You Be the Judge Does Mrs. White Pass the Biblical Tests of a Prophet? Special note to Seventh-day Adventists: This may be the most important web page you ever read. Please keep on open mind as you read it carefully and prayerfully. Importance of Testing In the year 2006 over one billion people called themselves Moslems. It is the biggest religion on the planet and the fastest growing in terms of numbers of new adherents. The whole religion is based upon the writings of prophet Muhammad. Now, when we say writings, we must remember that Muhammad was illiterate, so he depended upon literary assistants to do his writing for him. If you decided to follow Muhammad it would impact every aspect of your life. It would impact what you eat and drink. It would impact what you say and to whom you say it. It would impact how and when you worship. It would impact your perception of who God is and what He expects of you. It would impact what you do and say. It would impact how you relate to others that are outside your group. Islam impacts every area of your life! If you are following a prophet, and what that prophet tells you is false, that wrong teaching could have far-reaching effects upon almost every aspect of your life. It could impact your health, your relationships with others, even your relationship with God. That is why the Word of God says: Prophet Joseph Smith * Advocated health reforms years ahead of science * Predicted future events * Guided his church to amazing membership growth * Wrote many beautiful, inspiring words I hate every false way (Psalm 119:104) A man finds a Book of Mormon in his hotel room and reads it. He heart is warmed by the stories of love for God and courage. He says, Whoever penned such beautiful, encouraging words must be a prophet of God. He ends up joining the Latter Day Saints without ever studying the merits of the prophet Joseph Smith. Many are born into a church with a prophet. They grow up accepting it and never challenge the idea during their entire life. Many do not realize that following a prophets teachings can have a tremendously powerful impact on every area of their life. They devote little time to researching the prophet, to testing him or her to find out if their claims are true. How many Moslems, Mormons, or Seventh-day Adventists have really taken the time to sit down and study out whether or not their prophet is everything they claimed to be? With so much on the line, isnt it worth a little investigating? One of the duties of a Christian is to test the prophets. It is commanded in the Bible, and failure to do so is disobedience to Gods Word: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1) The reason given that we are to test the prophets is because there are many false ones out there. Jesus recognized this problem would face His people in the future. Beware of false prophets, he warned, And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Matt. 7:15, 24:11) He went on to warn that even good Christians, intelligent people--the very elect--could be deceived: For there shall arise...false prophets...insomuch that if were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matt. 24:24) These warnings by Jesus should be enough to emphasize the importance of validating the claims put forth by a prophet or by the followers of a prophet. Jesus would not have bothered to make such strong statements unless He believed His followers would face a significant threat from false prophets in the future. With so many prophets out there in the world today, how can we determine which ones are true and which ones are false prophets? Have you ever asked someone why they believe a prophet? Mary Eddy Bakers writings on health and spirituality have been such a blessing to my life. She must have been inspired. How could Muhammad have written such masterful works without any education? God must have assisted him. Joseph Smith predicted the Civil War would start in South Carolina 29 years before it started! God must have inspired him. Nostradamus predicted the rise of Hitler and World War II! Muhammads teachings on diet and health are only now being validated by scientists after a 1,000 years! If you are a Seventh-day Adventist, those answers will sound familiar to you. Reasons similar to these are frequently cited in favor of Ellen White. Interestingly enough, none of these reasons is a Biblical test of a prophet. But wait, you say, Doesnt making a predication that comes true prove a person to be a prophet? Not according to the Bible! You see, anyone can predict a future event, and by luck or chance, that future event may actually take place. Predicting a future event does not prove someone to be a prophet; however, if a prophet makes a prediction of a future event, and that event does not take place, then the Bible tells us that prophet is not a true prophet. That is the first of seven Biblical tests of a prophet. We cannot trust our feelings or our emotions. We must have an objective set of criteria--specific, measurable rules--that can be applied to every person claiming to be a prophet; otherwise, everyone and his neighbor could be a prophet! That criteria exists as the seven Biblical tests outlined below. When one candidly examines all the evidence presented below, one will find sufficient evidence to make an educated