3. The Role of Mrs. White and Her Writings4. Her Predictions and Views3. The Role of Mrs. White and her Writings#21: "Because she claimed to have the spirit of prophecy, she came to be the visible, absolute authority figure for the initially small group of Adventist believers." #21: Mrs. White became the absolute authority figure. Sad to say, for the last 157 years, what she has written and said has often not been followed. Anyone acquainted with her writings would agree, and toward the end of the video this is even admitted by Sydney Cleveland (see #231). It is also admitted in Walter Rea's The White Lie, which is one of the primary exhibits used in this video against Mrs. White (see #196).Was the situation different in the early days? Was she the authority figure back then? Actually, they were a bit overcautious on the matter. Consider what her husband James published in the Review and Herald of October 16, 1855: What has the REVIEW to do with Mrs. W.'s views [visions]? The sentiments published in its columns are all drawn from the Holy Scriptures. No writer of the REVIEW has ever referred to them as authority on any point. The REVIEW for five years has not published one of them.-p. 61. The Review and Herald began being published in November 1850. Therefore, James White is saying that since the beginning of this paper, his wife's visions have not been printed in it. The only exception was in the Extra of July 21, 1851, when material from visions was printed that included a warning against setting dates for the second coming. While the extreme policy of not printing any of Mrs. White's visions was later discontinued, it is interesting to consider the comments that followed the above quote from James. What he expresses below has not changed one bit. Its motto has been, "The Bible, and the Bible alone, the only rule of faith and duty." Then why should these men charge the REVIEW with being a supporter of Mrs. W.'s views? Again, How has the Editor of the REVIEW regarded Visions, and the gifts of the Gospel Church for more than eight years past? His uniform statements in print on this subject will satisfactorily answer this question. The following is from a Tract he published in 1847: "The Bible is a perfect and complete revelation. It is our only rule of faith and practice. But this is no reason why God may not show the past, present, and future fulfillment of his word, in these last days, by dreams and visions, according to Peter's testimony. True visions are given to lead us to God, and to his written word; but those that are given for a new rule of faith and practice, separate from the Bible, cannot be from God, and should be rejected." Again, four years since, he wrote on the Gifts of the Gospel Church, re-published in the REVIEW for Oct. 3d, 1854, from which is taken the following: "Every Christian is therefore in duty bound to take the Bible as a perfect rule of faith and duty. He should pray fervently to be aided by the Holy Spirit in searching the Scriptures for the whole truth, and for his whole duty. He is not at liberty to turn from them to learn his duty through any of the gifts. We say that the very moment he does, he places the gifts in a wrong place, and takes an extremely dangerous position." Now if these paragraphs were not in print, his enemies might accuse him of changing his position; but as one was printed eight years since, and the other four, and re-printed one year since, they are nails driven in right places. Slanderous reports must fall powerless before facts of this character. To the above we add one additional paragraph where James White describes precisely what this video is doing: But what deserves especial attention here, is the unrighteous use some are making of the Visions. They take the advantage of the common prejudices against Visions, misrepresent them, and those who are not ready to join them in anathematizing them as the work of Satan, then brand any view held by the body of Sabbath-keepers as the "Vision view," and not the Bible view of the subject. In this way an unhallowed prejudice can be excited in the minds of some against any view, and even all the views held by that body of Christians called Advent Sabbath keepers. This course has been, and is being pursued on the subjects of the Two-horned beast, Sanctuary, Time to commence the Sabbath and period of the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth. It should be here understood that all these views as held by the body of Sabbath-keepers, were brought out from the Scriptures before Mrs. W. had any view in regard to them. These sentiments are founded upon the Scriptures as their only basis. Solomon was right. There is nothing new "under the sun" (Eccl. 1:9). #22: "Her writings grew to be seventeen times as large as the entire Bible."-David Snyder. #22: They grew to be seventeen times larger. John Wesley, Martin Luther, Spurgeon, and others wrote a lot too. So?The video endeavors to show that Adventists are supplanting the Bible with the writings of Mrs. White. That she wrote more words than what can be found in the Bible, like other religious leaders have, is supposed to somehow bolster this claim, but the amount she wrote is irrelevant to the point. #23: "Her followers were to reference these 5000 articles, 49 books, plus 55,000 manuscript pages she claimed to write, and regard them as being as inspired as the Bible through Ellen White's pen of inspiration." #23: They regard them as being as inspired as the Bible. This statement is revealing. To believe that Mrs. White's writings are as inspired as the Bible is somehow wrong? It really doesn't make sense.Seventh-day Adventists do not believe in degrees of inspiration. Someone's writings are either inspired or they are not. The first eleven chapters of Genesis are neither less inspired nor more inspired than the Gospel of Luke. Since Adventists believe that the Bible teaches that the gifts of the Spirit did not end in the first century, and that the Bible teaches that the gift of prophecy would be manifested in the last days, they also believe that someone in the last days would deliver inspired messages like the Bible prophets did. Yet they have always maintained that the Bible must be the final authority. Any last day prophet that contradicts the Bible must be a false prophet. This was true in the first century as well. If Agabus or Philip's four daughters (Acts 11:28; 