Today we walk in the footsteps
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of the great Apostle Paul.
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He spent only a
little time in Athens
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and then took the
long walk to Corinth's.
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On the way, he passed the
site of the Corinthian Canal,
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that's where David is today.
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This is the Corinthian Canal
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and ships use this canal today,
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In fact, I've travel
along here myself in a ship.
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Paul passed this way
on his way to Corinth.
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This canal had
not been dugged then,
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although Alexander the
Great had intended to dig it,
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but he turned eastwards
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and invaded Asia instead.
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In the first century A.D.,
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the Roman Emperor Nero
proposed to dig the canal,
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in fact he
actually got around to
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digging the first
sod with a golden spade.
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But this is a
narrow strip of land,
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which connects
the Greek mainland
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with the Peloponnese Peninsula
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and the people of the
Peninsula got agitated
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and felt that if
the canal was dug
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then their Peninsula
would float off into the sea
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and so they demonstrated.
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Demonstrations are nothing new,
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and so the work had to stop,
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and it was not until 1893
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that European engineers
actually dug the canal,
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so that the
ships can use it today.
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Well, Corinth is up
the other end of the canal.
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These are the ruins of
the Ancient City of Corinth's
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that Paul knew.
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It was a very important city
and a very wealthy city too.
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There were a lot of
people here speaking
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many different languages,
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which explains
some of the things
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that Paul says in his letter
to the Corinthian Christians
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and it was
rather an immoral city,
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because their patron
Goddess was the Goddess Venus
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and it is reported that she
had a lot of priestesses here
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who ministered to
the male population
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and in fact we get the word
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venereal disease from her name.
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Well, Paul spend about
two years here altogether.
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This was one of
the shopping areas
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of prosperous Corinth
and they had rather an
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interesting refrigeration
system actually beneath
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some of the shops there
was a stream of cold water
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running and they
had a sort of basements,
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so they can put
their food down there,
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their wine, their meat
and so forth down there,
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so that it kept pretty well.
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In these shops of
course they held a lot of goods
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that were
dedicated to the Gods and
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there was a temple of
Apollo up there and so
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shopkeepers would
dedicate it to the idol up there
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and then bring it down
and sell it in their shops.
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Now this worried
some of the Christians
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and that's why Paul
wrote to them and said listen,
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don't ask any
questions for conscious sake,
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just eat it and say nothing.
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So, unless somebody tells you
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that this is what has happened.
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Well, that's the
background of that statement
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that Paul made in
the book of Corinthians.
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Up on this platform
is what is known as the
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judgment seat of
the proconsul and
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this is where a very
interesting incident took
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place towards the end of
Paul stay here in Corinth.
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It tells us in Acts
chapter 18 in verse 11,
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he continued there
a year and six months,
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now when Gallio was
proconsul of Achaia,
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the Jews with one
accord rose up against Paul
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and brought him
to the judgment seat.
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Now, the Greek word
for judgment seat is Beema
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and the seats gone of course,
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but that was where the proconsul
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took his seat up there.
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And when Paul was
about to open his mouth,
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Gallio said to the Jews,
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if it were a matter of
wrong doing or wicked crimes,
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O Jews, there would be
reason why I should be with you,
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but if it is a
question of words and names
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and your own law,
look to it yourselves,
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for I do not want to
be a judge of such matters
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and he droves him
from the judgment seat.
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The second as they see
the soldiers rushing them off
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here and getting
rid of them you see
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and then when
they got down there
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it says then all the
Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler
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of the synagogue and
beat him before the judgment
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seat, but Gallio took
no notice of these things.
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And so Paul got off
without any harm to himself.
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The Apostle Paul was a prophet
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and while he was in
Corinth he had a vision.
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We are told in
Acts 18 and in verse 9,
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now the Lord spoke to
Paul in the night by a vision.
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You know prophets have
been around for a longtime.
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In Luke chapter
1 and in verse 70,
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it says as he spoke by the
mouth of his holy prophets,
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who have been
since the world began,
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right from the beginning of time
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and right down
to the later ages,
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the work of
prophets has continued.
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Now, what is a prophet?
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Somebody, who just has
a feeling of inspiration.
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Oh! No, it's
something very specific.
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In Numbers 12 and
in verse 6 it says,
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if there is a prophet among you,
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I, the Lord make myself
known to him in a vision,
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and I speak to him in a dream.
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So, a prophet is
somebody to whom God speaks
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either in a vision or
in a dream and reveals
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something that
God wants to impart.
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You see, the work of a prophet
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is not just
predicting the future,
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it sometimes involves that,
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but it's primarily for divine
guidance to guide his church
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and his people and so it
was with Paul in Corinth.
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And we are told
in Acts chapter 18,
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as a result of the
vision that he had,
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he continued there
a year and six months
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teaching the word
of God among them.
