Lesson 5 for January 31, 2009

Revelation is the
act in which God
transmits a
message to a
person so he or
she can
communicate it to
others.
Directly, like He did to Moses.

“So the Lord spoke to Moses face to

face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
(Exodus 33: 11)

Through angels, like He did to

John.
“And the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent His angel to show
His servants the things which
must shortly take place.”
(Revelation 22: 6)
In dreams, like He did to Daniel.
“In the first year of Belshazzar king
of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and
visions of his head while on his
bed. Then he wrote down the
dream, telling the main facts.”
(Daniel 7: 1)

In visions, like He did to

Ezekiel.
“Now it came to pass in the
thirtieth year, in the fourth month,
on the fifth day of the month, as I
was among the captives by the
River Chebar, that the heavens
were opened and I saw visions of
God.” (Ezekiel 1: 1)
Visions sometimes affect the prophet
physically in an extraordinary way.

A character took Ezekiel “by a lock of my hair” and lifted

him up, but he didn’t feel any pain (Ezekiel, 8: 3). His body
remained standing before the elders while he was
carried to Jerusalem by the Spirit.

“The vision occurred while the elders were sitting before

the prophet. They evidently saw nothing, but Ezekiel’s
state of vision doubtless prepared them to listen at the
close of his vision to ‘all the things that the Lord had
shewed’ the prophet.” (SDA Bible Commentary, on Ezekiel 8: 2)
 Other prophets like
Daniel and John lost
their strength while
they were in vision.
Daniel said: “no
strength remained in
me; for my vigor was
turned to frailty in
me, and I retained no
strength.”
(Daniel 10: 8; Revelation 1: 17)
 Ellen G. White’s also experienced
physical phenomena while in vision.

Ellen G. White’s testimony:

“As inquiries are frequently made as to my

state in vision, and after I come out, I would
say that when the Lord sees fit to give a
vision, I am taken into the presence of Jesus
and angels, and am entirely lost to earthly
things. I can see no farther than the angel
directs me. My attention is often directed to
scenes transpiring upon earth.”. (Selected Messages,
vol. 1, cp. 2, pg. 36)

“While engaged in earnest prayer, I

was lost to everything around me;
the room was filled with light.”
(Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, cp. 17, pg. 461)
“Some of the instruction found in these pages
was given under circumstances so remarkable
as to evidence the wonder-working power of
God in behalf of his truth. Sometimes while I
was in vision, my friends would approach me,
and exclaim, “Why, she does not breathe!”
Placing a mirror before my lips, they found
that no moisture gathered on the glass. It
was while there was no sign of any breathing
that I kept talking of the things that were
being presented before me. These messages
were thus given to substantiate the faith of
all, that in these last days we might have
confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy.”
(Selected Messages, vol. 3, cp. 5, pg. 38)
1. She is utterly unconscious of everything
transpiring around her. The testimony of
those seeing her
2. She does not breathe… as has been
during vigion:
repeatedly proved by pressing upon the
chest, and by closing the mouth and
nostrils..
3. Immediately on entering vision, her
muscles become rigid, and joints fixed,
so far as any external force can
influence them…
4. When coming out of vision, whether in
the daytime or a well-lighted room at
night, all is total darkness. Her power to
distinguish even the most brilliant
objects, held within a few inches of the
eyes, returns but gradually...”
(Ellen G. White – The Early Years, p. 123)
 How did prophets
communicate a divine
revelation after
receiving it?
In all cases, the Holy Spirit
inspired the prophets to
transmit God’s messages in
the most effective way.

Inspiration is the process in

which the Holy Spirit
influence the thoughts of the
prophet so he or shee can
express God’s message by
speaking or writing the most
appropriate words.
“After I come out of vision I do not at once remember all that I have seen, and the
matter is not so clear before me until I write, then the scene rises before me as
was presented in vision, and I can write with freedom. Sometimes the things
which I have seen are hid from me after I come out of vision, and I cannot call
them to mind until I am brought before a company where that vision applies, then
the things which I have seen come to my mind with force. I am just as dependent
upon the Spirit of the Lord in relating or writing a vision, as in having the
vision. It is impossible for me to call up things which have been shown me unless
the Lord brings them before me at the time that He is pleased to have me relate or
write them.”
E.G.W. (Selected Messages, vol. 1, cp. 2, pg. 36).

Camp meeting
in Eagle Lake,
Minnesota,
1875. James
and Ellen
White, Uriah
Smith and
others under
the canopy.

Ellen White at the consecration of the

Loma Linda college. 1905
Sometimes the prophet
thought he was not able to
express the message
properly.
In those cases, other
people helped them to
speak or to write the
message from the prophet.
The Holy Spirit inspired
both teh prophet and his or
her assistant or scribe.
“Then Jeremiah
called Baruch the
son of Neriah; and
Baruch wrote on a
scroll of a book, at
the instruction of
Jeremiah,[a] all the
words of the Lord
which He had
spoken to him.”
(Jeremiah 36: 4)
Paul had sight issues, so he
couldn’t write long letters. He
usually wrote the final
greeting only, so they letters
could be identified as actually
his.
“The salutation of Paul with
my own hand, which is a sign
in every epistle; so I write.”
(2 Thessalonians 3: 17)

He dictated his letters to

faithful brothers. One of
them was Tertius:
“I, Tertius, who wrote this
epistle, greet you in the
Lord.” (Romans 16: 22)
 That John was an exile there would imply that he was
forced to rely upon his own linguistic abilities in the
composition of the Revelation. Therefore it is not surprising
that the language of this book is not always idiomatic, that
Semiticisms sometimes shine through the Greek, and that its
author was not at all times sure of his grammar.

On the other hand, early

Christian tradition
indicates that the Gospel
was written under entirely
different conditions; It
was reviewed by several
brothers and written by
Papias—his disciple.

(SDA Bible Commentary, introduction to Revelation)

“The books are not Marian’s productions, but my own,
gathered from all my writings. Marian has a large field from
which to draw, and her ability to arrange the matter is of
great value to me. It saves my poring over a mass of matter,
Marian Davis,
which I have no time to do. assistant to
So you understand that Marian is a most valuable help to Ellen G. White
me in bringing out my books. Fanny had none of this
work to do. Marian has read chapters to her, and Fanny has
sometimes made suggestions as to the arrangement of the
matter.
This is the difference between the workers. As I have
stated, Fanny has been strictly forbidden to change my
words for her words. As spoken by the heavenly agencies,
the words are severe in their simplicity; and I try to put the
thoughts into such simple language that a child can
understand every word uttered. The words of someone else
would not rightly represent me.”
Fannie Bolton

Selected Messages, vol. 3, cp. 12, pg. 91-92

There’s another type of inspiration.
Sometimes, people are inspired by
the Holy Spirit to gather information
and to write down the story of the
gathered events.
This happened with the anoymous
authors of Samuel, Kings and
Chronicles, por example. Tradition
states that Nathan, Jeremiah and
Esdras were the ones gathering
information and writing those books
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Luke is another example of this
method. He wrote his Gospel and
Acts of the Apostles that way:
“It seemed good to me also, having
had perfect understanding of all
things from the very first, to write to
you an orderly account, most
excellent Theophilus.” (Luke 1: 3)
Directly from God.
Through angels.
In dreams.
In visions.

The Holy Spirit influences the thoughts of the prophet to transmit the
message.
They can use assistants to write down the message or to find better
words to do so.
Authors may gather existing material and even writings from non-
biblical authors to compose inspired material.