21:9, 10) in their inspired messages had contradicted the Word of God, they would have had to be declared false prophets. As Paul wrote, "The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32). So while there are not degrees of inspiration, there are degrees of authority. Agabus and Philip's four daughters were just as inspired as Moses or Matthew, James or Jeremiah, Micah or Mark, and John or Jonah. But the authority of the messages of Agabus and Philip's four daughters was always subordinate to that of Scripture. #24: "To this day official publications of the church have used her writings as the last word on doctrine." #24: They're used as the last word on doctrine. This is simply not true. If the Bible is Adventism's "last word on doctrine," how can Mrs. White be?After the Bible, who has the next-to-the-last word? Some super-smart scholar with seven Ph.D.'s who can quote the Bible from memory in the original languages backwards, or a divinely inspired prophet? The answer ought to be obvious to every Bible-believing Christian. Having grown up in the wilderness, John the Baptist was considered inferior in education to the rabbis and scholars of his day, yet Jesus declared that there was no greater prophet than John (Mat. 11:11). In the journals of that day, who should have had the next-to-the-last word: the inspired prophet John the Baptist, or Dr. Nicodemus, Ph.D.? What is really at issue here are two theological points: 1. Were the gifts of the Holy Spirit really to remain in the church till the end of time as Ephesians 4:11-14 and Joel 2:28-31 indicate? 2. Are the writings of one true prophet more inspired than the writings of another true prophet? Was the apostle Paul more inspired than the apostle James or the prophet Amos? Seventh-day Adventists should not be faulted for taking the biblical position on these points. No documentation whatsoever is given for this point in the documentation package. However, under "Point 17" is a page from a Ministry magazine article dated October 1981. The first paragraph says: For Seventh-day Adventists the one standard, rule, and ultimate authority for doctrine is the Bible. All other doctrinal authorities are subordinate. "God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms," Ellen White wrote (The Great Controversy, p. 595). "The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our creed, the sole bond of union.... Let us lift up the banner on which is inscribed, The Bible our rule of faith and discipline." - Selected Messages, book 1, p. 416. Well would it be if those responsible for the content of this video had read their own documentation. #25 & #26: "In the twenty-seven points of fundamental beliefs, they state that the Bible is a source of authority. But they also say that her writings are a continuing and an authoritative source of truth." #25: They say that the Bible is "a" source of authority rather than "the" source of authority. This is simply not true. In the twenty-seven fundamental beliefs, the one about the Bible comes first. It says:The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history. -Seventh-day Adventists Believe, p. 4, italics added. #26: They say her writings are an authoritative source of truth. So? If one believes that the biblical gift of prophecy will be manifested in the last days, then one must also believe that the writings or talks of a person genuinely having that gift must have some degree of authority. Yet the Bible must always remain the ultimate authority.Number seventeen of the twenty-seven fundamental beliefs deals with the gift of prophecy: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.-Seventh-day Adventists Believe, p. 216, italics added. The documentation package gives this quotation under both "Point 13" and "Point 94." Thus the documentation package proves that Adventists believe, and that Mrs. White taught, that the Bible is to be the standard by which all are to be tested, including Mrs. White herself! #27 & #28: "They have, however, made her more embarrassing writings unavailable, locking them securely away in the White Estate vault."-David Snyder. #27: They're unavailable, locked away in the vault. The vault protects her writings against theft, vandalism, and fire, but all her writings are available and are not "locked away," unless, of course, it is after hours.All her published writings have been available on CD-ROM for a decade. There is an ongoing project of putting all her unpublished writings on CD-ROM as well. Until this project is completed, those interested in reading her unpublished writings can find them at the White Estate's main office in Silver Spring, Maryland; three branch offices located at Andrews University, Loma Linda University, and Oakwood College; or one of eleven Research Centers operated throughout the world. The documentation package lists "The White Estate Vault" as "Point 14." However, turning to "Point 14," we find but two selections that provide no evidence for the accusation. In fact, the two selections do not even once contain the word "vault." #28: Her more embarrassing writings are the ones unavailable. More embarrassing? What makes them more embarrassing?Sometimes Mrs. White was shown personal matters in vision which she was called upon to rebuke, like adultery, for example. Often these matters were not common knowledge then or now. It would be "embarrassing" to the family members of the persons involved if such communications were free to circulate around with the names of the offenders attached. Out of Christian courtesy these writings were not published, or if they were, the names of the offenders were most often omitted. The original documents and letters were kept in the vault for safekeeping. Enough time has passed so that the possibility of embarrassing someone no longer exists, for the offenders have all died, and there are typically a few generations between them and now. Therefore, the White Estate is working on putting every last thing on CD-ROM. #29: "She claimed an angel stood by her bed near this chair in her bedroom." #29: She said she was visited by an angel. This really has no bearing on whether Adventism is a cult, for the Bible tells how an angel woke up Peter and came to visit Daniel (Acts 12:7; Dan. 9:21). All this point shows is that one of three possibilities is the case:1. Mrs. White or Peter or Daniel was lying. 2. Mrs. White or Peter or Daniel was really visited by an angel of God. 3. Mrs. White or Peter or Daniel was actually visited by an evil angel in disguise. The Bible tests of a prophet must be applied to determine which of the three possibilities Mrs. White's case falls into.