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You see, if he
hadn't had this vision
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he may have picked up and left,
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but because of the vision,
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the instructions he
received he stayed there
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an extra ]18 months.
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Sometime later
Paul left Corinth,
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but in his absence the
church needed divine guidance
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and so the gift of prophecy
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was bestowed upon
this church by God.
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Paul wrote to them
and gave them instruction
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about the
operation of this gift.
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In First Corinthians 12
and in verse 28th it says,
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and God has
appointed these in the church,
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first apostles, second
prophets, third teachers,
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after that miracles,
then gifts of healing, helps,
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administration and last
of all varieties of tongues.
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Now, the gift of
tongues is an important gift,
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especially back there in
such a cosmopolitan society
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where people were
speaking different languages,
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in order to
understand each other
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that God gave
the gift of tongues,
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the ability to speak
in a different language
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or to understand a
different language.
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That's an important gift,
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but you will notice that the
first and most important gift
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was the gift of prophecy
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which was given
for divine guidance
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and they were to
expect this gift.
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In chapter 14 and in verse 1,
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writing to the church
in Corinth, Paul said,
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pursue love and
desire spiritual gifts,
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but especially that
you may prophesy, there
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were especially
instructed to expect this gift.
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Now, this gift was to be
not just for them at that time,
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but for all time because he said
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in chapter 1 and in verse 6,
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even as the testimony of
Christ was confirmed in you,
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so that you
come short in no gift
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eagerly waiting
for the Revelation
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of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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So, even people who were
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excepting the return of
Christ in these last days
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they would have
the gift of prophecy.
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In fact, in Revelation
chapter 12 and in verse 17,
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it specifically
says and the dragon,
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that is the devil was
enraged with the woman,
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that is with the church,
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he went to make war with
the rest of her offspring
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who keep the commandments of God
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and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
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Now, in the
last days you'll see,
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they would have the
testimony of Jesus Christ
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and Revelation 19:10 says
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the testimony of Jesus
is the spirit of prophecy.
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Now, has this gift been
fulfilled in these last days.
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We are in the
city of Battle Creek,
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in Michigan in the
United States of America
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and I am
standing beside a monument
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to a very remarkable
woman, Ellen G. White.
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She was born in the year 1827
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and she went through the
great disappointment of 1844
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with people who were
expecting Jesus Christ
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to return in that
year, but he didn't come.
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It was sometime later
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that she and four other
women were kneeling down
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in a prayer meeting
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and while in this
position she received the first
00:09:03.84\00:09:07.58
of many visions which
she claims God gave her.
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It may be of
interest if I read to you
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what she wrote
about that vision,
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when I was praying
at the family altar
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the Holy Ghost fell upon me
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and I seemed to be rising higher
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and higher far
above the dark world,
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soon our eyes
were drawn to the east,
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for a small black
cloud had appeared
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about half as
large as a man's hand,
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which we all knew was
the Sign of the Son of Man.
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We all in solemn
silence gazed on the cloud
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as it drew nearer and
became lighter, glorious,
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and still more glorious,
till it was a great white cloud.
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The bottom appeared like fire,
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a rainbow was over the cloud,
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while around it
were ten thousand angels
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singing the most lovely song,
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and upon it sat the Son of Man
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and she goes on to describe
the second coming of Christ
00:10:02.58\00:10:06.05
as it was revealed
to her in this vision.
00:10:06.08\00:10:08.28
This is the vault where
all the original documents
00:10:10.92\00:10:13.99
of the Ellen G.
White writings are kept
00:10:14.02\00:10:16.82
and the best person we can
talk to is Mrs. Hedy Jemison,
00:10:16.97\00:10:21.34
who for more than 30
years was the assistant director
00:10:21.37\00:10:25.36
of the Ellen G. White estate.
00:10:25.39\00:10:27.31
Mrs. Jemison, how many visions
00:10:27.74\00:10:30.00
did Ellen G.
White claimed to have?
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She had over 2000,
00:10:32.26\00:10:33.97
her first vision
was in December 1844,
00:10:34.00\00:10:37.40
then to the time of her
death she had over 2000 visions.
00:10:37.43\00:10:41.77
And how many books
did she write altogether.
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She was a very prolific writer.
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In 1851, she started with
this very first little book
00:10:45.93\00:10:50.02
and these are some of the
early books that she wrote,
00:10:50.49\00:10:53.16
but there are 70 of her books
in current circulation today.
00:10:53.19\00:10:57.22
Besides writing books,
00:10:57.25\00:10:58.85
she wrote many
letters, didn't she?
00:10:58.88\00:11:01.17
What was the
nature of those letters?
00:11:01.20\00:11:03.03
pages in longhand,
00:11:03.55\00:11:08.03
which are 60,000 pages
typewritten that are on file
00:11:08.06\00:11:11.31
here in the vault.