decision regarding the prophetic calling of Ellen White. Using these seven tests we can easily distinguish the true prophets from the false ones. TEST #1: Prophecies Must be Fulfilled When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him. (Deut. 18:22) A prophet does not have to make predictions in order to be a prophet. A prophet is defined as somebody who interprets or passes on the will of a deity. (Encarta Dictionary) Typically, however, Biblical prophets do make predictions about future events. These predictions help to establish the claims and validity of a prophet because knowledge of future events surpasses human ability and resides in the domain of omnipotent power. Jeremiah writes that… ...when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. (Jer. 28:9) When a prophet first arises, he may not be believed by the people at first, but when his predictions start coming to pass, then people begin to have faith and confidence in that prophet. However, any prophet can get lucky and make a guess about the future which, by chance, comes to pass. Therefore, the Bible places a much more stringent test upon the prophet. Moses told the people to keep a score card. If the prophets predictions come to pass, then keep on eye on him. If the prophet ever fails, even once, then ignore him. He is not a true prophet. Why? Because anyone can make a lucky guess but only God can get the future right every single time. This is what differentiates Gods prophets from all the other false prophets in the world. This is what sets them apart. This is how we can identify a true prophet of God. Gods prophets are correct about the future 100 percent of the time. It is that simple. Now, let us examine some of the predictions made by Ellen White. As soon as you begin analyzing Mrs. Whites predictions, something becomes immediately evident. Most of Mrs. Whites specific predictions were made early in her career, and virtually every single one of them failed to come to pass. The further she progressed in life, the less predictions she made, and if she did make a prediction, it was usually something vague and ambiguous, such as crime will worsen, cities will be more polluted, or the earth will become more and more corrupt. It appears that Mrs. White learned from her early failures, and was more careful in later predictions to make them obscure and ambiguous enough so that she could not be accused by her detractors of making false predictions. With that in mind, let us now examine some of the predictions she made. Remember to keep score because a true prophet of God will never make a false prediction, not even one. Prediction #1: Jesus will return in June, 1845 Lucinda Burdick and Ellen Harmon [White] were close friends during the mid-1840s. Mrs. Burdick, the wife of a pastor, had many opportunities to hear Mrs. Whites prophecies. (Can you trust Lucinda Burdick? Click here.) The following is Mrs. Burdicks eyewitness testimony of a prophecy Mrs. White made: During the year 1845 I met Miss Ellen G. Harmon several times at my uncles house in South Windham, Me. The first of these meetings was in the month of May, when I heard her declare that God had revealed to her that Jesus Christ would return to this earth in June, the next month. (Lucinda Burdick, notarized letter, published in Limboline) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Ellen Harmon said God revealed to her that Jesus would come in June of 1845. This is a failed prophecy. Prediction #2: Jesus will return in September, 1845 Mrs. Burdick again testifies: During the haying season I again met her in company with James White at the same place, and heard my uncle ask her about the failure of the Lord to appear in June according to her visions. She replied that she had been told in the language of Canaan which she did not understand; but that she had since come to understand that Christ would return in September, at the second growth of grass instead of the first. (Ibid.) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Did Christ return in September of 1845? Obviously not. Prediction #3: Whites to be Thrown in Prison in 1846 Mrs. Burdick again testifies of statements made by Ellen White in 1846: Once, when on their way to the eastern part of Maine, she saw that they would have great trouble with the wicked, be put in prison, etc. This they told in the churches as they passed through. When they came back, they said they had a glorious time. Friends asked if they had seen any trouble with the wicked, or prisons? They replied, None at all. People in all the churches soon began to get their eyes open, and came out decidedly against her visions (Ibid.) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! It is obvious that the very people she told her vision to thought she was describing an imminent imprisonment that would occur on their trip to the east. That is obvious from the facts that (1) the people specifically asked them about the imprisonment when they got back, and (2) when they found out there was no imprisonment, they came out decidedly against her visions. This failed prophecy was enough to convince the people in the Maine churches she was a false prophet, and it should be enough to convince us today! We could stop right here and know that, according to Deut. 18:22, we have nothing to fear from this prophet. She has proven to be wrong, thus indicating she does not speak for God. But let us be careful. The Bible warns us not to accept anything on the voice of just one eyewitness. Can Mrs. Burdicks story be corroborated in any way? Mrs. White made several statements about the imminent return of Christ in the 1840s and 1850s which would seem to validate Mrs. Burdicks statements. It does appear that in the early days of her career Mrs. White had a bad habit of predicting the return of Christ. So let us turn to the writings of Ellen White. Prediction #4: The Great Pestilence that Never Came In 1849, Mrs. White penned these memorable words: What we have seen and heard of the pestilence [of 1849], is but the beginning of what we shall see and hear. Soon the dead and dying will be all around us. (Present Truth, Sept. 1849). Pass or Fail? FAILURE! The pestilence she was describing turned out to be a local phenomenom, not a sign of the imminent end of the world. Not long after this prophecy was penned the pestilence ended and the United States entered a period of peace and prosperity that lasted for many years. She said soon the dead and dying will be all around us. What does soon mean? It has been nearly 160 years! She said the dead would be around us. That included her. She was saying the dead would be around her. This never happened in her lifetime. Another prophetic failure. Prediction #5: Jesus to come in months In 1850 Sister White tells us what her angel told her: My accompanying angel said, Time is almost finished. Get ready, get ready, get ready. . . . now time is almost finished. . . and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months. (Early Writings, pp. 64-67) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! The context of this statement is undeniable. New converts will have to learn the doctrines in a few months because now time is almost finished. The reduction in learning time is not because new converts are smarter than the older ones, nor is it because the Adventists developed an accelerated learning course. No, the context clearly states the reason they will have to learn quickly: time is almost finished. What is a reasonable definition of the phrase a few months? Three? Five? If your friend called you up and said, Ill be over to visit in a few months, when would you expect him? Three or four months, perhaps six at the most? Well, as of the end of 2006 it has been about one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two months since Mrs. White said only a few months remained! She was certainly saying there were not years or decades left, because she said that what earlier converts had learned in years, recent converts would have to learn in months. How can this failure be explained? Perhaps this is yet another case of her misunderstanding what her angel said. Perhaps her angel spoke in the language of Canaan again! Prediction #6: Some at 1856 Conference to see Jesus return Finally, Mrs. White concluded a 10-year string of failures predicting the return of Christ with a notorious statement that, unlike the previous failures, got widespread attention. She made this statement at a church conference in 1856 and it received notoriety because it was published in her Testimonies to the Church and many church members read it. Mrs. White describes her vision: I was shown the company present at the Conference. Said the angel: Some food for worms, some subjects of the seven last plagues, some will be alive and remain upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus. Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 131 Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Everyone at this conference passed away generations ago. Not a single one was alive and upon the earth to be translated at the coming of Jesus. After this prophecy utterly failed the church was in quandary as to what to do with this statement. It was finally decided to declare this to be a conditional prophecy even though there were no conditions stated or implied in the prophecy (unlike conditional Biblical prophecies which always had the conditions stated explicitly or implicitly in the passage--for a further discussion on conditional prophecy, click here). A review of Mrs. Whites 1856 statement indicates there are no conditions stated explicitly or even implied in the prophecy. Mrs. White simply says that some of those at the conference will be alive when Christ returns. There is no condition such as If you work hard, and give lots of offerings, then Christ will return... The prophecy was never understood as conditional during Mrs. Whites lifetime. It was only after the last person attending the conference died that the brethren were forced to come up with the explanation that the prophecy was conditional. Prediction #7: Earth to be depopulated soon Mrs. White continued her unbroken string of failed predictions in 1864 when she wrote: The human family was presented before me, enfeebled. Every generation has been growing weaker, and disease of every form visits the human race.... Satans power upon the human family increases. If the Lord should not soon come and destroy his power, the earth would soon be depopulated. Testimony #8, p.94, in Spiritual Gifts III-IV Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Again we find the