In this article we will study whether Ellen G. White is the greater light or the lesser light. It is often repeated in Seventh-day Adventist churches that Ellen G. White is the lesser light and that the Bible is the greater light. A few weeks ago, I heard a sermon from Pastor Hugo Gambetta explaining this important topic, and I decided to study it for myself. Even official Seventh-day Adventist magazines and websites say that Ellen G. White is the lesser light, meaning that she is less than the Bible and other prophets. But is this true?
Israel had the truth. It came from God, and the Torah was inspired by God. Yet Israel began to teach false doctrines, and in Ezekiel 9 we find that they were leading people to worship Baal and pagan deities. God’s truth to the Seventh-day Adventist Church is all true. It is the last movement before the return of Jesus, and what comes from God cannot fail. But people are not God’s truth, and God will not force people to be good or always teach the truth.
Things can creep into a church that God never intended. This is one of those false teachings taught by some people contrary to Ellen G. White’s writings and the Bible. Is Ellen G. White an inspired writer like the other prophets? Who inspires prophets? God. If God inspires prophets, will He inspire one prophet 40 percent less than another? This is what many modern Seventh-day Adventist pastors teach, contrary to Ellen G. White’s writings.
“The Holy Ghost is the author of the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy.”
Both Ellen G. White and the Bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Nowhere does it say that the Holy Spirit inspires some prophets less than others. There is no degree of inspiration to the point that one prophet could not be biblical.
The Bible must be your counselor. Study it, and the Testimonies God has given, for they never contradict His Word. If Ellen G. White is inspired, then her writings from the Holy Spirit will not contradict the Bible. Why are some prophets like Gad, Nathan, and Enoch not in the Bible? Because God chose it to be so. We do not know why. God is the one who chose which writings to include in the Bible. Were those other prophets not inspired? Yes, they were inspired. So why are they not in the Bible? Because God chose it to be so.
“Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light.”
Modern Seventh-day Adventist members often assume that the greater light is the Bible. But the statement does not say that directly. What is the greater light? The greater light is the Bible, but also Jesus Christ, the true Light.
John the Baptist as the lesser light
“The prophet John was the connecting link between the two dispensations. He was the lesser light which was to be followed by a greater. He was to shake the confidence of the people in their traditions, call their sins to their remembrance, and lead them to repentance, that they might be prepared to appreciate the work of Christ.”
No light had ever shone, or ever will shine, so clearly upon the mind of fallen man as that which came from the teachings and example of Jesus.
The greatest prophet, John the Baptist, was also called the lesser light. If John the Baptist was the lesser light, what about the other prophets in the Bible? They too are lesser lights.
“Although not one of the prophets has a higher mission or greater work to perform than had John, yet he was not to see even the result of his own labors. He was not privileged to be with Christ and witness the divine power attending the greater light.”
John the Baptist was the greatest prophet, yet he was the lesser light. Jesus is the greater light, because Jesus is the Truth. Since the Bible is truth, and Jesus is the Word of God, the Bible is also the greater light in that sense. All prophets are lesser lights, reflecting the greater light. No prophet has light in himself, because none of them is God.
“The prophet John was the connecting link between the two dispensations. As God’s representative, he stood forth to show the relation of the law and the prophets to the Christian dispensation. He was the lesser light, which was to be followed by a greater. The mind of John was illuminated by the Holy Spirit, that he might shed light upon his people; but no other light ever has shone or ever will shine so clearly upon fallen man as that which emanated from the teaching and example of Jesus.”
John was “more than a prophet.” While prophets had seen Christ’s coming from afar, John was given the privilege of beholding Him and presenting Him to Israel as the Sent of God. The prophet John was the lesser light to be followed by a greater. No other light will ever shine so clearly on fallen man as the teaching and example of Jesus.
“[We have] also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”
The Bible is light because Jesus is the Word of God. All prophets point to the true Light, Jesus Christ.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
John came to bear witness of the Light of the world, Jesus.
“He was a burning and a shining light.”
“I am the light of the world.”
Jesus is the light of the world. All prophets reflect the true Light, who has light in Himself: Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament and light
“With the first advent of Christ there was ushered in an era of greater light and glory; but it would indeed be sinful ingratitude to despise and ridicule the lesser light because a fuller and more glorious light had dawned.”
Here we must be careful not to say that the Old Testament is less inspired than the New Testament. Ellen G. White is not saying that. The Old Testament is fully inspired, but it is lesser in the sense that it pointed forward to the coming of Jesus. The Old and New Testaments are both the Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Ellen G. White’s books contain light
“I thank my Heavenly Father for the interest that my brethren and sisters have taken in the circulation of Christ’s Object Lessons… The larger books, Patriarchs and Prophets, Great Controversy, and Desire of Ages, should be sold everywhere. These books contain truth for this time, truth that is to be proclaimed in all parts of the world.”
“Sister White is not the originator of these books. They contain the instruction that during her life-work God has been giving her. They contain the precious, comforting light that God has graciously given His servant to be given to the world.”
