EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Deuteronomy 30:2
"And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;"
"As Nehemiah prayed, his faith and courage grew strong. His mouth was filled with holy arguments. He pointed to the dishonor that would be cast upon God, if His people, now that they had returned to Him, should be left in weakness and oppression; and he urged the Lord to bring to pass His promise: “If ye turn unto Me, and keep My Commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set My name there.” See Deuteronomy 4:29-31 . This promise had been given to Israel through Moses before they had entered Canaan, and during the centuries it had stood unchanged. God's people had now returned to Him in penitence and faith, and His promise would not fail. PK 629.2"
Both passages discuss returning to God and obeying His voice. EGW references Deuteronomy 4:29-31, but the provided verse is thematically similar.
Deuteronomy 30:4
"If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:"
"As Nehemiah prayed, his faith and courage grew strong. His mouth was filled with holy arguments. He pointed to the dishonor that would be cast upon God, if His people, now that they had returned to Him, should be left in weakness and oppression; and he urged the Lord to bring to pass His promise: “If ye turn unto Me, and keep My Commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set My name there.” See Deuteronomy 4:29-31 . This promise had been given to Israel through Moses before they had entered Canaan, and during the centuries it had stood unchanged. God's people had now returned to Him in penitence and faith, and His promise would not fail. PK 629.2"
EGW directly quotes Deuteronomy 30:4, highlighting the promise of God gathering His people from the uttermost parts of heaven.
Deuteronomy 30:15
"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;"
"“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 . While life is the inheritance of the righteous, death is the portion of the wicked. Moses declared to Israel: “I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.” Deuteronomy 30:15 . The death referred to in these scriptures is not that pronounced upon Adam, for all mankind suffer the penalty of his transgression. It is “the second death” that is placed in contrast with everlasting life. GC 544.1"
Ellen White directly references Deuteronomy 30:15 in this passage.
Deuteronomy 30:19
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"
"Josiah was deeply stirred as he heard read for the first time the exhortations and warnings recorded in this ancient manuscript. Never before had he realized so fully the plainness with which God had set before Israel “life and death, blessing and cursing” ( Deuteronomy 30:19 ): and how repeatedly they had been urged to choose the way of life, that they might become a praise in the earth, a blessing to all nations. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid,” Israel had been exhorted through Moses; “for the Lord thy God. He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, not forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6 . PK 393.2"
EGW directly quotes Deuteronomy 30:19.
"Yet Satan was not then destroyed. The angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy. The principles at stake were to be more fully revealed. And for the sake of man, Satan's existence must be continued. Man as well as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness. He must choose whom he will serve. DA 761.3"
The EGW passage emphasizes the necessity of choice between good and evil, directly reflecting the principle of choice presented in Deuteronomy 30:19.
"Today the truths of Scripture are to be brought before the great men of the world in order that they may choose between obedience to God's law and allegiance to the prince of evil. God sets everlasting truth before them—truth that will make them wise unto salvation, but He does not force them to accept it. If they turn from it, He leaves them to themselves, to be filled with the fruit of their own doings. AA 241.2"
Both passages highlight the principle of God setting choices before people (obedience/disobedience, life/death) and allowing them to choose. EGW applies this principle to the context of accepting or rejecting the truths of Scripture, echoing the sentiment in Deuteronomy.
"Esau and Jacob had alike been instructed in the knowledge of God, and both were free to walk in His commandments and to receive His favor; but they had not both chosen to do this. The two brothers had walked in different ways, and their paths would continue to diverge more and more widely. PP 207.3"
Both passages deal with the idea of choices and consequences. Deuteronomy presents a direct choice between life and death, while EGW discusses Esau and Jacob's choices leading to different paths. The connection is thematic, not a direct quote or allusion.
"A signpost was erected by God for those journeying through this world. One arm of this signpost pointed out willing obedience to the Creator as the road to felicity and life, while the other arm indicated disobedience as the path to misery and death. The way to happiness was as clearly defined as was the way to the city of refuge under the Jewish dispensation. But in an evil hour for our race, the great enemy of all good turned the signpost around, and multitudes have mistaken the way. PK 179.2"
Both passages present a choice between two paths with different consequences, life/death, blessing/cursing vs. felicity/misery. EGW's signpost analogy is a clear parallel to Deuteronomy's presentation of choices.
