Ellen Chat Conversation

This passage is a significant excerpt from the first volume of **Spiritual Gifts**, published in 1858. This volume was the precursor to what would eventually be expanded into the *Conflict of the Ages* series (specifically *The Great Controversy*). ### The Quote > "In this epistle the apostle introduces the subject of the second coming of the Lord. He then describes the state of the unbelieving world at that time---saying, “peace and safety”, when the day of the Lord is about to burst upon them, and sudden destruction come upon them as a thief in the night. He then exhorts the church, in view of these things, to keep awake, watch and be sober. Among the exhortations that follow are the words we have quoted, “quench not the Spirit,” &C. Some may think that these three verses are completely detached from each other in sense; but they have a natural connection in the order in which they stand. The person who quenches the Spirit will be left to despise prophesyings, which are the legitimate fruit of the Spirit, “I will pour out My Spirit, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” Joel 2:28 . The expression, “prove all things,” is limited to the subject of discourse---prophesyings---and we are to try the spirits by the tests which he has given us in his word. Spiritual deceptions and false prophesyings abound at the present time; and doubtless this text has a special application here. But, mark, the apostle does not say, reject all things; but, prove all things; hold fast that which is good." — *Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1*, 1SG 14.2 ### Context and Meaning This passage is found in the **Introduction** of *Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1*. In this section, Ellen White provides a biblical defense for the manifestation of the "Spirit of Prophecy" in the last days. 1. **Biblical Foundation:** She is specifically commenting on **1 Thessalonians 5**. She connects the warning against "quenching the Spirit" directly to the instruction "despise not prophesyings." Her argument is that the gift of prophecy is a natural result of the Holy Spirit's work. 2. **The "Peace and Safety" Cry:** She highlights the contrast between the world, which is caught off guard by the Second Coming because they are lulled into a false sense of security, and the Church, which is commanded to stay awake and sober. 3. **Testing the Prophetic:** She emphasizes that "proving all things" does not mean being cynical or rejecting all spiritual manifestations. Instead, it means using the Word of God as a standard to distinguish between true and false "prophesyings," especially since she notes that "spiritual deceptions" would be prevalent in her time. *** **Search Results Summary:** Found thousands of passages containing these keywords. For the complete list with filters, try the Full-Text Search: [Full-Text Search](/advanced-search?q=1SG+14.2) **Book breakdown:** * 1SG (1530)