4. Her Predictions and Views#30 & #31: "It's a matter of historical record that the following prophecies of Ellen White did not come true as she foretold. 'Then I was pointed to some who are in the great error of believing that it is their duty to go to Old Jerusalem, and think that they have work to do there before the Lord comes... I saw that Satan had greatly deceived some in this thing... I also saw that Old Jerusalem never would be built up...' Early Writings p. 75. The exact opposite of Ellen White's prediction has happened. Old Jerusalem has been greatly built up in the years since 1948 when Israel became a nation. She was absolutely wrong." #30: Her prophecies did not come true. Not one valid example is given in the discussion that follows.#31: Her prediction about Jerusalem not being built up failed. Her words are being misconstrued.A similar statement found on page 136 of her book Maranatha has this modern-day note attached: "Written in the early 1850's when 'the age-to-come' advocates taught that old Jerusalem would be built up as a center of Christian witness fulfilling certain prophecies of the O.T." Support for this meaning of the phrase "built up" can be found in the February 28, 1856, issue of Review and Herald. It gives the following statement which it goes on to refute: ISA.liv,1-10. The expressions in this chapter cannot refer to the New Jerusalem; the same that has been forsaken, desolate, &c., is to be built up in the future age. (See Age to Come, by J. Marsh, pp. 66,67.)-J. H. Waggoner, "Objections Answered," p. 169. In the May 7, 1857, issue, Alvarez Pierce wrote: There is no one that regards the Sabbath here, yet there is one family right on the immortality question, but otherwise they are on the "Age-to-Come" doctrine, and that I cannot endorse. I believe that when Christ comes it will not be to restore the carnal Jew, and to build up old Jerusalem, but it will be to take vengeance on his enemies.-p. 6. In the 1842 third volume of Miller's Works, Miller says, "Although our Judaizing teachers tell us the Jews are to be built up again, I believe them not."-p. 67. He didn't say "Jerusalem," He said "Jews." He's not talking about the number of buildings. Rather, he's talking about the Jews and Old Jerusalem occupying an extraordinarily special place in God's workings either in the last days or during the millennium. The phrase "built up" is also found in the Psalms: "The LORD Both build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel" (Ps. 147:2). What might this mean? As pointed out under #17, the Millerites firmly believed in the Pauline teaching of spiritual Israel. Such concepts were inherited from them by the early Seventh-day Adventists. Thus, those who accept Christ were viewed as being grafted into Israel: And if some of the branches [literal Jews] be broken off, and thou [a Gentile], being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree .... Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. (Rom. 11:17-20) So what would Psalm 147:2 mean to a Millerite or early Seventh-day Adventist, if they had viewed it as a prophecy for the last days? It would have been considered a prediction of the gathering together of all believers, both Jew and Gentile, into either the New Jerusalem or the church. Old Testament prophecies concerning literal Israel's return to Palestine were generally seen to be fulfilled when the Jews returned from Babylon in the sixth century BC. As Miller put it, As it respects the Jews return, I say there is not a text, promise or prophecy, written or given of God, which was not given before their return from Babylon, and I believe was then literally fulfilled. Miller's Works, vol. 1, p. 233. Many feel that Jerusalem will be a center for God's activities in the last days, and so will disagree with the statement of Mrs. White that Mr. Cleveland quoted. But then it becomes an issue of a difference in theology rather than a false prophecy. Encyclopedia Britannica has this to say in its article on Jerusalem: "By the mid-19th century half of the city's population was Jewish, and it was expanding beyond the walls."-"Jerusalem: History: modern Jerusalem." Since Jerusalem was indeed inhabited, inhabitable, and growing when Mrs. White wrote the statement in question, the alternative meaning of the phrase "built up" is in order. The simple fact is that Jerusalem is still not "built up" in the sense she was using the phrase. Until it has been, this statement by Mrs. White cannot truthfully be called a false prophecy. #32: "Again, Mrs. White foretold in Early Writings that she would be among the living saints when Jesus returned. 'Soon our eyes were drawn to the East, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of Man... the graves opened... and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.' The Day-Star January 24, 1846. Mrs. White was not among the living saints seen in her vision. This event did not occur in her lifetime. We are still looking for the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than being caught up with the living saints at Jesus's return, Mrs. White died on July 16, 1915, and was buried beside her husband James. Another one of her prophecies failed." #32: She said she would be among the living saints. She never said that. Moreover, this charge destroys the credibility of the Scriptures, for it in essence declares the apostle Paul to be a false prophet.The reader will notice that this quotation from Mrs. White is very close in wording to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17, where Paul says essentially the same thing: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Some portions of the quotation from The Day-Star that the video left out make the parallels with 1 Thessalonians 4 even more striking: Then Jesus' silver trumpet sounded, as he descended on the cloud .... The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality.... and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. -italics added. If Paul can say, "We which are alive and remain shall be caught up," and not be a false prophet, then Mrs. White can too. In the Bible, God chose to reveal events in vision to a