December 2019 was the 175th anniversary of the first vision given by God to Ellen G. White. That vision began a ministry that lasted 70 years and helped lay the foundation for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its worldwide ministry in 200 countries. Ellen White went on to have about 2,000 visions and dreams, leading her to write around 100,000 pages of counsel for spiritual growth, mission and ministry, health, education, and many other subjects. (Check https://whiteestate.org.)
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Ellen Harmon (later Ellen White, once married) was a deeply devoted 17-year-old Methodist who, along with her family, had accepted biblical teachings pointing to the soon coming of Jesus Christ. The Adventists, as they became known, believed Christ would come on October 22, 1844, in direct fulfillment of the 2,300-day prophecy (Dan. 8:14). They misinterpreted that prophecy, and when Jesus did not come, many were deeply disappointed. Among those was young Ellen.
After this great disappointment, a small group of these Adventists pressed on in prayer and study to discern God’s will on this matter. One day in December of that year, Ellen went to pray with four other women. As she prayed, the Holy Spirit fell on her, and she saw a vision. She saw a narrow path, high above the world, where the Adventists were traveling towards heaven, at the end of the path. A bright light behind them lit the path so they would not stumble. Before them was Jesus, leading them to the New Jerusalem. As long as they kept their eyes on Jesus, they would not stumble, but those who took their eyes off Him, or doubted, fell off the path (Early Writings, 14-15). As she related her vision to others, they were encouraged. They concluded that God had not forsaken them and that if they kept their eyes on Jesus, they would eventually reach the heavenly city.
It took some time for Adventists to accept Ellen White as a messenger God would use on their behalf. Many others in those days claimed to have direct revelations from God, and she was a young female with a weak physical constitution. Before choosing her, God had twice chosen experienced men to send messages to His people through visions and dreams, but they refused to carry such a big burden. Ellen White was described as “the weakest of the weak,” but she humbly submitted to the will of God.
The Lord used Ellen White in mighty ways. As suggested in Joel 2:28-29, she had public visions while young (her last one was at age 47), and private dreams while older. The public visions were necessary so people who witnessed them would believe she was sent of God.
How Early Adventists Came to Accept Ellen White as a Prophet
Historians have identified at least 315 men and women who were recognized as prophets in North America between 1750 and 1820, so the claim to be a prophet of God was not unusual leading to the time of Ellen White. How did the early Adventists know she was a genuine messenger of God?
At first, they were skeptical. After the disappointment of October 1844, they were weary of the extremism and fanaticism seen among some of the believers. They wanted to be certain and to anchor their faith in the Bible alone. But they recognized that the Bible supported prophetic utterances (1 Thess 5:19-22) and that it pointed to prophetic activity at the time of the end (Joel 2:28-29; Matt. 24:11, 24). At one point, one of the Adventist leaders offered $500 USD, a large sum at the time, for anyone who could prove from the New Testament that the gifts of the Spirit had been taken away from the church. No one could come up with such proof. For some, witnessing Ellen White in vision convinced them she was genuine.
Joseph Bates, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was initially skeptical about whether Ellen White had the gift of prophecy. A self-described “doubting Thomas,” Bates thought her visions were the result of a weak physical and mental constitution. However, in November of 1846, he was with a group of Adventists when Ellen White was taken into vision. After the vision, she described the heavens, the galaxy of Orion, and several of the planets in the solar system. This really surprised Bates, a former sea captain and an amateur astronomer. He knew Ellen White was ignorant of these things and concluded God must be behind her visions.
Another skeptic of her gift was Dr. Drummond, a non-Adventist physician who believed her visions were the result of hypnotism. One Sabbath morning in 1853, he was present at a church where Ellen White went into vision. Her husband described what was happening to her and invited anyone to check whether or not she was breathing. Dr. Drummond stepped forward and gave her a thorough examination. Then, he turned pale and said, “She doesn’t breathe!” The vision lasted about 30 minutes.
Most of all, early Adventists saw in her messages a thorough support of biblical teachings. In the theological development stage of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, between 1848 and 1850, she never initiated any new teaching, but confirmed the biblical conclusions arrived at by other serious Bible students. In addition, her entire life was a constant reflection of a true Bible-believing Christian. She was put to every test found in the Bible to identify the prophet of God from a false prophet.
Article by Ron Clouzet, NSD Ministerial Secretary