00:11:11.34\00:11:12.33
In these letters,
00:11:12.36\00:11:13.83
she wrote council to the
leadership of the church,
00:11:13.86\00:11:17.97
she wrote encouragement
to people that were in
00:11:18.00\00:11:20.35
trouble, she helped
people solve their problems.
00:11:20.38\00:11:22.89
Although she had only
three grades of education,
00:11:23.25\00:11:26.70
the Lord gave her council that,
00:11:26.73\00:11:28.91
that was given in these
letters to the leadership
00:11:29.30\00:11:32.14
that now has resulted
in a educational system
00:11:32.55\00:11:37.72
that circles the globe
00:11:38.13\00:11:40.02
from
kindergarten to universities.
00:11:40.05\00:11:43.60
Can you tell us
how inspiration worked,
00:11:43.63\00:11:46.89
I mean did God
actually dictate the words
00:11:46.92\00:11:49.70
that she was to write.
00:11:49.73\00:11:50.90
It wasn't done by dictation,
00:11:50.93\00:11:52.92
God didn't put a pen
in Ellen White's hand,
00:11:52.95\00:11:55.36
but the thoughts are
passed before her in vision,
00:11:55.39\00:11:58.07
what the Lord opened up to her,
00:11:58.10\00:11:59.96
she wrote in these
books that we have.
00:11:59.99\00:12:02.00
You obviously believe
that Mrs. Ellen G. White
00:12:02.26\00:12:04.87
had these visions.
00:12:04.90\00:12:06.06
What do you consider to be
the most convincing evidence
00:12:06.09\00:12:09.06
that she really was
used by God in this way?
00:12:09.09\00:12:11.99
It's what reading the
books do for me personally
00:12:12.37\00:12:15.68
and it's what we see the books
00:12:15.71\00:12:19.05
doing in the lives of
others, changing their lives.
00:12:19.08\00:12:21.98
Great Controversy has won
many people to believe in God.
00:12:22.60\00:12:28.45
The Desire of Ages
is a wonderful book
00:12:28.48\00:12:30.80
on the life of Christ,
00:12:30.83\00:12:32.02
it's also a book
that has won many people.
00:12:32.05\00:12:35.33
We have the five books of
the Conflict of the Ages series,
00:12:35.98\00:12:39.96
it's a five volume set,
00:12:39.99\00:12:40.96
the first sentence of
Patriarchs and Prophets is
00:12:42.05\00:12:46.21
God is love and the last
book the Great Controversy,
00:12:46.24\00:12:50.19
the last sentence
in the book it says
00:12:50.22\00:12:52.06
God is love and the
first chapter steps to Christ
00:12:52.09\00:12:55.49
God's love for man and
that's what the writings
00:12:55.52\00:12:58.71
of Ellen White is all about.
00:12:58.74\00:13:00.75
We are among the
Ruins of the old city of
00:13:01.81\00:13:04.60
Caesarea of Roman times
00:13:04.63\00:13:07.32
and this was the scene,
00:13:07.35\00:13:10.22
this city was
the scene of activity
00:13:10.25\00:13:12.96
of at least two
prophets and four prophetesses.
00:13:12.99\00:13:16.52
In particular the great
Apostle Paul returned here
00:13:17.61\00:13:20.86
from his last
missionary journey,
00:13:20.89\00:13:22.50
sailed in the
entrance to this harbor
00:13:22.53\00:13:24.75
you see behind me.
00:13:24.78\00:13:25.75
And later on of
course he spent two years
00:13:25.76\00:13:30.13
in prison here.
00:13:30.16\00:13:31.35
Now just recently,
00:13:31.38\00:13:33.46
archaeologists have been doing
00:13:33.58\00:13:35.17
some underwater
exploration here.
00:13:35.20\00:13:36.86
In fact, the
exploration is still going on
00:13:36.89\00:13:39.24
and they have come up
00:13:39.27\00:13:40.48
with some very
remarkable conclusions,
00:13:40.51\00:13:42.22
the most important of
which is that there were
00:13:42.87\00:13:44.73
some huge blocks of stone,
00:13:44.76\00:13:46.78
under Herod's jurisdiction
were put down in the harbor
00:13:46.81\00:13:50.91
here and a very ingenious system
00:13:50.94\00:13:54.26
for dredging the harbor.
00:13:54.29\00:13:56.17
Because over on this
side these blocks of stone
00:13:56.20\00:13:59.25
were made of
just the right height
00:13:59.28\00:14:01.42
so that at high tide
the tops of the waves
00:14:01.45\00:14:04.73
were lapping over the stone
and running into the harbor.
