Does the Bible assure us of prophetic guidance in the last days? Yes, the Father assures us through His word that prophecy is one of the spiritual gifts of the church in the apostolic age. “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:28.

Peter quotes Joel in fulfilment of his prophecy in the apostolic day, and yet the words are even more appropriate for exactly the time that Ellen White lived. The Dark Day and the falling of the stars, wonders in the sky, drew people's attention to the times. It was a time of prophetic awakening, stirring in the world, and the beginning of the end. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” Joel 2:28-31.

The same Spirit of Prophecy that marked the apostolic church should mark the true believers at the time of the end as well. This is prophesied in 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.” The testimony of Jesus is called the spirit of prophecy in 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 fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The word “testimony” in Greek is “martyria,” a word that is very rich in meaning. The testimony of Jesus is the witness of having overcome death at the cross. The vision of Jesus in the book of Revelation is a heavenly one. He has overcome death and has entered into his work of heavenly intercession. The testimony of Jesus comprises his whole work of overcoming death and blotting out sin. That is, this message is the spirit of the prophecy. There is an article “the” in the Greek original. The prophecy is the book of revelation, and this message of Jesus overcoming death and blotting out sin is the very spirit of the book.

But the article appears before an abstract noun in Greek, unlike in English, so the King James translation is absolutely accurate. “The” is a more general meaning of the expression. The spirit of prophecy is the action of the Holy Spirit to transmit the message of Jesus overcoming death and blotting out sin. By the spirit of prophecy this message is transmitted to the believers.

There is another point that is mentioned. In Revelation 19:10 John is tempted to worship someone other than God. The angel forbids him, saying “Worship God.” Worship God alone, who is Creator, is an essential part of the eternal gospel mentioned in Revelation 14:6, 7, as the first angel's message. The testimony of Jesus which comes to the company of believers at the time of the end through the Spirit of Prophecy corrects three false teachings of Christianity. Christianity erred in situating the atonement for sin at the cross and then compounding that error by repeating the sacrifice in the Eucharist performed by human priests in churches on the earth for centuries after the cross. By the doctrine of the Trinity, the church essentially denied the real death of the Son of God on the cross, believing that the “human” nature of Christ died, while the “divine” nature did not. By the doctrine of the Trinity the church also denied God the worship due to Him alone.

These are precisely the false doctrines that the Spirit of Prophecy, acting through the ministry of Ellen White corrected, thus preparing the believers for the coming of Christ. The Spirit of Prophecy affirmed the real death of the Son of God on the cross, thus overcoming death and providing the way for Jesus to enter his heavenly ministry, by which forgiven sins are blotted out for ever by the application of his sacrifice in intercession. At the same time the Spirit of Prophecy restored the true doctrine of God and Christ as His son.

The Spirit of Prophecy restores right doctrine in preparation for the second coming of Christ. But it also provides further guidance. We see this in the many testimonies that Ellen White wrote to both individuals and groups throughout her life. These testimonies are always in harmony with Biblical teaching and call people to repentance and service to God. Among the most spectacular issues of guidance have been the health principles revealed through the pen of Ellen White.