word soon. In 1864 she said the earth would soon be depopulated. Did that happen soon after 1864? Well, by 1900 the earths population had soared to 1.6 billion people. Today there are over 6 billion. By 2050 there may be 25 billion people on the planet. Because of better nutrition, advances in medicine, and improved living conditions, each generation is living longer, healthier, stronger, and taller. Diseases which once ravaged mankind have been eliminated or rendered harmless by powerful medications. Sadly, all that Mrs. White could foresee in the future was darkness, disease, and death. Had she truly had divine foresight she would never have made this statement. Prediction #8: Slavery to Revive in the South Here is another infamous prediction made by Mrs. White: Slavery will again be revived in the Southern States; for the spirit of slavery still lives. Therefore it will not do for those who labor among the colored people to preach the truth as boldly and openly as they would be free to do in other places. Even Christ clothed His lessons in figures and parables to avoid the opposition of the Pharisees. (Spalding & Magan Collection, page 21 and 2 MR #153, page 300) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Was slavery ever revived in the Southern United States? Of course not! Since the Civil War ended it has been a federal crime to engage in slavery. Since the end of the Civil War there have been a few criminal operations that engaged in slave-labor, but when they are discovered by authorities, they are shut down and the owners are jailed. Slavery was permanently abolished and it will never be revived again in the United States. Any person can choose to live and work any place they want to. Thanks be to God, slavery is dead and gone. This is another prophetic debacle. More on this subject--> Prediction #9: Slave Masters to Suffer Seven Last Plagues Here Mrs. White predicts that slave masters will experience the seven last plagues described in the book of Revelation: I saw that the slave master will have to answer for the soul of his slave whom he has kept in ignorance...the master must endure the seven last plagues and then come up in the second resurrection and suffer the second, most awful death. (Early Writings, p. 276) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! This prophecy was given in the context of the slavery then existing in the United States. We have calculated that the oldest slave masters in the United States died in the early 1900s, nearly 100 years ago! Prediction #10: Sick man to recover In 1873, the editor of the Swedish edition of Advent Herald, Mr. C. Carlstedt, had become seriously ill with Typhoid fever. Mrs. White and others were called to his bedside to pray for Carlstedt. On their way home from the prayer meeting, Mrs. White remarked that the Lord was... present with his restoring power, to raise Carlstedt, whose sickness was not unto death, but to the glory of the Son of God. (Charles Lee, Three Important Questions for Seventh-Day Adventists to Consider) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Charles Lee, who at that time was a Seventh-day Adventist minister, was at the prayer meeting and was a witness to Mrs. Whites prediction. Sadly, Mrs. White was dead wrong. Carlstedt was dead within one week of her statement. A horrific failed prediction. Prediction #11: Rappings will increase Mrs. White claimed she saw in vision from God the rappings of the Fox Sisters and others would increase: I saw that soon it would be considered blasphemy to speak against the rapping, and that it would spread more and more, that Satans power would increase and some of his devoted followers would have power to work miracles and even to bring down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Early Writings, p. 59. Pass or Fail? FAILURE! This prophecy was a marked failure. Even though the Spiritualism movement increased in popularity for a short period during the mid-1800s, it eventually died down. The movement was already on the decline prior to the Fox sisters admission in 1888 that the rapping was faked, and after their deaths in the 1890s it continued to decline. Today, if you were to ask almost anyone about rapping they would think you were talking about a form of music, not a form of communicating with the dead. Rapping has completely vanished from the public awareness. We have seen no evidence it was ever considered blasphemy to speak against the rapping. The entire Spiritualist movement fizzled out in the 1920s after popular magician Harry Houdini exposed numerous popular mediums as fakes and frauds. For a more detailed discussion of Spiritualism, the Fox Sisters, and the modern New Age movement, CLICK HERE. Did any of her predictions come true? Mrs. White made some vague predictions about crime worsening and cities becoming more polluted. These types of predictions are difficult to judge, because many other people of her day were saying the same thing. The problem is that if we considered everyone who made such generalized predictions to be prophets, then we would literally have thousands of prophets. General predictions about worsening crime and pollution simply do not substantiate a prophets claims. A prophet must be measured on specific predictions and specific results. What about the predictions