00:14:04.76\00:14:07.82
Now, that means that
the water that flowed in
00:14:08.11\00:14:10.50
that way had to go out
00:14:10.53\00:14:11.79
and of course it
went out the entrance
00:14:11.82\00:14:13.23
whichever you like to call it
00:14:13.26\00:14:15.09
and that meant that
it automatically dredged
00:14:15.12\00:14:17.94
the entrance to the harbor.
00:14:17.97\00:14:19.27
So, this was a very remarkable
00:14:19.30\00:14:22.88
way of looking after the harbor.
00:14:22.91\00:14:25.33
Well, as I say the Apostle
Paul spend two years in prison
00:14:25.77\00:14:28.31
which wasn't a very
nice way to be here,
00:14:28.34\00:14:30.93
but nevertheless
this is where he witnessed
00:14:30.96\00:14:34.89
to Agrippa and
other Roman governors.
00:14:34.92\00:14:38.18
Not very far from the old harbor
00:14:38.21\00:14:41.18
are the ruins of
an old Roman theater,
00:14:41.21\00:14:43.75
this was only
excavated about 20 years ago
00:14:44.62\00:14:47.18
and you can see a
lot of the stones here
00:14:47.21\00:14:49.63
are original stones, but
most of it is a reconstruction,
00:14:49.66\00:14:54.10
a modern reconstruction, in fact
00:14:54.13\00:14:56.01
the Israeli government
holds performances here,
00:14:56.04\00:15:00.28
dances and
concepts and so forth,
00:15:00.33\00:15:02.30
and they're held down
on the stage down there.
00:15:02.33\00:15:05.31
It's rather sobering
I think to think that
00:15:05.82\00:15:08.04
the great Apostle Paul,
00:15:08.71\00:15:09.92
one of the greatest
men of God that ever lived
00:15:09.95\00:15:12.15
was languishing in
this prison for two years,
00:15:12.60\00:15:14.61
while people were mindlessly
00:15:15.05\00:15:16.47
the pleasures of
sin for a season.
00:15:16.50\00:15:18.93
Another very
interesting feature of Caesarea
00:15:21.09\00:15:23.58
is this old Roman aqueduct.
00:15:23.61\00:15:25.91
You know, this brought the water
00:15:26.42\00:15:27.70
more than 10
kilometers from the hills,
00:15:28.08\00:15:30.46
way over there, into Caesarea.
00:15:30.49\00:15:32.89
Well, Caesarea was the site
of prophets and prophetesses,
00:15:33.49\00:15:38.18
in fact we read in Acts
chapter 21 and in verse 8,
00:15:38.21\00:15:42.27
it says on the next day
we who were Paul's companions
00:15:42.83\00:15:45.84
departed and came to Caesarea,
00:15:45.87\00:15:47.58
and entered the house
of Philip the Evangelist,
00:15:47.68\00:15:49.69
who was one of the
seven and stayed with him,
00:15:49.72\00:15:51.86
now this man had
four virgin daughters
00:15:51.89\00:15:53.92
who prophesied and
we stayed many days,
00:15:53.95\00:15:56.38
a certain prophet named
00:15:56.41\00:15:57.66
Agabus came down from Judea.
00:15:57.69\00:15:59.64
Hey, you will notice that
there's a number of prophets
00:15:59.67\00:16:01.91
that are mentioned in the Bible
00:16:01.94\00:16:03.09
who haven't
written books of the Bible,
00:16:03.12\00:16:04.82
but nevertheless they
were genuine prophets.
00:16:04.85\00:16:07.01
And as for woman well,
00:16:07.04\00:16:08.68
here were these
four daughters of Philip
00:16:08.71\00:16:10.67
who prophesied and of
course you can go back to
00:16:10.70\00:16:13.16
earlier to the
sister of Moses, Miriam,
00:16:13.19\00:16:16.19
she was a
prophet as the Bible says
00:16:16.22\00:16:18.01
and also you have Huldah
the Prophetess in the days
00:16:18.04\00:16:21.26
of Isaiah and also
you have the lady Anna
00:16:21.29\00:16:26.29
who identified the baby Jesus.
00:16:26.32\00:16:27.29
The Bible says,
she was a prophetess,
00:16:28.07\00:16:30.32
so no questions you've
got prophets and prophetesses.
00:16:30.35\00:16:33.60
I am standing on the steps
of the Battle Creek Tabernacle,
00:16:35.15\00:16:38.42
which was the
church of the first
00:16:38.45\00:16:41.14
Seventh-Day
Adventist headquarters
00:16:41.50\00:16:43.50
in the United States of America
00:16:43.53\00:16:45.34
and it was here at this church
00:16:45.37\00:16:48.71
that an
interesting incident occurred
00:16:49.09\00:16:51.07
which illustrates just how
the gift of prophecy works.
