Vance Ferrell’s Deceptive Use of
The Spirit of Prophecy
This Sabbath day, May 18, 2013, I have
posted on my website an article by Vance Ferrell, former SDA minister. The
article is entitled “When Satan Will Appear as Christ.”
At the beginning of his article, Vance states:
“In this brief study, I will provide you with every Spirit of Prophecy passage
on this important subject.”
This is a
misrepresentation of the truth of the matter. I want to demonstrate how you
cannot depend upon Vance Ferrell to tell you the full truth. I have to question
(not judge) his motives for what he does to the following passage. Given the
importance of the words he ellipses’ from the passage, it is a diabolical act
on his part. I will offer possible reasons as to why Vance made the ellipses.
The quote is found on page 4 of the article, and the right column at this link:
https://omega77.tripod.com/satancoming.pdf
Here is the quote.
First I will give Vance’s version of the statement. Then below his ellipse
version of the statement, I will give the full quote as it appears in Selected Messages, Book 2, p. 36. In the full quote I give, I will highlight the words
Vance omits in this color. Then you decide if the ellipses is proper.
FANATICISM WILL OCCUR
“There will be shouting, drums, music,
and dancing. “The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the
Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every
uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music,
and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they
cannot be trusted to make right decisions . . .
“A bedlam of noise shocks the senses
and perverts that which if conducted aright might be a blessing. The powers of
satanic agencies blend with the din and noise to have a carnival [a synonym for
celebration], and this is termed the Holy Spirit’s working . . Those things
which have been in the past will be in the future. Satan will make music a
snare by the way in which it is conducted.”—2
Selected Messages, 36:2-3, 38:1.
"The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the
Lord has shown me would take place just
before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be
demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The
senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted
to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods, in such a bedlam
of noise. This is an invention of Satan to cover up his ingenious methods for
making of none effect the pure, sincere, elevating, ennobling, sanctifying
truth for this time. Better never have the worship of God blended with music
than to use musical instruments to do the work which last January was represented to me would be brought into our
camp meetings. The truth for this time needs nothing of this kind in
its work of converting souls. A bedlam of noise shocks the senses and pervert that which if conducted
aright might be a blessing. The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din
and noise, to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirits
working."
Those things which have been in the
past will be in the future. Satan will make music a snare by the way in which
it is conducted.”—2 Selected Messages,
36:2-3, 38:1.
· Vance leaves out the words that implicate SDA Camp Meetings.
· Just before the close of probation, this quote is describing what will be
brought into SDA camp meetings!
· Is this indicative of REPENTANCE FOR APOSTASY, AND A REVIVAL AND
REFORMATION on the part of the SDA church militant at such a critical hour
as JUST BEFORE THE CLOSE OF PROBATION?
Vance’s Pitch for His Book on End Time EGW Quotes
Here is Vance’s pitch for his book
which he boasts as giving “…the most complete, classified collection of Spirit of Prophecy
statements on last-day events ever compiled;”
“The
remainder of this research study is reprinted from pp. 51-58, 189-191, 58-62,
and 65-68 of my 360-page, 8½ x 11, hardback book, The End of Time.
(Single
copies are available for only $13.00 ppd. In boxfuls of 8 to the case, it only
costs $4.75 per copy. The box cost is, in the U.S., $38.00 + $12.00.)
This
is an excellent book to share with friends, relatives, and fellow believers—so
they will not be misled by the winds of error regarding coming events, which
are blowing everywhere. The entire book contains the most complete, classified
collection of Spirit of Prophecy statements on last-day events ever compiled;
and concludes with a chapter on the dangers of time-setting.” End Vance’s pitch
for his book.
I
ask you friend, is Vance out to reform God’s people or sell books?! Is he
choosing to omit anything that might be taken as an offense to God’s “church?”
Vance
boasts that his book has the most complete collection of Spirit of Prophecy
statements on the issues he speaks of, but he omits the following very serious
prophetic statements by Ellen G. White:
"The Lord has a controversy with his professed people in these last days. In this
controversy men
in responsible positions will take a course directly opposite to that pursued
by Nehemiah. They
will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but they will try to
keep it from others by burying it beneath the rubbish of custom and tradition. In churches and in large
gatherings in the open air, ministers, will urge upon the people the necessity
of keeping the first day of the week." E.G. White, Review and Herald, Vol. 1, p. 405, col. 3.
