In our world today, people tend to value what they don't have or what seems to be scarce or inaccessible and neglect the opportunities and gift's around them which is an enigma. This article will be exposing one of such gifts that seams to be neglected by the SDA Church members.
Revelation 12:17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 19:10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
From the Bible text's above. There's a description of God's church and the faithful remnant as a group being sought for by the dragon because they keep the commandments of God and they have the testimony of Jesus of which was explained in the next text, that this testimony of Jesus, is the spirit of prophecy.
Buckle up as we dive into this subject matter with optimum velocity and understand what the topic has to do with this issue...
So as earlier established, there is a pattern in the Bible where God's children, servants, people etc as the case may be, have characteristics which are majorly : Obedience to God's commandments (which is worship to God, because Obedience cannot be separated from worship) and Having the testimony of Jesus (which so happens to be the spirit of prophecy) and being at war with the dragon (the devil is against God's character which is evident in HIS law therefore he attacks anyone who keeps God's law's). These three phenomenon can be seen replayed severally in the Bible with God's dealings with HIS children. One classical example is the story of Balaam (the prophet) and Balak (king of Moab) in Numbers 22. God's people who kept HIS commandments and had the spirit of prophecy (manifested in the prophets, and in this case, Balaam) became a threat to other nation's that the Devil (dragon in Revelation 12:17) had to device a means for their downfall.
God has given his Church today the Gift of prophecy as manifested in Ellen Gold White in the mid 19th century. A great sign that this Church that claims to keep God's commandments especially that which have to do with worship (the Sabbath and 4th commandment) is His church, the remnant that the dragon would make war against. The dragon's tactics has changed over time as he doesn't war only from without but also from within.
Just as the children of Israel despised and neglected the gift of prophecy and sought to be like other nation's in 1 Samuel 8, is the same way God's church is neglecting one principal characteristic and gift that set's us apart from the world, being the spirit of prophecy that have been immortalized in the writings of Ellen G. White we call "SOP book's". The dragon fights the member's of the Church by planting disbelief and resentments towards this great gift we have and make members seek for similarities with the world in worship patterns and principles.
The Spirit of Prophecy books are a great treasure to the Church and should be treated as such. There is no point having it as a gift and not making use of it. The Spirit Of Prophecy (Books) not only guides our spiritual path, but our social, physical, health, educational, doctrinal, relationship, sociopolitical, and what have you, just as God in time past led HIS children with instructions directly from HIM.... God wants HIS church to make good use of this precious gift given so as to stand the last greatest test of Earth's history. This is a call to make use of this Neglected gift.
A Library department article of ASF Uniport 2024/2025 session