A New Year's Resolution

Revelation 12:17 says that God's remnant church in the last days will be one that keeps all ten of God's commandments and also will possess "the testimony of Jesus". Pastor Bohr shows biblically what Jesus' testimony is and traces how this phrase is used in Revelation 19:10 and elsewhere to refer to prophecy given in the last days by the Holy Spirit. Seventh-day Adventists believe this text finds fulfillment in the mission God gave to Ellen G. White in helping clarify the understanding of Bible prophecy that refers to events in these last days. This close connection between the law and the Spirit of prophecy is also seen when Israel rejected both in Zechariah's day: "They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry" (Zech. 7:12 TNIV).

Pastor Bohr discusses Jesus' words in John 5:31-40 that the Scriptures testified about Him and so did John the Baptist. He called John a light and a testimony, but He Himself as the greater testimony. All prophets are lesser lights that point to the greater Light, Jesus, just as the moon reflects the sun. Throughout their history, God gave His backsliding people prophets to magnify Scripture and refocus their attention on what they had ignored, forgotten or corrupted in the writings of former prophets. Prophets are equally inspired but some have different functions than others.

You will see a fascinating connection made between the term "seer", a term used in Scripture referring to a prophet, and the message to the Laodicean church of the last days who are "blind" and need "eyesalve" so that they can see. Many today do not want a prophet telling them what to do, but when a prophet is rejected and "there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov. 29:18). Many only want to be told smooth and pleasant things, but if we reject God's prophets we sin against the Holy Spirit of prophecy Who speaks through them. By the story of the bears who mauled the boys who mocked Elisha, God taught the seriousness of disrespecting His messengers.

Seventh-day Adventists were given a "lesser light" in the writings of Ellen G. White to point to the will of Jesus for these last days in preparing for His soon coming and to point out the increasingly subtle dangers in the final miles of our journey to heaven. She warned that someday her messages would be treated similarly to all the other prophets in that some people would attempt to neutralize them so they have little or no effect. Pastor Bohr gives some sad examples of this happening in some Adventist circles today. "There will be a hatred kindled against the testimonies which is satanic. The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them, for this reason: Satan cannot have so clear a track to bring in his deceptions and bind up souls in his delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels of the Spirit of God are heeded" (1SM 48). Pastor Bohr ends by encouraging his listeners to make it a New Year's resolution to read the greatest Bible commentary ever written-the Conflict of the Ages series written by Ellen White-in order to get a prophetically sweeping epic view of the great battle between Christ and Satan, from the day Satan first sinned until our final home in the New Earth after Satan and sin are destroyed.