prophet as if he were alive at the time the events were taking place, and sometimes as if he were even participating in those events. The book of Revelation gives a number of examples of this phenomenon. Thus, a prophet who saw future events in vision as if he were participating in those events is not necessarily a false prophet. #33: "Like others of her time, Mrs. White taught the imminent end of the world to spur on her workers. In Early Writings in the 1850's she urged the new converts on, telling them they had only a few months to wait. '...But now time is almost finished, and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months.' A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen White p. 55." #33: She said Christ would return in a few months. She said no such thing. The careful reader will note that her statement merely says that believers will be learning more quickly than they previously did.Mrs. White attached the date of June 27, 1850, to the vision this quote comes from (Early Writings, p. 64). In 1854 she wrote basically the same thing: Truths that we have been years learning must be learned in a few months by those who now embrace the Third Angel's Message. We had to search and wait the opening of truth, receiving a ray of light here and a ray there, laboring and pleading for God to reveal truth to us. But now the truth is plain; its rays are brought together.... There is no need of milk after souls are convinced of the truth.... It is a disgrace for those who have been in the truth for years to talk of feeding souls who have been months in the truth, upon milk. It shows they know little of the leadings of the Spirit of the Lord, and realize not the time we are living in. Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p. 33, italics added. Notice the similarities in thought of this passage and Hebrews 5:11-6:3. According to Mrs. White, it is disgraceful to think that new believers must spend years learning the basics, the milk. Paul likewise urged that believers move on from the "milk" to the "strong meat." Generally speaking, the new believer learns today in a few months the truths of God's word that took years back then to hammer out. Mrs. White's words are literally true. Besides, if she were predicting a date for Christ's return, she would be contradicting the statements she made during the same time frame that opposed setting dates for Christ's return (see #14 and #17). Please note: The video quoted from her September 23, 1850, vision under #17, a vision that opposed date setting. The contributors to the video should have noticed this inconsistency in their logic. To quote from an 1850 vision that was against date setting, and then to unnecessarily portray another 1850 vision as setting dates does not make sense. One other inconsistency: The statement in question was first published in 1851 in Experience and Views, and was then republished in Early Writings in 1882. Mr. __ says on the video that embarrassing material was deleted in later publications (see #52, #53). Why then was this statement still included in Early Writings if it really means what Mr. __ says it means? #34: "These were not isolated prophecies, but restated over and over again. In May 1856 at a church meeting in Battle Creek, Michigan, Mrs. White boldly stated, 'I saw that some of those present would be food for worms, some subjects for the seven last plagues, and some would be translated to heaven at the second coming of Christ, without seeing death.' Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 2 p. 208." #34: This "food for worms" vision did not come true. Will the reader please note the sentences immediately following the portion quoted?Sr. [Clarissa] Bonfoey remarked to a sister as we left the meeting-house, "I feel impressed that I am one that will soon be food for worms." The conference closed Monday. Thursday Sr. B. sat at the table with us apparently well. She then went to the Office as usual, to help get off the paper. In about two hours I was sent for. Sr. B. had been suddenly taken very ill. My health had been very poor, yet I hastened to suffering Clara. In a few hours she seemed some better. The next morning we had her brought home in a large chair, and she was laid upon her own bed from which she was never to rise. Her symptoms became alarming, and we had fears that a tumor, which had troubled her for nearly ten years, had broken inwardly. It was so, and mortification was doing its work. Friday about seven o'clock she fell asleep. - Spiritual Gifts, pp. 208, 209. Within days of Mrs. White's statement, a lady who thought she would be one of those who would be "food for worms" was. Thus a remarkable fulfillment of the prophecy did take place. What about the part of the vision that said some would still be alive when Jesus came? The next point will address this question. #35: "In biblical times she would have been stoned to death for being a false prophet." #35: She was a false prophet for teaching that Christ would come in her day. This same charge is used by liberal theologians to undermine the authority of Scripture. The apostles, they say, believed and taught Christ would come in their day.They were wrong, they say. Therefore, they say, the Bible contains errors. There are some verses in the New Testament which seem to support this attack on Scripture, such as 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Paul in this passage appears to say that some believers alive in his day would still be alive when Jesus returned. Yet this interpretation of his words must be wrong, for Paul makes it crystal clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 that Christ's return was not imminent in his day. Should Jonah have been stoned because he said Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days, but it wasn't (Jonah 3:4, 10)? Should Huldah have been stoned because she said Josiah would die in peace, but he didn't (2 Chr. 34:22-28; 35:20-24)? Is this what Mr. Cleveland is saying? Jonah and Huldah were not false prophets, for their prophecies were based on the conditions of Nineveh's continued unrepentance and Josiah's continued obedience. Since Nineveh repented, it was not destroyed. Since Josiah disobeyed, the promised blessing of dying in peace could not be fulfilled. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. (Jer. 18:7-10) According to Jeremiah, some prophecies are therefore definitely conditional. The Bible clearly says that the gospel must be preached in all the world before Christ returns (Mat. 24:14). If His people are lax in reaching the lost, then Christ's coming will be delayed. In 1883 Mrs. White explained that Christ's coming had been delayed for this very reason (Evangelism, p. 695), and she made similar statements over the years. The 1883 statement was made just twenty-seven years after the 1856 one Mr. Cleveland quoted from. Since a good portion of those present at the 1856 conference were still strong and healthy in 1883, the latter statement is not an attempt to explain why the former prophecy "failed." #36: "Mrs. White did not confine her prophesying to the events surrounding the coming of the Lord, but prophesied how foreign governments would act against the United States. In 1862 Ellen White predicted the downfall of the United States following a great war involving many nations." #36: She predicted the downfall of the United States. Not really. Technically, she predicted that if our nation remained divided, then it would fall:England is acquainted with the diversity of feeling among those who are seeking to quell the rebellion. She well knows the perplexed condition of our Government; she has looked with astonishment at the prosecution of this war-the slow, inefficient moves, the inactivity of our armies, and the ruinous expenses of our nation. The weakness of our Government is fully open before other nations, and they now conclude that it is because it was not a monarchial government, and they admire their own government, and look down, some with pity, others with contempt, upon our nation, which they have regarded as the most powerful upon the globe. Had our nation remained united it would have had strength, but divided it must fall.-Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 259, 260. It would be hard to refute such an assessment. But Mrs. White did not say that our nation would definitely remain divided. In the same chapter she wrote at length about how the North had often mistreated escaped slaves and returned them to their southern masters, in direct violation of the Word of God (Deut. 23:15). Yet the government, rather than righting these wrongs, declared a day of fasting and prayer to ask God's blessing on the war effort! And yet a national fast is proclaimed! Saith the Lord: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" When our nation observes the fast which God has chosen, then will He accept their prayers as far as the war is concerned; but now they enter not into His ear. He turns from them, they are disgusting to Him. It is so managed that those who would undo the heavy burdens and break every yoke are placed under censure, or removed from responsible stations, or their lives are planned away by those who "fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness."-Ibid., p. 258, italics added. Clearly, this is a conditional prophecy (see #35). When the North would seek to break every yoke, then God would hear their prayers and bless. But if the North remained divided over the slavery question, then it would fall. #37: "During the Civil War she prophesied that England would declare war on the northern states, and humble them into the dust. 'Said the angel... when England does declare war, all nations will have an interest of their own to serve, and there will be general war, general confusion... this nation will yet be humbled in the dust...' Testimonies for the Church vol. 1 p. 259" #37: She predicted that England would declare war. Actually, this quotation was altered by someone. "This nation will yet be humbled in the dust..." is a complete sentence standing on its own. Rather than coming at the end of the selection, it is actually the sixth sentence preceding the sentence "When England does declare war ….” The intervening five sentences that were deleted neutralize the point being made:England is studying whether it is best to take advantage of the present weak condition of our nation, and venture to make war upon her. She is weighing the matter, and trying to sound other nations. She fears, if she should commence war abroad, that she would be weak at home, and that other nations would take advantage of her weakness. Other nations are making quiet yet active preparations for war, and are hoping that England will make war with our nation, for then they would improve the opportunity to be revenged on her for the advantage she has taken of them in the past and the injustice done them. A portion of the queen's subjects are waiting a favorable opportunity to break their yoke; but if England thinks it will pay, she will not hesitate a moment to improve her opportunities to exercise her power and humble our nation.-italics added. Clearly, Mrs. White's prediction was what would happen if England declared war, not that England would declare war. The documentation package merely gives under "Point 22" a copy of Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pages 259, 260. This copy adequately documents the fact that the quotation as it appears on the video isn't genuine, and that the context of the quotation neutralizes the point being made by the video. #38 & #39: "History proves the utter error of this prophecy. England did not declare war on the northern states. Other nations did not join in." #38: Her prophecies about the Civil War were erroneous. The honest reader who peruses the context of the passage in question will be surprised at how solid the information really is."Had our nation remained united it would have had strength, but divided it must fall."-Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 260. Many today assume that the Civil War was fought over slavery. Historians declare, as Mrs. White has written, that this was not the initial motivation for the war. Rather, it was fought to maintain the Union. Many enlistees thought they were fighting to abolish slavery, but those in charge of the war had no such intention. We were a nation divided. Once Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation during the year after Mrs. White wrote these things, and the North became united in its goal of abolishing slavery, then the tide began to turn in favor of the North. We can thank the Lord that the North did unite so that our nation did not fall. I was shown that if the object of this war had been to exterminate slavery, then, if desired, England would have helped the North. But England fully understands the existing feelings in the Government, and that the war is not to do away slavery, but merely to preserve the Union; and it is not for her interest to have it preserved.