The Days of Noah: Understanding Ellen White’s Amalgamation Statements

We highly recommend reading our first article of this series entitled “A True Prophet For Our Time? Is It Possible?” before reading this article.

In our previous article, we discovered that, just before Christ’s first coming, He sent a messenger, John the Baptist and that based on the book of Revelation, God’s last day church would have the gift of prophecy manifested just before His second coming.   Ellen White, who lived about a hundred years ago, is the only recent individual to meet the Biblical tests of a true prophet.   Of the over 50,000 pages she wrote during her lifetime, she was a hundred years ahead of her time in regards to the dangers of such things as tobacco, opium, calomel, alcohol and other various poisons. In addition, she has inspired millions with her Christ-centered writings.  If you’re not sure who Ellen White was and if she was a prophet that is ok.  We are called to ” not despise prophecies.  Test all things; hold fast what is good. ” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 NKJV)  Never accept anything for truth without first testing it.  The best way to test a prophet is by the tests that Jesus laid out. A simple method is to pick up one of Ellen White’s books, pray for God’s guidance, and read her book comparing every word with the Bible.  Although there are Ellen White attack websites, Jesus said one of the true tests of a prophet is that they would be criticized for He said…

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house. ~ Mark 6:4 NKJV

Interesting enough, some of Ellen White’s most criticized statements, those regarding amalgamation, are directly proved by the words of the Bible. More than that, her statements serve as a wonderful magnifying glass, exposing truths from the Bible that many have overlooked.  In fact, by understanding her amalgamation statements and then listening to the words of Jesus, we discover a precious gem of warning and truth for our generation.  Today we will simply compare her amalgamation statements with the words of the Bible, and then you can make your own decision whether to trust the critics or simply test her writings for yourself.  Sounds fair enough, doesn’t it?

Let me ask you a question, what was the greatest sin that led God’s people to compromise during the days of Noah?  What could lead men throughout the whole world to turn to idolatry and unfaithfulness?  Most Christians do not know the specific answer.  The key is actually found in the Bible, and is best explained by some of the most controversial amalgamation statements found by the most published Christian woman author Ellen White.   Speaking of the days of Noah says “But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere.”

Like most people, I first was confused by this statement.  What does it mean?  Is it even biblical?  Could a true prophet say something like this?  Unlike error, truth can stand the test of rigorous investigation. And so, let us prepare our hearts as we open the Bible today and compare this and another statement  directly with the Bible. “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10)

And before we begin, let us also ask for the Holy Spirit, for He is our great Helper and teacher. As Jesus said…

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you ~ John 14:26

So let us ask for God’s help today by asking the Lord through prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank you, Lord, that we can always depend on you to teach us, if we have an open heart and an open mind. We ask today that we not be taught by any man, but that you teach us through your Holy Spirit. We ask earnestly for your Holy Spirit today, Lord. Teach us your ways regarding these statements that we are considering today. May we draw closer to you today, and may you draw closer to us. Open our eyes that we may see wonderful things from your Word today. And, Lord, thank you for hearing and answering our prayer. We thank you for loving us and guiding us. We ask and pray all these things in Jesus name. Amen.

What is amalgamation and what are these statements saying?

Like most people, I couldn’t give you a good definition of amalgamation off the top of my head, so I had to look it up. One site gives a very simple and straightforward definition…

In general, amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalgamation)

So, amalgamation is the mixing of two or more things. With that in mind, let us consider the statements that we will be covering today…

“But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere.”

The other statement from Ellen White on this subject says…

“Every species of animal which God had created, were preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the flood. Since the flood there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the endless varieties of species of animals and certain races of men.”

Some quick notes from these two statements….

1 – There was a mixing of animals which was a sin.

2 – There was a mixing of humans which was a sin.

3 – The mixed animals were not taken on the ark but rather perished in the flood

4 – The mixed animals were not created by God.

The very important question that we must ask ourselves is: Are these statements in harmony with someone being a true prophet of God? How would we go about answering such a question? Well, we both know that one of the tests of the prophets is that their words must never contradict the Bible. It is written…

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. ~ Isaiah 8:20

This is the test of a prophet’s statements. Therefore, let us study the Bible to see if these two statements are biblical.

Let us consider point #1 – Is the mixing of animals a sin?

Is the mixing of animal varieties against God’s commandments? The Bible says..

You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you. ~ Leviticus 19:19

Going directly against a commandment of God is a sin. So point # 1 does line up with the Bible.

#4 – Didn’t God create everything? Are there mixed animals that were not created by God?

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ~ Genesis 1:24-25

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. ~ Exodus 20:11

In the beginning God created everything. However, did God create the Australian bulldog or the American hairless terrier? No, in fact these breeds of dogs were created by man in just the last hundred years (source: http://caninebreeds.bulldoginformation.com/new-experimental-and-recreated-dog-breeds.html) There are almost endless varieties of dogs and cats and other animals that were a result of amalgamation. So, in the days of Noah, there were animals that God created, for example, horses and donkeys. There were also animals that were also created by man by mixing species after creation. For example, if you mate a horse with a donkey you get a mule. Mules were likely not created at creation, one logical reason being that because mules are infertile and cannot reproduce. How could God declare to the mule: “Be fruitful and multiply”? Secondly, the Lord said in Leviticus 19:19, do not allow livestock to breed with different kinds. Doing so would create confusion everywhere.