in the Great Controversy? Some have suggested that the predictions written out in the Great Controversy, such as the United States in prophecy and enforced Sunday observance, appear to be coming to pass, and this proves Mrs. White to be a prophet. The truth is that the United States is moving away from a National Sunday Law. What about the predictions of the papacy uniting with Apostate Protestantism? Mrs. White warned of this, but many other non-Adventist Christians were sounding the same alarm during that time period. Does that mean these other people are prophets also? What about the San Francisco Earthquake? Perhaps the closest Mrs. White got to making an accurate prediction of the future was her 1903 statement regarding the destruction of San Francisco: San Francisco and Oakland are becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Lord will visit them. Not far hence they will suffer under His judgments.--Ms 30, 1903. Although she never specified what the judgment would be, she was 50% correct on this prediction, because San Francisco was hit by an earthquake three years later, in 1906. However, Oakland was not seriously damaged. Oddly enough, even though she lived in Northern California, Mrs. White never made any attempt to personally go and warn the residents of San Francisco of the impending earthquake. Test #1 - You Decide: Pass or Fail? We have cited eleven instances when her predictions failed. Remember, it only takes one failure to disqualify a prophet. Even if we were generous and gave Mrs. White credit for predicting the San Francisco earthquake--although she never specifically said it would be an earthquake and the warning was only penned in a manuscript and not published until after the event--she still would have only made one out of twelve predictions correct. That is less than 10%. That would put her about equal with the psychics of today, who happen to get lucky about so often. However, she is far from matching the Biblical prophets, who were correct 100% of the time. In Bible times, you had to be correct 100% of the time, or else you risked losing your life. Given that, it is unlikely Mrs. White would have dared to proclaim herself the spirit of prophecy back in Bible times. TEST #2: Cannot have falsehoods in their visions Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. Jer. 23:32 There are some instances in the life of Ellen White where she prophesied falsehoods that caused her people to err. The most significant of these were the shut door visions. Falsehood #1: Door of Salvation is Shut When Christ failed to return in 1844 there was great confusion among the followers of William Miller. Most of the Millerites returned to their churches, but others were too ashamed to admit their error or felt too humiliated to return. It was among these people that the shut door teaching developed. The teaching is based upon the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. These people firmly believed that they had given the midnight cry (Matt. 25:6) and that Jesus, the Bridegroom, came to the marriage supper on October 22, 1844: And while they [foolish virgins] went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage; and the door was shut. (Matt. 25:10) They taught that on October 22, 1844, Christ got up and moved from the Holy Place into the Most Holy Place. In so doing, Christ shut the door of salvation to all except those Advent believers who had joined Millers 1844 movement. They believed that Jesus was shut in with His special people, preparing them to receive His kingdom. They believed that since October 22, 1844, Christ was ministering only to the little flock or Israel (the Advent believers). They taught that Christ was testing His children on certain points of truth, such as the Sabbath, and that their work for the salvation of others was finished. Ellen White had visions supporting this shut door doctrine, and James Whites paper--Present Truth--trumpeted the shut door teaching up until late 1850. Most Adventists, including William Miller and most of the leaders in the Millerite movement, rejected the doctrine. It was accepted by only a small number of followers of Joseph Bates and the Whites. In early 1850 the shut door began to slip open. Those who were Christians in 1844, but had not had opportunity to hear Millers time-setting message were allowed to enter the church. Near the end of 1850 the shut door opened a little further. The Adventists were shocked when a man who was a non-believer in 1844 accepted the Adventist message in August, 1850, and started attending their meetings. It was their first conversion of an unconverted man since 1844! By 1851 the teaching had fallen out of favor and so the Whites modified their teaching on the shut door. James White abandoned the Present Truth magazine and started a new magazine, the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. He reprinted his wifes visions in 1851, but was careful to remove those parts referencing the erroneous shut door doctrine. The doctrine disappeared from the writings of the leaders and most of the new converts into the church never heard of it nor had any idea that their prophet had seen a shut door of salvation in her visions. In the period of 1844-1850, a time when Mrs. White was receiving frequent public visions, she claimed