00:16:51.10\00:16:54.36
Ellen G. White went to
Australia in the year 1890
00:16:55.10\00:16:59.19
and she stayed
there for nearly 10 years
00:16:59.22\00:17:00.87
and while she was
absent a young lady,
00:17:01.57\00:17:04.52
who was a member of this church
00:17:04.55\00:17:06.16
claimed that she
had some visions,
00:17:06.60\00:17:08.66
claimed that she was
inspired to write some messages
00:17:08.69\00:17:11.81
from God.
00:17:11.84\00:17:12.81
And one morning the
minister of this church,
00:17:13.41\00:17:16.33
whose name was Elder A.T. Jones
00:17:16.85\00:17:19.19
preached a
sermon on this subject
00:17:19.22\00:17:21.31
and he pointed out that
in as much as Ellen G. White
00:17:21.76\00:17:24.39
was in Australia,
it was only reasonable
00:17:24.42\00:17:26.80
that God should
raise up another messenger.
00:17:26.83\00:17:29.94
And so he took the writings
of Ellen G. White and said,
00:17:29.97\00:17:34.17
you see you can hear
the voice of God speaking
00:17:34.20\00:17:36.70
through this and then he would
take one of the writings of
00:17:36.73\00:17:40.61
Anna Phillips and
he said there you are,
00:17:40.64\00:17:42.69
you can hear the same voice.
00:17:42.72\00:17:44.27
Well, you can understand
when the church members
00:17:45.78\00:17:47.81
came out the doors
that Sabbath morning,
00:17:47.84\00:17:49.69
they weren't in
a hurry to go home,
00:17:49.72\00:17:51.88
they stood around
talking, some said yes
00:17:52.39\00:17:54.78
it's only unreasonable
that God would raise up
00:17:54.84\00:17:56.96
somebody else while Ellen
G. White was in Australia.
00:17:56.99\00:17:59.42
Others said well, we
didn't hear the voice at all,
00:17:59.45\00:18:03.25
it didn't seem to them like that
00:18:03.28\00:18:04.85
That night Elder Jones
went to the post office
00:18:06.05\00:18:09.97
to collect his mail and
he was handed a long envelop
00:18:10.00\00:18:15.12
and the postmark was Australia.
00:18:16.18\00:18:18.67
He opened that
letter and read it,
00:18:19.23\00:18:21.24
it was from Ellen
G. White in Australia.
00:18:21.27\00:18:23.72
Now, remember those
were the days before airmail
00:18:23.88\00:18:27.97
or Quantasure or Pan American
00:18:28.00\00:18:31.02
or anything like that.
00:18:31.05\00:18:32.02
It took weeks for a
letter to go from Australia
00:18:32.33\00:18:34.97
to America and
yet that letter said,
00:18:35.00\00:18:38.62
who authorized you to
preach on this subject,
00:18:39.40\00:18:42.37
what right had you
to take my writings
00:18:43.16\00:18:45.65
and compare them with the
writings of Anna Phillips,
00:18:45.68\00:18:48.35
you are not
authorized to do that.
00:18:48.38\00:18:50.26
Just then a fellow
minister came by, Elder Tate
00:18:50.99\00:18:53.76
and he handed the
letter to him and he said,
00:18:54.22\00:18:56.15
how did Ellen White know
00:18:56.18\00:18:58.59
that I was going to preach
on that subject this morning
00:18:58.62\00:19:02.17
and this other
minister said to him,
00:19:02.55\00:19:04.82
you know how she
knows, he said yes, I know.
00:19:04.85\00:19:11.19
I'm glad to say that the
following Sabbath morning
00:19:11.22\00:19:13.37
Elder Jones stood up in
the pulpit of this church
00:19:14.01\00:19:17.00
and admitted that
he had made a mistake.
00:19:17.95\00:19:20.27
What else could you do in
the face of evidence like that.
00:19:21.11\00:19:24.16
I am also glad to
say that Anna Phillips
00:19:24.50\00:19:26.94
also accepted the message
that came to her from God.
00:19:26.97\00:19:30.37
This is Avondale College,
00:19:31.73\00:19:33.69
which is a
government recognized college
00:19:33.72\00:19:35.92
of advanced education
00:19:35.95\00:19:38.04
and it's a very unique
college, as you can see
00:19:38.07\00:19:40.95
it's in a very rural
setting and it provides unusual
00:19:40.98\00:19:45.89
opportunities for its
students, they can work
00:19:45.92\00:19:49.78
here for their
college fees if they want to,
00:19:49.81\00:19:53.44
they have the opportunity
of physical development,
00:19:53.47\00:19:55.72
and this rural setting,
00:19:55.75\00:19:58.08
it's really beautiful
place for students to be.
00:19:58.11\00:20:00.26
And I must tell
you how it all began.