"Both worlds are before you. Which will you choose? Be wise and lay hold of eternal life. Swerve not from your integrity, however unpleasant your duties may appear in the present emergency. It may seem that you are about to make great sacrifices to preserve your purity of soul, but do not hesitate; press forward in the fear of God, and He will bless your efforts and recompense you a thousandfold. Do not yield your religious claims and privileges in order to gratify the wishes of your unconsecrated friends and relatives. You are called to take your position for the truth, even if it should be in direct opposition to those who are closely connected with you. God forbid that this last trial should ever come to you, to test and prove your integrity for the right. 4T 117.2"
Both passages present a choice between two paths (life and death/eternal life vs. worldly gratification) and urge the reader to choose the path that leads to God, even if it involves sacrifice or opposition. The 'two worlds' presented by EGW directly parallels the 'life and death' choice in Deuteronomy.
"God does not compel men to give up their unbelief. Before them are light and darkness, truth and error. It is for them to decide which they will accept. The human mind is endowed with power to discriminate between right and wrong. God designs that men shall not decide from impulse, but from weight of evidence, carefully comparing scripture with scripture. Had the Jews laid by their prejudice and compared written prophecy with the facts characterizing the life of Jesus, they would have perceived a beautiful harmony between the prophecies and their fulfillment in the life and ministry of the lowly Galilean. DA 458.3"
Both passages highlight the concept of choice between good and evil, light and darkness. Deuteronomy 30:19 explicitly presents the choice between life and death, while the EGW passage discusses the choice between belief and unbelief, truth and error. The underlying principle of free will and the need to choose is present in both.
"Cain had the same opportunity of learning and accepting these truths as had Abel. He was not the victim of an arbitrary purpose. One brother was not elected to be accepted of God, and the other to be rejected. Abel chose faith and obedience; Cain, unbelief and rebellion. Here the whole matter rested. PP 72.4"
EGW's statement that Cain and Abel had the same opportunity to choose and that their choices determined their fate echoes the principle of choice presented in Deuteronomy 30:19. Both passages emphasize individual responsibility and the consequences of choosing obedience or disobedience.
"A blessing or a curse is now before the people of God—a blessing if they come out from the world and are separate, and walk in the path of humble obedience; and a curse if they unite with the idolatrous, who trample upon the high claims of heaven. The sins and iniquities of rebellious Israel are recorded and the picture presented before us as a warning that if we imitate their example of transgression and depart from God we shall fall as surely as did they. “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1T 609.2"
Both passages present a choice between blessing and cursing based on obedience or disobedience. While not a direct quote, the thematic similarity is strong.
"I was pointed back to ancient Israel. But two of the adults of the vast army that left Egypt entered the land of Canaan. Their dead bodies were strewn in the wilderness because of their transgressions. Modern Israel are in greater danger of forgetting God and being led into idolatry than were His ancient people. Many idols are worshiped, even by professed Sabbathkeepers. God especially charged His ancient people to guard against idolatry, for if they should be led away from serving the living God, His curse would rest upon them, while if they would love Him with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might, He would abundantly bless them in basket and in store, and would remove sickness from the midst of them. 1T 609.1"
Both passages present a choice between blessing and cursing, life and death, based on obedience to God. While not a direct quote, the theme is clearly present.
"“The strength of nations and of individuals is not found in the opportunities and facilities that appear to make them invincible; It is not found in their boasted greatness. That which alone can make them great or strong is the power and purpose of God. They themselves by their attitude toward His purpose, decide their own destiny. PK 9.3"
Both passages highlight the idea that nations and individuals determine their destiny based on their choices and relationship with God. Deuteronomy 30:19 presents the choice between life and death, blessing and cursing, while EGW states that they decide their own destiny by their attitude toward God's purpose.
"“If you will not receive brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who will bring you war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons the way of life, you shall receive from them the stroke of death.”— J. H. Merle D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, b. 17, ch. 2. These were no idle threats. War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these witnesses for a Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed, or forced to submit to the authority of the pope. GC 62.4"
The quote presents a choice between accepting brethren and facing enemies, which is a possible connection to the biblical theme of choosing between life and death, blessing and cursing.