on a number of occasions to have seen in vision the door of salvation shut and that Adventists no longer needed to work for the salvation of the world. Otis Nichols, a fervent believer in Ellen White, wrote thus to William Miller: Her message was...that our work was done for the nominal church and the world, and what remained to be done was for the household of faith. --DF 105, Otis Nichols to William Miller, April 20, 1846. Adventist minister Isaac Wellcome testifies: I was often in meeting with Ellen G. Harmon and James White in 1844 and 45. I several times caught her while falling to the floor, --at times when she swooned away for a vision. I have heard her relate her visions of these dates. Several were published on sheets, to the effect that all were lost who did not endorse the 44 move, that Christ had left the throne of mercy, and all were sealed that ever would be, and no others could repent. (An Examination of Mrs. Ellen Whites Visions, Miles Grant, Boston: Published by the Advent Christian Publication Society, 1877) Although she later denied having visions supporting a shut door of salvation, there is ample evidence from eyewitnesses and from her own pen that she taught a shut door on the basis of her visions. In one of her earliest visions she describes how impossible it is for the rejected world to get onto the path leading to heaven: Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and got their eyes off the mark and lost sight of Jesus, and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. It was just as impossible for them to get on the path again and go to the City, as all the wicked world which God had rejected. (A Word to the Little Flock, 1847) In 1849 she wrote about the condition of those in other chuches: My accompanying angel bade me look for the travail of soul for sinners as used to be. I looked, but could not see it; for the time for their salvation is past. (Present Truth, August, 1849) To illustrate how Mrs. Whites visions about the shut door of salvation led people to err, consider her vision in Exeter, Maine. Here is a specific example of how Ellen White saw a falsehood in vision (the shut door of salvation), and then related that vision to other people who then accepted the false teaching: While in Exeter, Maine, in meeting with Israel Dammon, James, and many others, many of them did not believe in a shut door. I suffered much at the commencement of the meeting. Unbelief seemed to be on every hand. There was one sister there that was called very spiritual. She had traveled and been a powerful preacher the most of the time for twenty years. She had been truly a mother in Israel. But a division had risen in the band on the shut door. She had great sympathy, and could not believe the door was shut. (I had known nothing of their differences.) Sister Durben got up to talk. I felt very, very sad. At length my soul seemed to be in an agony, and while she was talking I fell from my chair to the floor. It was then I had a view of Jesus rising from His mediatorial throne and going to the Holiest as Bridegroom to receive His kingdom. They were all deeply interested in the view. They all said it was entirely new to them. The Lord worked in mighty power setting the truth home to their hearts. ... When I came out of vision, my ears were saluted with Sister Durbens singing and shouting with a loud voice. Most of them received the vision, and were settled upon the shut door. Manuscript Releases Vol. 5, p. 97 Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Notice this carefully. Prior to the vision, Sister Durben could not believe the door of salvation was shut. Mrs. White says Sister Durben had great sympathy. Sympathy for whom? For those upon whom the door of salvation had been shut! She could not believe that God would abandon these people to eternal death. After the vision, Sister Durben accepted the shut door. Therefore, the vision of Ellen White convinced Sister Durben to accept and believe a falsehood. (To learn more about the shut door, click here). Falsehood #2: Sealing Time Visions Mrs. Whites visions of the sealing time provide unequivocal evidence that she failed the tests of a prophet. To begin, let us review Ellen Whites teaching regarding the sealing time, as written in her landmark book, The Great Controversy: When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false Sabbath in compliance with the law of the state, contrary to the fourth commandment, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to Gods law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God. (Great Controversy, p. 605) Note the following: The final test involves choosing Sabbath observance over a false Sabbath enforced by the government The final test was yet future when Great Controversy was published in 1911. Mrs. White writes in the future tense saying When the final test shall be brought... Those sealed must prove their allegiance to God by choosing to follow Gods laws rather than the laws of the state The seal of God is given to those who pass the final test by choosing Gods Sabbath over the state-enforced Sabbath In order to receive the seal of God one must pass the final test. Therefore, the sealing could not have begun prior to 1911, because the final test had not yet come by 1911 In Great Controversy Mrs. White outlines the specific characteristics of the 144,000 as thus: None but the hundred and forty-four thousand can learn that song; for it is the song of their experience--an experience such as no other company have ever had. