony. Just as biblical history reaffirms us in the faith and
conviction
of divine guidance, the history of the Adventist movement, recounted by an
eyewitness to the events, reaffirms the conviction that God was guiding
this
group of believers. He had a purpose for them-the mission of transforming
them into a vast world movement to announce the truths of the three
angel's
message to every nation, tribe, language, and people. The certainty of
divine guidance in our past history is so strong that this eyewitness can
assert:
In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance
to
our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has
wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with
61
confidence in Christ as leader. 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.[43]
Prophets as Historians
The second mode or model of revelation and inspiration we will analyze in
this chapter is the historical model. In this case, God inspires prophets
to
search for historical records, oral or written, and guides them in making
the correct selection. The prime example in the Scriptures is the Gospel
of
Luke, often designated the "Lucan model" of inspiration.
Luke clearly states that his writings are not the result of visions or
prophetic dreams, but of an investigation:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been
fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from
the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I
myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it
seemed
good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent
Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been
taught. (Luke 1:1-4).
Luke's Gospel is not the only example of the historical model of
inspiration
found in the Bible. In the Old Testament there are several historical
books,
Kings and Chronicles for example, that also claim that their information
came from
62
historical documents and records. In the New Testament, the book of Acts
is
a combination of the historical and eyewitness models. The first part of
the
book is a historical summary by Luke dealing with the beginnings of the
apostolic church. The second part of the book is the same author's
eyewitness re****ts as part of Paul's evangelistic team.
Ellen White was also inspired by the Spirit to use the historical model in
some of her books. She used various historical references from
non-religious
authors, especially in her works targeted to the general public. How
should
we understand these references from non-inspired historians when they form
part of the text of an inspired book?
Noninspired References in Inspired Writings
It is difficult for some believers to understand why a prophet who
receives
a message from God needs to quote other authors to communicate that
message.
In the latter section of chapter two, we made reference to the fact that
the
prophets use their own human language to communicate the divine message.
"It
is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were
inspired."[44] The prophet appeals to all types of expressions, documents,
indexes, and even the reminiscences of other witnesses, to communicate the
message received. On occasion, the servants of God look for historical
references to corroborate or to ratify what has been shown them in vision.
On other occasions, they do so to document dates or circumstances related
to
the history being described. In every case, however, the messenger is
impressed by the Spirit and inspired to seek the correct information. The
im****tant difference between a general historian and a prophetic historian
is that the Holy Spirit guides
63
the prophets' procedures by helping them to select the material that
allows
them to describe exactly what God wishes to communicate.
Let us look at the personal testimony of a prophet who experienced these
very circumstances, including the need to find the appropriate words and
historical references, the need to accurately transmit what she saw and
the
message that had been communicated:
As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great truths of His word,
and
the scenes of the past and the future, I have been bidden to make known to
others that which has thus been revealed-to trace the history of the
controversy in past ages, and especially so to present it as to shed a
light
on the fast-approaching struggle of the future. In pursuance of this
purpose, I have endeavored to select and group together events in the
history of the church in such a manner as to trace the unfolding of the
great testing truths. . . .
The great events which have marked the progress of reform in past ages are
matters of history, well known and universally acknowledged. . . . In some
cases where a historian has so grouped together events as to afford, in
brief, a comprehensive view of the subject, or has summarized details in a
convenient manner, his words have been quoted; but in some instances no
specific credit has been given, since the quotations are not given for the
purpose of citing that writer as authority, but because his statement
affords a ready
64
and forcible presentation of the subject.[45]
However, in spite of the explanations and reasons given by the prophet
herself for using historical references, some believers still ask: "Does
that mean that the quotations from the secular historians become inspired
when they are used by a prophet?" The truth of the matter is that the
statements of a secular historian do not pass through some "alchemistic"
process, nor do phrases written by a non-inspired author become inspired
as
if by magic. Remember that the words used by the prophets themselves do
not
go through such a transformation process. We repeat: "It is not the words
of
the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired." The words
are
still human words. What actually happens is that God inspires the prophet
to
look for and select the historical references. Then these statements,
together with the prophets' own words, communicate an inspired or revealed
message by God to His servant. That message, notwithstanding, is
communicated in human words, paragraphs, and phraseology.
In fact, this is one of the most im****tant points in understanding the
entire process of divine-human communication. It may also be the most
difficult to comprehend and accept. This combination of divine and human
elements seems to exceed our capacity for understanding. However, unless
we
keep in mind the fact that the message is divine, but the language used by
the prophet is human, it will always be difficult to understand and accept
that a prophet may use different sources, or literary and historical
materials, to give final form to the message received from God.
65
Conclusion
Ultimately, acceptance of the divine message is a matter of faith and
trust;
trust in the fact that God has spoken through the prophets; trust in the
fact that the Spirit has guided His servants to correctly select the words
and references used; trust in the fact that He has directed their memory,
or
the memory of other witnesses, to relate the facts as they happened, and,
ultimately, trust to accept the fact that these writings, with their human
language and characteristics, are the message of God for us.
|