-Ibid., p. 258. The World Book Encyclopedia says under "Emancipation Proclamation," As a result, it greatly influenced the North's victory in the war.... As the abolitionists had predicted, the Emancipation Proclamation strengthened the North's war effort and weakened the South's.... The Emancipation Proclamation also hurt the South by discouraging Britain and France from entering the war. Both of those nations depended on the South to supply them with cotton, and the Confederacy hoped that they would fight on its side. But the proclamation made the war a fight against slavery. Most British and French citizens opposed slavery, and so they gave their support to the Union. World Book thus makes it crystal clear that England was considering entering the war. It was the North's uniting against slavery that prevented England from doing so, and this is precisely how Mrs. White described the political situation of those times.There are other predictions that she made. For example, she predicted the demise of the South six months before their fortunes started sinking at Gettysburg: In regard to the South, I was referred to Deuteronomy 32:35-37: "To Me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste."-Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 368. Who told her that the "foot" of the South would "slide in due time" while they were still doing quite well? Who told her that that day was "at hand"? Then there is Mrs. White's January 12, 1861, vision at Parkville, Michigan. After it she said: "Men are making light of the secession ordinance that has been passed by South Carolina. They have little idea of the trouble that is coming on our land. No one in this house has even dreamed of the trouble that is coming. "I have just been shown in vision that a number of States are going to join South Carolina in this secession, and a terrible war will be the result. In the vision I saw large armies raised by both the North and the South. I was shown the battle raging. I heard the booming of the cannon, and saw the dead and wounded falling on every side. I was then taken to hospitals, and saw the sufferings of the sick and wounded prisoners. I was taken in the vision to the homes of those who had lost sons, brothers, or husbands in the war. There was distress and mourning all over the land." ... "There are men in this house who will lose sons in that war."-Arthur White, vol. 1, p. 463. Only one state had seceded, and the general sentiment in the North was that the whole rebellion was going to vaporize. For most, war was nowhere on the horizon, and yet Mrs. White was already predicting a terrible civil war! "There are men in this house who will lose sons in that war." Judge Osborne and Mr. Shellhouse were present. They thought her prediction utterly absurd, but one year later they wept at the mention of the vision. The one had lost his only son, and the other had lost one son, with a second son somewhere down South in jail.-John Loughborough, Miracles in My Life, p. 57. #39: She predicted world war. Fascinating subject. She actually predicted two world wars, as we shall see.Other nations are making quiet yet active preparations for war .... When England does declare war, all nations will have an interest of their own to serve, and there will be general war, general confusion.... A portion of the queen's subjects are waiting a favorable opportunity to break their yoke …--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 259. The phrases "general war," "general confusion," and "active preparations for war" of "other nations" bring to mind page 268 of the same book. On that page is a prediction of two times of world war separated by a little time of peace: Other nations are intently watching this nation, for what purpose I was not informed, and are making great preparations for some event.... I was shown the inhabitants of the earth in the utmost confusion. War, bloodshed, privation, want, famine, and pestilence were abroad in the land. My attention was then called from the scene. There seemed to be a little time of peace. Once more the inhabitants of the earth were presented before me; and again everything was in the utmost confusion. Strife, war, and bloodshed, with famine and pestilence, raged everywhere. Other nations were engaged in this war and confusion. War caused famine. Want and bloodshed caused pestilence. And then men's hearts failed them for fear, "and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." "When England does declare war, all nations will have an interest of their own to serve, and there will be general war, general confusion." Out of the twenty-eight nations or more that fought in World War I, England was the fifth or sixth to declare war. And in World War II, after a little time of peace, England was among the first six nations to declare war out of at least fifty-eight. "A portion of the queen's subjects are waiting a favorable opportunity to break their yoke .... England ruled about a fourth of the world's land and people, and then lost it all as her colonies sought their independence about the time of the world wars. How interesting that Mrs. White connected England's declaring war and world war with this very thing! She never said, "When England does declare war on the United States ...." She said, "When England does declare war ...." There is a difference. As Mr. ___ almost said, "History proves the utter" truth "of this prophecy." #40: "The United States of America was not humbled into the dust in defeat. Mrs. White again clearly to the objective mind prophesied falsely." #40: She said the US would be humbled into the dust in defeat. She never said "in defeat." The facts are these:1. Our nation had been proud. 2. Other nations were disgusted at how we were conducting the Civil War. 3. We were humbled into the dust. Consider the following from her pen: This war is a most singular and at the same time a most horrible and heart sickening conflict. Other nations are looking on with disgust at the transactions of the armies of both North and South. They see such a determined effort to protract the war at an enormous sacrifice of life and money, while at the same time nothing is really gained, that it looks to them like a strife to see which can kill the most men. They are indignant.-Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 367. On January 20, 1863, the London Times reported the words of an American preacher who in prayer had "blessed the name of God for having so humbled the nation that it was compelled as a military necessity to ask the aid of the negro." On July 4th of the same year, the Times described that year's American Independence Day as "this day of festivity, now converted into a day of humiliation" (F. D. Nichol, Ellen White and Her Critics, p. 120). Mr. Cleveland would have had a hard time convincing these "objective minds" that Mrs. White prophesied falsely. #41: "Mrs. White in a vision also claimed to have traveled complete with wings to various planets which were full of inhabitants. She reported meeting Enoch on a distant planet during one of her journeys. Other times she saw angels using golden gate passes to go in and out of heaven." #41: She went in vision to other planets. So? What difference does this make? Does this make her a false prophet?Was John the Revelator a false prophet because he claimed that in vision he went to heaven and heard angels talking there (Rev. 4:1, 2; 5:11)? Was Ezekiel a false prophet because he claimed that in vision he was carried by a lock of his hair to another country (Ezek. 8:3)? Or was the apostle Paul a false prophet because he said he went to heaven, but whether he went there only in vision or actually with his body, he could not tell (2 Cor. 12:2-4, 7)? Or is the problem the fact that she said there were other inhabited worlds? Does such a claim make her a false prophet? The Bible says that Christ made the "worlds," plural, using the Greek word aion, a word that does not mean uninhabited planets (Heb. 1:2; cf. 11:3). And Job says that the sons of God came for a special meeting. Satan got to be included because he claimed to be a representative from Earth, implying that the other participants in the meeting were also representatives from inhabited planets (Job 1:6, 7; 2:1, 2). Though one might disagree with these interpretations of Scripture, the matter cannot be construed into a clear-cut case for declaring someone to be a false prophet. Under "Point 23" and "Point 24," the documentation package shows four quotations from two books proving that Mrs. White saw these things in vision. However, no evidence is offered to show why her seeing these things in vision is unscriptural, as claimed a few moments later (see #44). #42 & #43: "Some of her so-called visions reflected her own racist views. For example, she believed that certain races of people [blacks are shown in the picture] were the result of sexual relations between man and animal, which she referred to as an amalgamation. '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 almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men.' Spiritual Gifts vol. 3 p. 75" #42: She said that animals and people crossed sexually. She said no such thing. She never said that the amalgamation was through sexual relations.Scientists today routinely mix the genes of various species, even putting animal genes into plants through genetic engineering. Since the Bible portrays man becoming more degenerate over time instead of more advanced, why could not ancient man have had such technology? It is evolution, not the Bible, that says that man is smarter today than he was back then. While Mrs. White indicates that it was man doing the amalgamation before the Flood, she does not say who did it after the Flood. Elsewhere she does speak of Satan altering plants through some sort of process: "All tares are sown by the evil one. Every noxious herb is of his sowing, and by his ingenious methods of amalgamation he has corrupted the earth with tares." -Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 288. So it is possible that it was Satan doing the post-Flood amalgamation instead of man. As F. D. Nichol pointed out in his book Ellen White and Her Critics, she did not specifically say "amalgamation of man with beast." Thus there is room for his idea of there being amalgamation of man with man and beast with beast (pp. 308, 309). What does this mean? Many interpret Genesis 6:2, which speaks of the sons of God marrying the daughters of men, to mean the same as what Mrs. White writes of in the August 23, 1892, issue of the Review and Herald: Those who profess to be followers of Christ, should be living agencies, co-operating 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. So amalgamation of man before the Flood could possibly mean intermarriage of believers with unbelievers, of the sons of God with the daughters of men. Under "Point 25" the documentation package gives the identical quotation found on the video. It also gives another quotation that speaks of witnessing to "white people" in the South as well as for the "higher class." The compiler of the documentation package, being unacquainted with Mrs. White's writings, must have equated the terms "white people" with "higher class," when in fact they mean something totally different. "Higher class" refers to economic and social status, not race (Desire of Ages, p. 550). Mrs. White repeatedly encouraged witnessing to the wealthy class. Since the poor often seem more receptive than the wealthy, the latter are often neglected, but they need the gospel too, whether they be black or white. Here are a few statements from her pen which were quite anti-racist: How little of the spirit of Christ has been manifested in the treatment given to the colored race in this so-called Christian country!--Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, p. 8. God has marked out no color line, and men should move very guardedly, lest we offend God. The Lord has not made two heavens, one for white people and one for colored people. There is but one heaven for the saved.-Ibid., p. 33. When the Holy Spirit moves upon human minds, all petty complaints and accusations between man and his fellow man will be put away.... In our worship of God there will be no distinction between rich and poor, white and black. All prejudice will be melted away. When we approach God, it will be as one brotherhood.-Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 487. #43: As the picture illustrates, she taught that amalgamation produced the black race. Regardless of what she meant by "amalgamation," whether genetic engineering or intermarriage with unbelievers, she never said what races of men she was talking about. She never said "amalgamation" produced the black race. Why didn't the video use a picture of whites or Asians instead? Is it because it would not have been as inflammatory as a picture of blacks?#44 & #45: "Despite the unbiblical nature of her visions, her followers continue to accept her as God's messenger and her writings as inspired as the Bible." #44: Her visions are unbiblical. The video is begging the question here. So far not one aspect of her visions has been proven to be unbiblical. Visited by angels? Transported to heaven? So were the Bible writers.One aspect of her visions that the video does not mention at all is the physical phenomena that occurred during them. Consider what Daniel wrote regarding a vision he had: "For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me" (Dan. 10:17). Daniel while in vision did not breathe. Likewise, Mrs. White while in vision did not breathe. These visions would last from fifteen minutes to three hours. She was examined by physicians on several occasions while in vision, and their opinion was that she was not breathing. Consider this eyewitness account: The first is from M. G. Kellogg, M. D., who refers to the first vision given in Michigan, May 29, 1853, at a meeting held in the barn of Wm. Dawson, in Tyrone, Livingston Co. He says: "Sister White was in vision about twenty minutes or half an hour.... Brother White arose and informed the audience that his wife was in vision. After stating the manner of her visions, and that she did not breathe while in vision, he invited any one who wished to do so to come forward and examine her. Dr. Drummond, a physician, who was also a first-day Adventist preacher, who [before he saw her in vision] had declared her visions to be of mesmeric origin, and that he could give her a vision, stepped forward, and after a thorough examination, turned very pale, and remarked, 'She doesn't breathe!' "I am quite certain that she did not breathe at that time while in vision, nor in any of several others which she had when I was present. The coming out of vision was as marked as her going into it. The first indication we had that the vision was ended, was in her again beginning to breathe. She drew her first breath deep, long, and full, in a manner showing that her lungs had been entirely empty of air. After drawing the first breath, several minutes passed before she drew the second, which filled the lungs precisely as did the first: then a pause of two minutes, and a third inhalation, after which the breathing became natural." Signed, "M. G. Kellogg, M. D., Battle Creek, Mich., Dec. 28, 1890."-General Conference Daily Bulletin, Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 1893, pp. 59, 60. While this aspect of her visions was very biblical, it must be pointed out that such phenomena do not prove that a prophet or vision is from God. They merely prove the supernatural character of those visions. The Bible tests of a prophet must then be applied to determine whether that supernatural source is God or Satan. This is a vital point, for Revelation 16:14 explicitly tells us that the devil can work miracles, and will work many at the end of time. #45: Adventists claim her writings are as inspired as the Bible. The irrelevancy of this charge was already pointed out under #23.Under "Point 26" the documentation package has an article from the December 23, 1982, issue of the Review to prove that Adventists believe that "her writings are as inspired as the Bible." But the article's ten affirmations and ten denials actually negate what the video is trying to prove: Affirmations 1. We believe that Scripture is the divinely revealed Word of God and is inspired by the Holy Spirit. 2. We believe that the canon of Scripture is composed only of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. 3. We believe that Scripture is the foundation of faith and the final authority in all matters of doctrine and practice. 4. We believe that Scripture is the Word of God in human language. 5. We believe that Scripture teaches that the gift of prophecy will be manifest in the Christian church after New Testament times. 6. We believe that the ministry and writings of Ellen White were a manifestation of the gift of prophecy. 7. We believe that Ellen White was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that her writings, the product of that inspiration, are applicable and authoritative especially to Seventh-day Adventists. 8. We believe that the purposes of the Ellen White writings include guidance in understanding the teaching of Scripture and application of these teachings, with prophetic urgency, to the spiritual life. 9. We believe that the acceptance of the prophetic gift of Ellen White is important to the nurture and unity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 10. We believe that Ellen White's use of literary sources and assistants finds parallels in some of the writings of the Bible. Denials 1. We do not believe that the quality or degree of inspiration in the writings of Ellen White is different from that of Scripture. 2. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are an addition to the canon of Sacred Scripture. 3. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White function as the foundation and final authority of Christian faith as does Scripture. 4. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White may be used as the basis of doctrine. 5. We do not believe that the study of the writings of Ellen White may be used to replace the study of Scripture. 6. We do not believe that Scripture can be understood only through the writings of Ellen White. 7. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White exhaust the meaning of Scripture. 8. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are essential for the proclamation of the truths of Scripture to society at large. 9. We do not believe that the writings of Ellen White are the product of mere Christian piety. 10. We do not believe that Ellen White's use of literary sources and assistants negates the inspiration of her writings. Pretty clear, isn't it? The contributors to the material in the video really ought to read this part of the documentation package. It would answer a lot of their questions.
|
