FIRST

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FIRST  QUARTER January March 2009
Gerhard Pfandl - Principal Contributor
John the Baptist was called by Jesus to be
the greatest of all the prophets. But the
prophetic gift involved something other than
writing the books of the Bible. This Sabbath
School Bible Study Guide not only introduces
Gods messengers through out the ages but the
also Source of all true prophecy, the
Gift-Giver.
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FIRST  QUARTER 2009
This Sabbath School lesson help was produced for
the glory of God. It is being distributed
through the internet media for you to use as
you teach our Sabbath School classes . Please do
not alter the way it was arranged. Thanks and
God bless. Yoursin-Christ, Pastor N. V.
Macatiag
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March 14, 2009
Lesson Title Interpreting the Prophetic Writings
Memory Text Take heed to yourself and to the
doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you
will save both yourself and those who hear you
(1 Timothy 416, NKJV).
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A. Introduction There is no question that Ellen
G. White manifested in her life and works the
gift of prophecy. The inspiration that she
received is in the same level as the Old and New
Testament prophets. But not her authority. When
interpreting her writings we can apply the same
principles used in interpreting the Scriptures.
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B. The Methods 1. Sound Exegesis/Powerful
Homiletics a. Biblical exegesis is a critical
explanation or interpretation of the Bible. The
goal of Biblical exegesis is to find the meaning
of the text which then leads to discovering its
significance or relevance. Wikipedia.com
Exegesis is concerned with the original meaning
of a text. It focuses on what the author wanted
to say and what the text meant to the original
receiver.
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i. 1 Samuel 243 And he came to the sheepcotes
by the way, where was a cave and Saul went in
to cover his feet and David and his men remained
in the sides of the cave. ii. To cover ones
feet is an old way of saying to go to the
toilet. Understanding the exegesis informs us
how vulnerable Saul was at the moment.
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b. Homiletics (Gr. homiletikos, from homilos, to
assemble together), in theology the application
of the general principles of rhetoric to the
specific department of public preaching -
Wikipedia.com
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Homiletics is the art of preaching. In a
homiletics class a student learns sermon
preparation and how to use the Scriptures in
preaching. Sometimes a preacher may use just the
wording of a text, without special regard for its
original meaning, to make a point or an appeal
during a sermon. This is called the homiletical
use of Scripture.
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March 14, 2009

• 1 Samuel 243 And he came to the sheepcotes by
  the way, where was a cave
• and Saul went in to cover his feet and David and
  his men remained in the sides of the cave.
• ii. By understanding the exegesis of the text.
  We can see Saul at his most vulnerable moment,
  when we can see that Saul was at the mercy of
  David. David could have killed Saul at the moment
  but we can see the

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kind-heartedness of David. He respected Gods
anointed and by doing so honors and glorifies
God more. Homiletics is applying Gods words into
human life and situations. Thus we can see the
scope that when God chooses a person, He do so
by looking at ones heart.
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2. Time and Place a. A crucial rule of biblical
interpretation is the principle of studying the
times and circumstances during which a particular
text was written and by whom. i. Jeremiah
423-26- I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was
without form, and void and the heavens, and they
had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo,
they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I
beheld, and, lo, there was no man,
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March 14, 2009

• and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I
  beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a
  wilderness, and all the cities thereof were
  broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by
  his fierce anger. (KJV)
• ii. This text frequently interpreted to mean a
  picture of what will happen in the millennium.
  Jeremiah here is not describing what will happen
  in the millennium. He is describing what will
  happen to Jerusalem when Babylon finishes it.
  Thus,

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exegetically, Jeremiah 42326 refers to the
destruction of Jerusalem. Symbolically, however,
it also refers to the time of the millennium.
Ellen G. White, therefore, quotes from Jeremiah 4
to describe the situation on earth during the
millennium.The Great Controversy, p. 659.
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3. Context The meaning - the parts of a
written or spoken statement that precede or
follow a specific word or passage, usually
influencing its meaning or effect a. Immediate
context i. Isaiah 6517 For, behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth and the
former shall not be remembered, nor come into
mind.
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March 14, 2009
ii. We may think that this text refers to that
event after the millennium. But Isaiah here is
referring to that event when Israel should have
lived a life of faithfulness and obedience. But
it did not happened so this conditional prophecy
did not happen. iii. Ellen White makes the
statement that those who accept the Saviour,
however sincere their conversion, should never be
taught to say or to feel that they are
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saved. COL 155. When we study the context, we
discover that she is speaking about whether a
person can fall from grace after conversion. Many
Christians in her days believed in the doctrine
of once saved always saved. Ellen White was
clearly against this teaching. In context she
says, Never can we safely put confidence in self
or feel, this side of heaven, that we are secure
against temptation.Christs Object Lessons, p.
155.
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March 14, 2009
b. Larger Context - The larger context refers to
what other texts beyond the immediate passage
have to say on a particular topic. It can refer
to other chapters in a book, the whole book, or
to the whole of Scripture.
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• In James 214-26/ Eph. 28, 9- James is not
• arguing for good works as a requirement for
  salvation. Rather, he insists that there are two
  kinds of faith, one valid and the other invalid.
  Paul speaks about the valid faith that is
  followed by good deeds. James refers to the
  invalid faith that stops at the intellectual
  level, faith that is mere mental assent.

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ii. When reading Ellen White, we also need to
look at the larger context in her writings i.e.,
everything she has written on a particular topic.
We cannot just take one or two statements and run
with them.
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C. Reactions 1. Apart from the guidelines
studied in this weeks lesson, we need to (a)
ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the
study of His Word (b) ensure that we use one or
more good translations (c) look for principles
that are universal and apply to all people, in
all places, and at all times
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d) be willing to obey the truths we discover
(e) be open-minded and willing to surrender
previously held positions (f) guard against
extreme interpretations (g) work together with
people of experience and (h) use common sense.
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2. How are we going to use this knowledge and
apply it to our present era? 3. What are some
other ways that Ellen Whites writings have been
misused? What can we do, however, to avoid the
trap of throwing the whole thing out, simply
because it has not been used properly?
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God bless and a Happy Sabbath!