Editorial Keynotes

Principles for testing added light.

L.E.F. is editor of the Ministry.

The multiple counsels oil. the Sp r tof prophecy which admonish us to hold un­swervingly to the basic foundations of the Advent faith, and at the same time urge us to seek, accept, and walk in the advancing light God has in store for us, are neither contradic­tory nor mutually exclusive. The one urge com­ports harmoniously with the other. Both are entirely compatible. It is failure to understand and to follow these dual counsels, and the mutual relationships entailed, that leads to diffi­culty or to conflict between the old and the added light.

To maintain or to imply that we have re­ceived all the truth and light God has designed for us, and thus to refuse to study and progress, is as fallacious as to follow some fancied light that leads us off the highway of the clearly established fundamentals. One is to be cen­sured and guarded against as much as the other.

What principles, then, should govern these mutual obligations, so as to .be wholly loyal to all established fundamentals, and at the same time be constantly clarifying, perfecting, and enlarging our vision and understanding of truth, as for example, in the field of prophetic inter­pretation There are five that may well be noted.

I. In the first place, there are certain basic interpretations that have been universally held from our early days, and clearly certified by the Spirit of prophecy. To tabulate a few : the four prophetic empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome, and the tenfold division of Rome (irrespective of the precise list) ; the Papacy as the Little Horn of Daniel 7, as well as the first beast of Revelation 13; and the 1260 year-days as the special era of the exploits of the Little Horn, from Justinian to the French Revolution. To this may be added the 2300 years to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctu­ary, terminating in 1844, with the seventy weeks as the first segment, and its seventieth week certified by the death of Christ in the midst of the seventieth week ; the two-horned beast of Revelation 13 as apostate Protestantism center­ing in the United States ; the seven churches as the seven phases of the true church throughout the Christian Era, and the three historic mes­sages of Revelation 14. Other clear applications could be added, but these suffice to illustrate.

2. Added light in prophetic interpretation will not conflict with any of these basic prophetic positions. It will not violate or cause one or more to be ignored, flaunted, or set aside. Genuine new light will be built around and into this fundamental framework. It will be erected solidly upon these clearly testified foundation prophecies. It will harmonize with, support, illuminate, or strengthen the basic positions. Thus there will be harmony, not conflict, in interpretation.

3. Genuine added light will not loom so large as to appear like a swollen and disproportionate appendage. It will not overtower the basal foundations and the main structure. It will re­main in a relatively subordinate place, not be overemphasized or exaggerated out of propor­tion. Balance and proportion must be main­tained in its relation to fundamental prophecies.

4. If there is a noticeable silence in the Spirit of prophecy writings on a certain point, it should not be pressed so as to occupy a central place in our thinking or teaching. We need to refrain from being dogmatic concerning an item on which we are without Spirit of prophecy guidance or support. We should hold it as a relatively minor matter, helpful and illuminat­ing, but not basic, or as a matter of salvation, not being unduly perturbed if others do not share our view of its importance or value, even if they cannot show that any fallacy is involved.

5. Individual items of added light should com­port with the over-all picture of the Word and the Spirit of prophecy in the realm of prophetic interpretation. If it meets all these tests, we are safe. If it violates or encroaches upon any one or more, we had better go slowly, praying, studying, reviewing, and consulting with others before we become committed to it. The tentative attitude is the only safe one to hold during i nvestigation.

Finally, if all tests are met, let us still use sense as to discussing or promulgating such light. There are times and places when it may be right, or it may be wrong, to present our views. To submit them to a group of open-minded workers is one thing, while to present them to a prejudiced, antagonistic group is quite another. To suggest them to associate workers is one matter, but to the laity in a church or at a camp meeting is a vastly differ­ent question. We must seek to preserve the unity of the church. Added light should not divide us. We must therefore be willing to wait for men to see it. God sometimes waits for centuries for men to catch the vision of His views; but the time comes. If we have lived, and the movement has existed to the moment, without this added light, let us have faith to believe it will continue a few months or years longer without it, if necessary.

Waiting need not mean timidity, fearfulness, cowardice, or recreancy to duty. We should be courageous and candid. We should be prepared to propound and to answer questions. But when all has been said and done, if the brethren see no light in it, let it rest for the time, so far as agitation is concerned. Meantime, let us search for weaknesses in our position, and correct its faults and inconsistencies. Perhaps our eyes will be opened, and we will see its fallacy, and abandon it.

On the other hand, perhaps its soundness and conformity with the testing principles will lead us to seek another opportunity to present our convictions, possibly to another group. Remem­ber, no true light can be permanently set aside. If it does not gain acceptance now, it will later. Christ had many things for His disciples which they were not prepared to receive. God watches over His own. He cannot and will not bless a spurious concept that at first glance has the semblance of truth. Nor will He forsake and fail to support gleams of genuine added light.

L. E. F.


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L.E.F. is editor of the Ministry.

September 1947

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