Ellen G. White says she did not originate her books. If she did not originate them, who did? The Holy Spirit. So could she say she was not inspired or less inspired if the Holy Spirit inspired her? No. Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ellen G. White were all prophets. All prophets are lesser lights pointing people to the greater Light: Jesus.
The moon and the sun
“And God made two great lights; the great light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.”
There are two lights in the sky. One reflects the original light, the sun. The moon has no light in itself; it only reflects the light of the sun. Even the sun itself receives its light and power from God.
“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.”
Jesus is called the Sun, because He has light and truth in Himself. It is amazing that we live in a society that thinks human reasoning can create and decide truth, when the Bible says only Jesus has original truth and light. No one can create truth. No one can decide what truth or light is.
“The sun rising in the heavens is the representative of Him who is the life and light of all that He has made.”
The moon is like the prophets or Christians who reflect the light of Jesus.
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
In heaven, Jesus will be the light of the whole world.
Jesus as the light of the world
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
If we do not receive the light of Jesus, we are in darkness. Believing lies or false teachings is walking in darkness.
Christ makes no apology when He declares, “I am the light of the world.” He was, in life and teaching, the gospel and the foundation of all pure doctrine. Just as the sun compares with the lesser lights in the heavens, so Christ, the Source of light, compared with the teachers of His day. He was before them all, and shining with the brightness of the sun, He diffused His penetrating, gladdening rays throughout the world.
When Jesus spoke these words, He was in the court of the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. Lamps were lighted and the court was filled with rejoicing. The scene pointed to the Messiah. But to Jesus, the scene had a wider meaning. As the radiant lamps of the temple lit everything around them, so Christ, the Source of spiritual light, illumines the darkness of the world. Yet the symbol was imperfect. The great light that His own hand had set in the heavens was a truer representation of the glory of His mission.
The Christian’s calling
Israel was the light of the world among pagan nations. They were to spend time with God, receive light, and pass it on to others. Sadly, they failed in their mission, and God rejected them as a nation. Today many churches are also failing to give light to others, and they are in danger of ending up in darkness.
“It is the privilege of the Christian to connect with the Source of light, and through this living connection become the light of the world.”
We are called to do the work of God and tell others that Jesus loves them. But many are not doing this work, and mission work is diminishing. We need to wake up. We need to tell others that they are in danger of being eternally lost. If we do not cooperate with God, our Christian life has been in vain.
Unless we connect with Jesus, the Source of light, we will not reflect light to others. Bible study, the Spirit of Prophecy, prayer, and evangelism are ways God gives us more light.
God does not send more light to those who have refused the light they already have.
“As the light of the sun is light and life and blessing to all that live, so should Christians, by their good works, by their cheerfulness and courage, be the light of the world.”
We do not do good works by ourselves. As Jesus said, the works that He does, the Father does through Him.
“O be sure you receive your illumination from the Source of all light. He is the great central Light of the universe of heaven and the great Light of the world.”
Most people receive their illumination from Satan, which is false light, not true light.
“In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
Jesus has life in Himself. Jesus is truly God and the only originator of light. What is light? It is truth.
Light and truth
“These experiences helped the disciples to understand that among those whom many regarded as unworthy of salvation, there were souls hungering for the light of truth.”
Truth is light. When we understand something from the Bible, the Holy Spirit helps us understand truth or light.
“As they heard their beloved Master explaining the Scriptures in the light of all that had happened, their faith in Him was fully established.”
One truth can have unlimited light and lessons brought out from one verse. The Bible is infinite and unlimited. On the other hand, some people wait idly for a special season of spiritual refreshing while neglecting present duties. They let their light burn dim while waiting for blessing without effort.
We need to make strong efforts to search for light and truth and study the Bible, or what we already know will grow dim. Light-seeking is a continual quest. Those who rest in their light become lukewarm and lose their savor.
Rejecting light
“The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God.”
Satan works in different ways to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony. But the truth is this: the Bible and Ellen G. White’s books contain truth and light. We need to believe these sources and test every modern teaching by them. When people say Ellen G. White is a lesser light, they diminish the work of the Holy Spirit and teach others to disregard what is fully inspired.
They persistently rejected light and stifled the convictions of the Spirit. The influence that controlled the children of disobedience worked in them, leading them to abuse the men through whom God was working.
When we reject light, we fall. The true church stands on truth. Babylon, the Sunday Protestant churches, and the papacy have fallen from Bible truth into a mixture of paganism and Scripture. A church whose main teachings come from paganism cannot be called God’s church. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the last true church of God.
The wrath of God is not declared merely because of sins already committed, but because when people are called to repent, they choose continued resistance. If the Jewish leaders had submitted to the Holy Spirit, they would have been pardoned. But by refusing, they placed themselves beyond His influence.
Pride and dishonesty are mighty sins that prevent many people from accepting the light and admitting they were wrong. Will you accept truth today?
Father God, bless my brother and sister who is reading. Give them an honest heart so that they accept the truth. Let us give the three angels’ message to the world that is ready to perish. May many voices go forth with Your truth, and may many accept Your message and love, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