00:20:00.96\00:20:03.29
You see, it was in 1885
00:20:04.19\00:20:07.07
that the first
Seventh Day Adventist came to
00:20:07.10\00:20:09.61
Australia and in 1891
Ellen G. White came here
00:20:09.64\00:20:14.53
and she was here
for nearly 10 years
00:20:15.24\00:20:17.52
altogether and at that time
00:20:17.55\00:20:20.27
they were only 450
Seventh Day Adventists
00:20:20.30\00:20:23.53
in all of Australia, not many.
00:20:23.56\00:20:25.11
And ministers were being trained
00:20:25.55\00:20:29.68
in a rather
congested area at Melbourne
00:20:29.71\00:20:32.32
in a house that
they rented down there
00:20:32.35\00:20:33.90
and while they were
there Ellen G. White
00:20:34.86\00:20:37.62
delivered a message,
00:20:37.65\00:20:38.80
I want to read it to
you in this little book
00:20:38.83\00:20:40.98
that she has written
00:20:41.01\00:20:43.22
it says, I was awakened
00:20:43.25\00:20:44.41
this morning at 1
o'clock with a heavy burden
00:20:44.44\00:20:46.46
upon my soul,
00:20:46.49\00:20:47.69
never can the proper
education be given to
00:20:48.43\00:20:50.69
the youth in this
country or any other country
00:20:50.72\00:20:53.53
they are separated, a
wide distance from the cities.
00:20:53.56\00:20:56.57
Now, you see our
ministers are being kind right
00:20:56.87\00:20:59.10
in the heart of Melbourne,
she went on to say here,
00:20:59.13\00:21:02.77
we shall find it
necessary to establish
00:21:03.86\00:21:05.70
our schools out of
and away from the cities
00:21:05.73\00:21:07.94
and yet not so far
away that they cannot be
00:21:07.97\00:21:10.28
in touch with them.
00:21:10.31\00:21:11.28
We need schools in
this country to educate
00:21:11.69\00:21:13.78
children in youth that
they maybe masters of labor.
00:21:13.81\00:21:16.79
Well, this is a new concept
00:21:17.07\00:21:18.67
and of course some
of the members said,
00:21:18.70\00:21:19.90
Oh! This won't work here,
it's not an Australian idea,
00:21:19.93\00:21:22.66
well it wasn't
either, it was God's idea
00:21:22.69\00:21:25.27
and so the brethren
decided that they try
00:21:25.30\00:21:28.52
and put this into action.
00:21:28.55\00:21:29.78
And they started looking
round for a suitable property.
00:21:30.00\00:21:32.59
Well, I looked at
one property $75 an acre
00:21:32.62\00:21:35.63
that was just
beyond their means,
00:21:35.66\00:21:37.62
then they heard
of another property,
00:21:38.04\00:21:39.94
it was 1500 acres
and only $3 an acre,
00:21:40.49\00:21:44.11
well the price was right
00:21:44.16\00:21:45.97
and so they decided to
go and have a look at it.
00:21:46.00\00:21:48.09
Cooranbong is about 120
kilometers north of Sydney
00:21:48.84\00:21:52.23
and so the group set
out with Ellen G. White
00:21:52.26\00:21:55.42
to travel by
train to this place.
00:21:55.45\00:21:57.73
On the way Ellen White
told two of the ministers
00:21:58.39\00:22:02.28
of a dream that she
had the night before
00:22:02.55\00:22:04.83
she said, I saw the property
that the Lord has chosen
00:22:05.36\00:22:08.58
and she said we
walked out into an open area
00:22:09.11\00:22:13.12
and there was a plough furrow
00:22:13.15\00:22:15.47
and as we were
looking at this furrow
00:22:16.09\00:22:18.42
two of our group, our
party came out of the trees
00:22:18.45\00:22:21.97
on the other side
00:22:22.00\00:22:22.99
and came to the
furrow and they look down
00:22:23.02\00:22:25.86
and they shook
their heads and they said,
00:22:25.89\00:22:28.51
the land is not good,
the soil is not favorable.
00:22:29.28\00:22:33.20
Well, she said that's the
property the Lord has chosen,
00:22:34.30\00:22:37.21
they arrived at their
destination and next morning
00:22:38.10\00:22:40.38
they went out to have
a look at the property,
00:22:40.75\00:22:42.34
some went this way
and some went that way,
00:22:42.37\00:22:44.19
and Ellen White
with two of the ministers
00:22:44.60\00:22:47.52
that she'd spoken to
came to an open place
00:22:47.55\00:22:51.64
in the land and
they was a plough furrow
00:22:51.67\00:22:54.39
and while they were
looking at this furrow
00:22:54.42\00:22:57.09
two ministers came out of
the clearing on the other side,
00:22:57.36\00:23:00.65
and they came to this plough
furrow and they looked down,
00:23:01.01\00:23:03.13
they shook their heads,
00:23:03.16\00:23:04.46
they said the land is not good,
00:23:05.49\00:23:07.00
the soil is not favorable.