“The enemy knows that if the church can be
controlled by political enactments, if she can be led to unite with the world, she virtually acknowledges him
as her head. Then the authority of man-made commandments will work to oppose
the rule of the government of heaven. Under the leadership of Satan men will
dispense with the righteous, holy enactments of God concerning the Sabbath, the
observance of which is to be a sign between God and His people forever. {ST,
November 22, 1899 par. 1}
“If the church
will put on the robe of Christ's righteousness, withdrawing from all allegiance
with the world, there is before her the dawn of a bright and glorious day. God's
promise to her will stand fast forever. He will make her an eternal excellency,
a joy of many generations.” Acts of the Apostles, p. 601.
"I saw the nominal church and
nominal Adventists, like Judas, would betray us to the Catholics to obtain
their influence to come against the truth. The saints then will be an obscure
[hidden] people, little known to the Catholics but the churches and nominal
Adventists who know of our faith and customs (for they hate us on account of
the Sabbath, for they could not refute it) will betray the saints and report
them to the Catholics as those who disregard the institutions of the people
that is, that they keep the Sabbath and disregard Sunday.
Then the Catholics bid the Protestants to go forward, and issue a
decree that all who will not observe the first day of the week, instead of the
seventh day, shall be slain. And the Catholics, whose numbers are large, will
stand by the Protestants. The Catholics will give their power to the image of
the beast. And the Protestants will work as their mother worked before them to
destroy the saints. But before their decree bring or bear fruit, the saints
will be delivered by the Voice of God. Then I saw that Jesus' work in the
sanctuary will soon be finished. And after His work there is finished, He will
come to the door of the first apartment, and confess the sins of Israel upon
the head of the Scape Goat. Then He will put on the garments of vengeance. Then
the plagues will come upon the wicked, and they do not come till Jesus puts on
that garment, and takes His place upon the great white cloud. Then while the
plagues are falling, the Scape Goat is being led away. He makes a mighty
struggle to escape, but he is held fast by the hand that leads him. If he
should effect his escape, Israel would lose their lives. I saw that it would
take time to lead away the Scape Goat into the land of forgetfulness after the
sins were put on his head.
The great white cloud I saw was not the holy place, but entirely
separate from the holy and most holy place, entirely separate from the
sanctuary.
Then the angel repeated these words, and said, 'This is the time spoken
of in Isaiah. He saw that there was not man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor. He had no mediator between God and man, and these plagues could be
withheld no longer, for Jesus had ceased to plead for Israel, and they were
covered with the covering of the Almighty God, and they could live in the sight
of a holy God, and those who were not covered, the plagues fell upon them, for
they had nothing to shelter or protect them from the wrath of God." E.G.
White, Dorchester, Maine, October 23, 1850, Spalding--Magan's Unpublished
Mss. Testimonies, pp. 1, 2.
Note by Ron: Clearly, the nominal Adventists will not be keeping the
Sabbath, because they hate the saints on account of the Sabbath. Notice that
Ellen White says there will be “nominal Adventists,” AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE
TIME OF TROUBLE:
“I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They
have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of
trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the
Sabbath more fully. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventist, as they could not refute the
Sabbath truth.” Early Writings, p. 33.
Will the SDA Church Militant
be Nominal Just Before the Close of Probation? Will it Accept
the CONDITIONS Spelled Out in the Above Spirit of Prophecy Statements? Are
those who REFUSE THE CONDITIONS—nominal Adventists?
I will let Ellen White answer this matter:
PROLEPSIS STATEEMNT:
Here
is the Spirit of Prophecy prophesied prolepsis statement regarding the final
fate of that once Noble Ship. This is a major LYNCHPIN to my warning message.
Can you explain it away? Are you a passenger on this once NOBLE SHIP, that is
about to sink to rise no more? NOTICE WHO SEPARATES
FROM WHOM:
"Jesus sends HIS PEOPLE a message of warning
to prepare them for his coming. To the prophet John was made known the closing work
in the great plan of man's redemption. He beheld an angel flying 'in the midst
of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on
the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying
with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him for the hour of his Judgment
is come and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters [Rev. 14:6, 7.].
