Monday July 1, 2013
Context. It seems almost as if everyone is screaming CONTEXT! Yet this is but the lie of Satan and it is harvesting it’s millions.
Many people come and look at this site and can not reconcile the conflicts in the alleged writings of Ellen G. White. With good reason. So they go ask their pastor, which is reasonable, but all too often people are giving up their own decision making ability. And I understand that. It’s difficult to be watching TV and trying to be “religious” all at the same time; I mean it’s distracting.
I came across an interesting truism some time back. I seems to fit here.
What is proven trumps what is claimed, everything else is just commentary.
We are going to take a look at this “in context” argument that so many are shouting about these days. In my opinion it is nothing more than an argument of convenience. Here is why and an example. In Desire of Ages on page 568, ten lines up from the bottom, it declares plainly that “He [Christ] is to-day [meaning every day] standing at the altar of incense….”
This statement is a lie of Satan. I’m going to show you some arguments from another who claims to understand context. Here they are.
I’ve already shown how Christ’s Day of Atonement ministry also involves work in the Holy Place, … Figuratively, Christ still performs all the “Daily” ministry as well, so that He can be portrayed as before the altar of incense if the context is the ministry of Christ in terms of our prayers. … the Day of Atonement ministry involves several movements from Courtyard to Most Holy Place … Jesus is truly standing in front of the altar of incense every time He performs the ministry over prayer.
In considering the various arguments it is important to understand where the professed believer stands in his understanding of inspiration. So many people in and out of the church believe that Ellen was the author of everything with her name on it. But as we show on this site, it is not so.
Back to the argument, look at this man’s understanding. This is the most ridiculous argument for an SDA to make, it almost trumps Vance Ferrell’s on the same point. Here are his words. Notice how he leads off on the context, again.
The context is speaking about Christ’s great love and care for His erring earthly children. Ellen is so filled with feeling that she waxes eloquent with powerful symbolic language to illustrate her meaning: “pour out the vials of His wrath,” “wipe this dark spot,” “standing at the altar of incense,” turn to Him for refuge,” “strife of tongues,” “impeach these souls.” Notice the final sentence: They stand beside their Sin Bearer, “in the light proceeding from the throne of God.” That light is not now in the first apartment, which is blocked by a veil from God’s glory in the second. So, by faith, they are standing by Him in the second, not the first, apartment. The Teachings of Vern Bates, by Vance Ferrell, about 2007.
Notice the hoops these people have to jump through to attempt to explain away a direct lie. This is the stuff of the counterfeit SOP. How many times have you heard people talk about the deceptions of Satan, that they are truth mixed with a little error, or a lot, if you like.
By the use of the argument of convenience, context, people can claim what they please, all they have to do is enlarge the context to include what they need.
If they want context, then let’s meet them with context! But, we will take the same privilege they claim, we will set the bounds of context for our own arguments. Why limit context to just a few lines in one book? after all, this is really all about the Great Controversy between Christ and his angels and Satan and his angels.
Therefore the real context is all about this six thousand year old Great Controversy. In this real true context we can see much more clearly in the light of day. We can get the scope of the whole context. So lets see what God has to say that bears on the subject.
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:3
Every word of God is pure: Proverbs 30:5
He is the Rock, his work is perfect: Deuteronomy 32:4
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: 2 Samuel 22:31
your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48
Now, looking at these matters in the really true context of the Great Controversy, we find that God is perfect, does a perfect work, and every word of his is perfect.
It’s not just the sentence, it’s not just the phrase, oh no, it’s every word. When you have a prefect God, putting perfect words together, you get a perfect work, which is exactly what the Bible declares, and is.
The authentic Spirit of Prophecy is exactly the same, for God himself is the true author, not Ellen. She was not intelligent enough to have produced the highly sophisticated works of the Spirit of Prophecy. The perfect harmony between it and the Bible is testimony to God’s authorship.
How many places in the Bible are we required to jump through the hoops that the counterfeit SOP requires? None!
The really true context, that of the Great Controversy between Christ and his angels and Satan and his angels, is that from which we will work.
God Bless your Study