If you are a former SDA and saw anything about this iPhone video the pope made for the Kenneth Copeland Ministries, you knew Pope Francis threw some red meat to the SDA last-day crowd.
The Adventists think they have a "gotcha" moment. They are all smiles that Ellen White's last day prophecy is being fulfilled within their sight.
But they are wrong.
In fact, rather than proving Ellen White right, this video is a perfect example of showing where Ellen White went very, very wrong.
Let's think about it for a moment. It's not that hard to make a prophecy of the last-day sort. All one would have to do is make a prediction that in the last days children will be disrespectful and immorality will abound (clearly foretold in scripture). And then claim that "when you see these things happen" God wants all His people to purchase the prophet's books.
However, that isn't quite what Ellen White did. Her Great Controversy predictions are a lot easier to recognize because they clearly contradict God's Word. She took a command of Christ and said that if we obey Him, we are part of a great deception.
And rather than prove Ellen's predictions are from God, this situation demands that an Adventist choose this day whom they will believe! For you can't believe both the scripture and Ellen. They are in direct conflict with each other.
Ellen said unity with the body of Christ is a false unity. Yet, Christ desires us all to be one, without divisions. Jesus commanded unity among the believers.
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. John 10: 16
[N]ot only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. John 11: 52
Before offering His life up to as a sacrifice of redemption, Christ pleaded with the Father to bind His followers in unity.
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name...so that they may be one as we are one...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: John 17: 11, 21, 22
Our Christian unity shows that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the Living God! Our divisions actually do a disservice to our Lord and our witness.
The early church was unified:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. Acts 4: 32
Paul repeatedly told the believers to stay unified, not as a suggestion, but as a command of God!
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ...Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves…Live in harmony with one another. Rom. 12: 4, 5, 10, 16
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, Rom. 15:5
For [Jesus Christ] is our peace; in His flesh He has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ...that He might create in Himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross... Ephesians 2: 14-16
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace...one Lord, one faith, one baptism...It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph. 4: 1, 3, 5, 11-13
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col. 3:14
[S]tand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. Phi. 1:27
We read in scripture exhortation after exhortation to stay together, without divisions with one spirit, one mind and one faith.
Let's remember Ellen's prophecy of all other churches coming together in a false unity to persecute Seventh-day Adventists for keeping Sabbath. Ellen White was so against Christian unity that she actually prophesied that Christian reconciliation and unity is of the devil!
There is nowhere in scripture that God warns us of a false ecumenical movement. That is complete speculation. There is no proof-text, just a conspiratorial interpretation of the apocalyptic literature. Now, it is possible that there will be a false unity that mimics the true unity of Christians. Sure, but that doesn't negate the words of Christ for the believers to unify.
Therefore we must be very careful not to call a great movement of the Holy Spirit to unify God's people as of the devil for that is blasphemy. In fact Christ said that attributing workings of the Holy Spirit of the devil you are treading on the unforgivable sin!
Watch this carefully before you pass judgment on it as of the devil. Sometimes we must take a step in obedience of faith towards unity and let the Lord miraculously bring truth out of it.
If you are interested, here is the full video:
Ellen White condemns all unity of non-SDAs. Our Blessed Lord commanded it. Which belief is being truly obedient to God? You do the math.