00:23:07.03\00:23:08.89
Ellen G. White and the
two ministers looked at
00:23:10.28\00:23:12.54
each other and
nodded their heads.
00:23:12.57\00:23:14.61
They knew that
this was the place
00:23:14.64\00:23:17.37
that God had
chosen for his college.
00:23:17.40\00:23:19.41
This monument here says
00:23:21.26\00:23:22.52
about 500 yards
east of this spot
00:23:22.55\00:23:25.35
was found the furrow seen
in a dream by Ellen G. White,
00:23:25.38\00:23:28.64
which led to
the establishment of
00:23:28.67\00:23:30.43
Australasian Missionary College
00:23:30.46\00:23:32.10
in this district in 1894.
00:23:32.13\00:23:34.37
To share her
confidence in the project,
00:23:35.48\00:23:37.49
which she
herself had recommended,
00:23:37.52\00:23:38.97
Ellen White moved to this place.
00:23:39.00\00:23:41.30
She purchased 66 acres of land,
00:23:41.94\00:23:43.90
build this house
called Sunny Side
00:23:43.93\00:23:46.31
and planted that beautiful
orchid of fruit trees here
00:23:46.86\00:23:47.83
and she lived
here for many years.
00:23:50.70\00:23:52.58
Well, time has just proved
00:23:53.76\00:23:55.50
that the wise heads were wrong
00:23:55.53\00:23:57.15
and God's guidance was correct.
00:23:57.18\00:23:59.22
The soil turned
out to be very fertile
00:23:59.81\00:24:02.15
and they grew some
wonderful crops here,
00:24:02.62\00:24:04.52
some beautiful fruit trees,
00:24:04.55\00:24:06.02
they had a priced dairy herd
00:24:06.05\00:24:07.62
and so the
results were really good.
00:24:07.65\00:24:11.47
But there was something else
00:24:11.50\00:24:12.85
that happened too
in connection with
00:24:12.88\00:24:14.83
Ellen G. White's
stay in Australia,
00:24:14.86\00:24:17.30
it is written here
in this book in 1900,
00:24:18.58\00:24:21.36
during the past night she wrote,
00:24:21.74\00:24:23.85
many things have
been opened before me,
00:24:24.22\00:24:26.25
the manufacture and
sale of health foods
00:24:26.28\00:24:28.18
will require careful
and prayerful consideration.
00:24:28.21\00:24:30.97
Foods that are
healthful and life sustaining
00:24:31.57\00:24:33.75
are to be prepared,
00:24:33.78\00:24:35.03
so that men and women
will not need to eat meat.
00:24:35.06\00:24:37.87
Now, in response
to this instruction
00:24:38.33\00:24:39.97
some of the men got together
00:24:40.00\00:24:40.97
and decided to
do some factory work
00:24:40.98\00:24:43.57
and they started
off in just a shed
00:24:43.60\00:24:46.25
and it was pretty hard going,
00:24:46.28\00:24:47.73
but finally they went out
00:24:47.76\00:24:49.00
and the health
food work began to grow.
00:24:49.03\00:24:52.00
This is one of the factories,
there are nine factories,
00:24:52.03\00:24:55.38
I think it is owned and operated
00:24:55.41\00:24:56.91
by Seventh Day
Adventists in Australia
00:24:56.94\00:24:58.85
and New Zealand, they
have millions of dollars
00:24:58.88\00:25:02.32
turnover and all the
profits are ploughed back
00:25:02.35\00:25:05.37
into the medical, education
and welfare work of the church
00:25:05.40\00:25:08.58
and they have proved a
great benefit to humanity.
00:25:08.61\00:25:12.14
It was while she was here
00:25:12.53\00:25:13.73
that she received many dreams
00:25:13.76\00:25:14.73
and visions in which
she had so many things
00:25:15.36\00:25:17.82
revealed to her and this
was a result of the visions
00:25:17.85\00:25:21.28
and dreams she had
here and in other places.
00:25:21.31\00:25:23.68
She wrote some beautiful books,
00:25:23.95\00:25:25.59
for instance there
is "Steps to Christ,"
00:25:25.62\00:25:28.47
a little book
which is being translated
00:25:28.50\00:25:30.04
into many different languages
and thousands of people
00:25:30.07\00:25:33.15
can trace their
conversion and to finding Christ
00:25:33.18\00:25:36.86
as a result of reading this
little book "Desire of Ages,"
00:25:36.89\00:25:40.50
the life story of Jesus Christ,
00:25:40.53\00:25:42.44
one of the best
that was ever written
00:25:42.47\00:25:44.25
and this also has led people
00:25:44.28\00:25:46.39
to have
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
00:25:46.42\00:25:48.44
"The Great Controversy,"
which outlines the drama
00:25:48.47\00:25:51.58
of the ages finishing up
on the end of this world,
00:25:51.61\00:25:54.01
dramatic scenes, beautifully
and graphically described.