Point #3 – Were mixed animals not taken on the ark and, therefore, perished in the flood?

“Every species of animal which God had created, were preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the flood.”

We know based on Leviticus 19:19 that the mixing of animals is a sin.  We also know that there are many species of animals today that were, in the past a result of amalgamation. Both are logical and Biblical. But what about this statement? Can we know if the mixed animals were destroyed by the flood or did they go into the ark? Let us first consider the size of the ark. God gave the dimensions in Genesis 6, which says..

Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. ~ Genesis 6:14-16

A cubit is between 18 to 20 inches. To see a modern comparison of the ark to larger ships you can use this link (http://www.answersingenesis.org/assets/images/articles/am/v2/n2/ships.jpg)

Now the ark was definitely a large ship. But there are currently over 150 breeds of dogs alone and over 900 varieties of cows! (source: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~puk/cow/cowworld.html)

Now, we really don’t know how many of those types of cows were around during Noah’s day, but let’s say there were less than half of those varieties. So we have 400 cow varieties. Also the Bible says take seven of ever clean animal (Genesis 7:2), so Noah would need to pack in 2,800 cows into the ark? Such is an argument of atheists, but such an argument is false and deceptive. God’s command to Noah was….

You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. ~ Genesis 7:2-3

Noah didn’t need to take 400 or 900 varieties of cows on the ark to keep the species alive. He only needed to take God’s original species. After all, only Noah’s family was taken on the ark and yet look at the great variety of the appearance of men on the earth today there are men of dark skin, light skin, blond hair, red hair, black hair, brown hair, etc. All these people came from Adam and Eve and through Noah’s descendants.

Again, what would be the point of taking an infertile mule on the ark? They wouldn’t serve the purpose of keeping the species alive. Considering the size of the ark, it would be impossible to have every variety of animal today on the ark. The only logical and biblical conclusion is…“Every species of animal which God had created, were preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the flood.”

Point # 2 – Was the amalgamation of men a sin?

“But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere.

Is the marrying between say black and white people a sin? Certainly not for it is written…

For there is no partiality with God. ~ Romans 2:11

And are not all men of all races from Adam through Noah? In context, this statement is talking about the mixing of man before the flood. Also, the statement says this is not just any sin, it was the one sin above others which led to the degeneracy of mankind. What sin could lead so many men to compromise their faith in God? What sin could cause God’s people to be so confused regarding what is truth and what is error? What sin could have such a corrupting influence that would lead God’s people to eventual destruction? The statement we are considering makes a reference to the pre-flood people. Do we see a mixing of peoples in the Bible before the flood that would be a sin? Let us search the Bible for the answer. Genesis 6 says..

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. ~ Genesis 6:1-2

Here we see an amalgamation, a mixing of peoples, before the flood. This leads us to the question….

Who are the sons of God and the daughters of men?

The words “sons of God” in the Bible can refer to angels or to humans, depending on the verse. For example it is written…

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. ~ Galatians 3:26-29

This verse is clearly talking about humans. Another reference is…

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ~ Romans 8:12-14

This is also clearly talking about humans.

Even Jesus said…

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. ~ Matthew 5:9

Here, Jesus is also clearly talking about people, humans. So what about the verse in Genesis? What type of amalgamation was this? Could it be that angels married women or was it humans marrying humans?

Can angels marry and have children?

Jesus said…

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ~ Matthew 22:30, NIV

When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ~ Mark 12:25, NIV

It’s pretty clear that the sons of God have to be humans. Otherwise we would be calling Jesus a liar. So who are the sons of God?

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ~ John 1:12 KJV

Now, the Bible makes it clear those who are faithful to Jesus are sons of God. Genesis 4:26 says “And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.”

The “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2, therefore, are men from the line of Seth, men who knew God. Since the “daughters of men” are not daughters of God, they must have been women who were unfaithful to God. These women must have been from the line of Cain, for Cain’s line was unfaithful to God. So here we see a mixing of those who are faithful to God with those who have rebelled against Him.

Point # 2 – A sin to mix?

Now we see that Genesis points us to the amalgamation of men. But in order to validate the statement we have provided as biblical, we must also see if the mixing of the sons of God with the daughters of men would be a sin. Is it a sin, a violation of God’s command for believers to marry unbelievers?

Nehemiah records the transgression of some of the Israelites when he wrote…

In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people.

So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?”

And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I drove him from me.

Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. ~ Nehemiah 13:23-29

Nehemiah 13 calls such marriages defilement. Those are some pretty strong words. Also, I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Ezra 9. There are plenty of warnings in that chapter regarding intermarriage of believers and unbelievers. Solomon, the wisest man alive, was led into idolatry and compromise from pagan women. Samson, the strongest man alive, was led to grieve away God’s Spirit by compromise with the unfaithful women Delilah. Even the Exodus generation of Israel who had witnessed God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt were lead to unfaithfulness by committing harlotry with with the women of Moab (Numbers 25). It was this base crime that lead God’s people time and time again to compromise with the sinful habits and customs of this world. It was this sin that lead the Sons of God to compromise and become unfaithful. “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) “If there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere.”  “It was Satan’s studied effort to pervert the marriage institution, to weaken its obligations and lessen its sacredness; for in no surer way could he deface the image of God in man and open the door to misery and vice.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, page 338, Ellen White) Therefore we can conclude based on the Bible….

“Unhallowed marriages of the sons of God with the daughters of men, resulted in apostacy which ended in the destruction of the world by a flood.”— Ellen White Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 93.

To deny these statements would mean we would have to deny the Biblical account of Genesis, creation and the flood.

A warning for our time

Jesus has a warning for our time.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ~ Luke 17:26-27

In the days of Noah, God’s people were uniting themselves with the things of the world. The entertainment that the pagans enjoyed became the entertainment that professed followers of God enjoyed. The evil thoughts of the heathen became the thoughts of those who professed fellowship with Christ. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” ~ Genesis 6:5

“As it was in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Therefore, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) “Those who profess to be followers of Christ, should be living agencies, cooperating with heavenly intelligences; but by union with the world, the character of God’s people becomes tarnished, and through amalgamation with the corrupt, the fine gold becomes dim” ~ Ellen White Review and Herald, Aug. 23, 1892

The greatest want of the world is the want of men-men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. ~ Ellen White Education p. 57

The good news is in the last days there will be a remnant that follows Jesus no matter the cost, no matter what the world is doing. “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Revelation 14:4-5)

God has called you to be one of those people. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Timothy 2:3-4)

Satan will always try to pick God’s messengers’ words out of context, paint them in the strangest light and use these false arguments to deceive even God’s people. One of the greatest examples of this is found in Mark 14, it is written…

Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree. Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’” But not even then did their testimony agree. ~ Mark 14:55-59

Multitudes gathered together to crucify Jesus, they had listened to the testimony of men and made a judgment.  Even though Jesus had spoken great amounts of truth to the people day by day, the false witnesses decided to take just a few of His words, words that they did not understand, and twist them to condemn Jesus. If only they would have listened directly to the words of Jesus!  If only they had not listened to the voices of men, but rather listened to the direct source and compared it with the Bible.  Jesus said “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ~ John 18:37

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ~ Revelation 3:19-21

Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts. ~ Hebrews 4:7

Are we studying the truth for ourselves or are we listening to a crowd of other voices?  The Pharisees took the words of Jesus and placed them in the worst light possible. So it is with those who profess godliness, but take the words of God’s messengers and twist them. They claim to be warning God’s people to avoid false prophets and great danger, when in fact they are agents of the evil one, turning God’s people away from God’s last day message. Not a moment should be spend considering their arguments. Instead we are to “search the Scriptures” and “test the prophets” by the tests that Jesus laid out. Remember a true prophet’s words are not their own, they are the “testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 19:10, Hosea 12:10).  I encourage you to read just one of Ellen White’s books, all the way through. If Jesus has a message for His people in these last days would you not read it?

Certainly some statements may sound strange, but I’m sure John the Revelator’s statement about a beast coming out of the sea with 7 heads and ten horns sounded quite strange as well (Revelation 13). The words of Jesus “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” sounded straight to His hearers (John 2:19) Likewise I am sure that these two statements from Ellen White about amalgamation sounded strange, but today we learned that they are deeply biblical. Yet you will find multitudes of attack websites twisting these words and making them seem strange. Of this Jesus said…

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ~ John 15:20-21, Matthew 10:24-25

Friend, the Lord has great and wonderful things for you to do for His kingdom. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) In fact Jesus has already prepared a place for you in heaven! (see John 14:1-3). He is only asking us to be faithful to Him, to search the scriptures, to believe His prophets, to test all things and hold fast to what is good. I encourage you today to begin testing the writings of Ellen White, for if they are from God then they are actually the testimony of Jesus to His people.  We would be more than willing to send you a copy of a few of her books so that you may investigate her writings for yourself from the direct source. Simply contact us with your home address if you wish to do so. Also her books are available online for reading; some of her books that I highly recommend are…

Steps To Christ ( a short but powerful explanation of God’s love for us, and how we can draw closer to Jesus)  Available online at…

http://www.crcbermuda.com/reference/ellen-white-books-n-s/steps-to-christ

The Desire of Ages (covers the life of Jesus in more detail)

http://www.crcbermuda.com/reference/ellen-white-books-a-f/desire-of-ages

As always we welcome any questions, comments or anything you have to say. It is my hope that this study was a blessing to you and that it encourages you to an even deeper investigation of the Bible.  May the Lord bless you as you choose to follow Him!