The angel represented in
prophecy as delivering this message, symbolizes a class of faithful men, who,
obedient to the promptings of God's Spirit and the teachings of his word,
proclaim this warning to the inhabitants of earth. This message was not to be committed to the religious leaders of the
people. They had failed to preserve their connection with God, and had
REFUSED THE LIGHT FROM HEAVEN therefore they WERE NOT of the number described
by the apostle Paul: 'But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day
should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the
children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness' [1 Thess. 5:4,
5].
The watchmen upon the walls of Zion should be the first to catch
the tidings of the Saviour's advent, the first to lift their voices to proclaim
him near, the first to warn the people to prepare for his coming. But they were
at ease, dreaming of peace and safety, while the people were asleep in their
sins. Jesus saw HIS CHURCH, like the barren fig-tree, covered with
pretentious leaves, yet destitute of precious fruit. There was a boastful
observance of the forms of religion, while the spirit of true humility,
penitence and faith--which alone could render the service acceptable to
God--was lacking. Instead of the graces of the Spirit, there were manifested
pride, formalism, vainglory, selfishness, oppression. A BACKSLIDING CHURCH closed their eyes to the signs of the
times. God did nor forsake them, or suffer his faithfulness to fail but they departed from him, and SEPARATED THEMSELVES from his love. As they REFUSED TO COMPLY WITH THE CONDITIONS, his promises were
NOT FULFILLED to them." E.G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol.
4, pp. 199-200 [The
1884 edition of The Great Controversy, 199, 200].
Note these important delineations in
the above statement:
·
Ellen
White is addressing HIS PEOPLE.
·
Ellen
White is addressing those to whom was committed the EVERLASTING GOSPEL of
Revelation 14.
·
Ellen
White is defining the angel represented in prophecy as symbolizing a class of
faithful men.
·
Ellen
White is saying emphatically that the final Loud Cry message is delivered NOT
BY THE LEADERS OF THE SDA CHURCH, but by a class of faithful men, because
the leaders had failed to preserve their connection with God and had refused
light from heaven!
·
Ellen
White is addressing "watchmen upon the walls of Zion," NOT FALLEN
BABYLON!
·
It is the MEMBERS of
said church that SEPARATE FROM GOD, AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE TO SEPARATE FROM
THEM OR BE CORPORATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR APOSTASY.
·
And
twice Ellen White mentions HIS CHURCH, NOT FALLEN BABYLON.
Ellen
White is addressing a BACKSLIDING CHURCH whose leaders and laity
alike failed and rejected light from heaven and who refused to comply with
the conditions so that God's promises are not fulfilled to them. Vance Ferrell
never deals with this statement that has EVERYTHING to do with the end-time
regarding the professing Seventh-day Adventist church. Is it because he would
not sell as many books to Adventists if he told them the truth? Is he more
interested in his multi-million dollar book business than the pure truth?
It’s a sad day when we need a
WATCHMAN to watch the supposed watchmen! You simply can’t trust Vance Ferrell
to tell you all the truth. Many have complained as well about his printings of The
Great Controversy—the mistakes and omissions.
Vance
is dealing falsely:
COUNTERPART: "The Lord
commanded one of his ancient servants, 'Pray not thou for this people [Jer.
7:16 and 11:9-15], neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make
intercession to me for I will not hear thee.' The prophet thus describes the
sins which had called forth this fearful denunciation: 'The prophets prophesy
falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end
thereof?' 'From the least of them even
unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness and from the
prophet even unto the priest, every one
dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.' The apostles
declare that this state of things will find its COUNTERPART in the last days.
Many have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof.
They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state. They
say in their hearts, 'The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual prosperity
are within her borders.' The words of the prophet may well apply to these
self-deceivers, 'They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in
their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their
fears upon them." E. G. White, Second Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald, 11-07-82.
As
Vance himself quotes:
“Evil
angels in the form of men will talk with those who know the truth. They will misinterpret
and misconstrue the statements of the messengers of God." —3 Selected
Messages, 411:1-2.
—rwb