00:25:54.04\00:25:57.71
And would you believe
that "Ministry of Healing"
00:25:57.83\00:26:00.15
and some others books that
she wrote on health matters,
00:26:00.18\00:26:02.32
what did she know about health?
00:26:02.35\00:26:03.76
And yet here are
books which contain
00:26:03.79\00:26:06.66
material that even the doctors
today have to agree with,
00:26:06.69\00:26:09.72
in fact they've
been an advance of many
00:26:09.75\00:26:11.87
of the medical
methods that are used today.
00:26:11.90\00:26:14.32
"Education," a girl
that only had three grades
00:26:14.92\00:26:17.83
of education telling people how
00:26:17.86\00:26:19.93
children ought to be educated
00:26:19.96\00:26:21.48
and the educational
world is just beginning
00:26:21.51\00:26:23.70
to waken up to the fact
that here are some principles
00:26:23.73\00:26:26.63
that should be followed in
the training of youth today.
00:26:26.84\00:26:29.50
You know some people say
00:26:30.34\00:26:31.65
well, look Ellen
G. White is dead,
00:26:31.68\00:26:33.51
how do I know
whether she was really
00:26:33.54\00:26:35.50
God's messenger or not?
00:26:35.53\00:26:36.95
I say read her
books, just read her books,
00:26:37.68\00:26:40.61
you'll be convinced that
00:26:40.64\00:26:41.64
these messages
really come from God.
00:26:41.67\00:26:45.14
You know, I feel that I'm
part of this ongoing story.
00:26:48.24\00:26:51.75
You see, I studied at
this college for four years
00:26:52.36\00:26:55.24
and at the end
of that four years
00:26:55.88\00:26:57.77
the church invited me to
go to India as a missionary.
00:26:57.80\00:27:01.67
So, I finished up in
India, spent many years there,
00:27:02.03\00:27:05.15
very interesting,
enjoyed it immensely
00:27:05.18\00:27:07.21
and so I feel as though
I am part of this prophecy.
00:27:07.41\00:27:10.61
I'll tell you
something else too.
00:27:10.64\00:27:12.84
In Matthew
chapter 7 and in verse 15,
00:27:12.87\00:27:15.94
Jesus Christ in the
sermon on the mountain said,
00:27:15.97\00:27:18.04
beware of false prophets,
00:27:18.56\00:27:20.32
now notice he didn't say have
nothing to do with prophets,
00:27:20.35\00:27:23.25
no, he said simply
beware of false prophets.
00:27:24.02\00:27:27.43
He said by their
fruits you will know them.
00:27:27.87\00:27:31.73
I have found by
experience that the fruits
00:27:32.04\00:27:34.19
of Ellen G.
White's ministry are good.
00:27:34.41\00:27:36.89
While I was at college here,
00:27:37.66\00:27:39.14
I used to go up to
the surrounding districts
00:27:39.17\00:27:41.70
and visit some of the
people and talk to them
00:27:41.73\00:27:43.58
about the Bible
and when they learned
00:27:43.61\00:27:45.61
I came from Avondale
College they would say,
00:27:45.64\00:27:47.82
oh! Avondale College,
00:27:47.85\00:27:49.22
some of the older ones
that is and they'd say,
00:27:49.80\00:27:52.13
we remember many
years ago a little old lady
00:27:52.16\00:27:54.73
about the name of
Ellen White used to come out
00:27:54.76\00:27:56.66
and visit us, she was so kind,
00:27:56.69\00:27:58.93
a marvelous Christian.
00:27:59.03\00:28:00.75
I always heard good
words about Ellen G. White's
00:28:00.78\00:28:05.16
life here at Avondale,
00:28:05.19\00:28:07.01
by their fruits
you shall know them
00:28:07.60\00:28:08.57
and the fruits were good.
00:28:09.48\00:28:11.00
These are just
some of the many books
00:28:11.62\00:28:14.03
written by Ellen G. White.
00:28:14.06\00:28:15.58
I can strongly
recommend their study for
00:28:16.03\00:28:18.55
their both
inspirational and informative.
00:28:18.58\00:28:21.32
Now for our next program,
00:28:22.15\00:28:23.90
we will be visiting
the lowest place on Earth,
00:28:23.93\00:28:26.70
the Dead Sea, where
the water is so heavy
00:28:26.73\00:28:29.74
you can't possibly sink
00:28:29.77\00:28:31.82
and David will be telling
us about the exciting discovery
00:28:31.85\00:28:35.09
in the caves of
the Dead Sea at Qumran.
00:28:35.12\00:28:38.26