"The teaching so widely echoed from popular pulpits, that the second advent of Christ is His coming to each individual at death, is a device to divert the minds of men from His personal coming in the clouds of heaven. For years Satan has thus been saying, “Behold, He is in the secret chambers” ( Matthew 24:23-26 ); and many souls have been lost by accepting this deception. GC 525.1"
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not."
Ellen White directly references Matthew 24:23-26 in this passage.
"Again, worldly wisdom teaches that prayer is not essential. Men of science claim that there can be no real answer to prayer; that this would be a violation of law, a miracle, and that miracles have no existence. The universe, say they, is governed by fixed laws, and God Himself does nothing contrary to these laws. Thus they represent God as bound by His own laws—as if the operation of divine laws could exclude divine freedom. Such teaching is opposed to the testimony of the Scriptures. Were not miracles wrought by Christ and His apostles? The same compassionate Saviour lives today, and He is as willing to listen to the prayer of faith as when He walked visibly among men. The natural cooperates with the supernatural. It is a part of God's plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask. GC 525.2"
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
The EGW passage defends the importance and efficacy of prayer, contrasting it with the view that prayer is unnecessary or ineffective. This directly aligns with the principle expressed in James 5:16, which emphasizes the power of fervent prayer.
"Innumerable are the erroneous doctrines and fanciful ideas that are obtaining among the churches of Christendom. It is impossible to estimate the evil results of removing one of the landmarks fixed by the word of God. Few who venture to do this stop with the rejection of a single truth. The majority continue to set aside one after another of the principles of truth, until they become actual infidels. GC 525.3"
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Both passages describe a departure from sound doctrine and a turning towards erroneous beliefs. The EGW passage speaks of rejecting landmarks fixed by the word of God, while 2 Timothy 4:3-4 describes people turning away from truth and embracing fables. The theme of rejecting sound doctrine is present in both.
"Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set."
EGW directly references the concept of 'removing landmarks' which is the core idea of Proverbs 22:28. The context is similar: maintaining established truths.
"The errors of popular theology have driven many a soul to skepticism who might otherwise have been a believer in the Scriptures. It is impossible for him to accept doctrines which outrage his sense of justice, mercy, and benevolence; and since these are represented as the teaching of the Bible, he refuses to receive it as the word of God. GC 525.4"
"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
Both passages address the issue of doctrines that lead people away from true faith. Matthew 15:9 speaks of vain worship due to man-made doctrines, while EGW speaks of popular theology causing skepticism. The common theme is that false teachings hinder genuine belief.