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These, having been [1] translated from the earth, from among the living, are counted as the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Revelation 15:2, 3; 14:1-5. [2] These are they which came out of great tribulation; they have passed through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation; [3] they have endured the anguish of the time of Jacobs trouble; [4] they have stood without an intercessor through the final outpouring of Gods judgments. ... -[5] They have seen the earth wasted with famine and pestilence, the sun having power to scorch men with great heat, and they themselves have endured suffering, hunger, and thirst. (Ibid. p. 649) From the above it is obvious that the 144,000-those who have received the Seal of God-are identified by the following: Were alive and translated at Jesus return Went through the great time of trouble Went through Jacobs time of trouble Stood without an intercessor Lived through the final judgments of God upon the earth Obviously no one living in the 1800s had gone through any of these experiences, and thus it is clear that no one in the 1800s was either sealed or a part of the 144,000. It is obvious the prophetess believed in 1911 that the sealing time was yet future. Yet, her visions from 62 years earlier paint a far different picture. In the 1840s she taught the sealing time was is in full progress. Satan is now using every device in this sealing time, to keep the minds of Gods people from the present, sealing truth; and to cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over his people, to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth, and was pure in heart, was to be covered with the covering of Almighty God. (Present Truth, August 1, 1849) I saw that Satan was at work in these ways to distract, deceive, and draw away Gods people, just now in this sealing time. (Ibid.) On January 31, 1849, the Whites published a pamphlet entitled To Those who are Receiving the Seal of the Living God. In that pamphlet Mrs. White wrote: The sealing time is very short, and soon will be over. Now is the time to make our calling and election sure, while the four angels are holding the four winds. Mrs. White even went so far as to identify some of those who had received the seal of God during the sealing time... I saw that she [Mrs. Hastings, who had just died] was sealed and would come up at the voice of God and stand upon the earth, and would be with the 144,000. I saw we need not mourn for her; she would rest in the time of trouble. (Letter 10, 1850, 2SM 263) Later, she wrote that some of the elderly men in the church had the seal of God upon them: There are living upon our earth men who have passed the age of fourscore and ten. The natural results of old age are seen in their feebleness. But they believe God, and God loves them. The seal of God is upon them, and they will be among the number of whom the Lord has said, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 982) In his book, A Seal of the Living God, published in 1849, Joseph Bates quotes a vision that Ellen White had of the sealing time. In this vision Mrs. White claims that not all of the saints have been sealed yet, implying that the sealing was in progress and some had already been sealed: The angels are holding the winds. It is God that restrains the powers. The angels have not let go, for the saints are not all sealed. The time of trouble has commenced. It has begun. The reason why the four winds are not let go, is because the saints are not all sealed. It [the trouble] is on the increase more and more; that trouble will never end until the earth is rid of the wicked. Why, they [the winds] are just ready to blow. There is a check put on because the saints are not all sealed. (A Seal of the Living God, pp. 25,26) There is no doubt Mrs. White taught from her visions the sealing was in progress in 1849. And yet, in 1911, she describes the sealing as a future event, an activity that takes place at the time of the final test. While most Adventists were probably unaware of Mrs. Whites earlier statements, there were apparently some who noted the discrepancy, because Mrs. White later complained of the queries she was receiving on the subject: Letters will come asking questions in regard to the sealing of the people of God, who will be sealed, how many, and other prying questions. I think we must tell them to read and speak of the things that are plainly revealed. We have encouragement in the Word that if we walk humbly with God, we shall receive instruction. But prying curiosity is not to be encouraged. (S.D.A. Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 918) Perhaps one of those prying questions Mrs. White was at a loss to explain was how the sealing started in 1849, apparently stopped, and was now yet future. Mrs. Whites response, in effect, was to say, Stop asking me questions about the sealing! Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Mrs. Whites early visions indicated the sealing had begun, which was a falsehood because the sealing had not begun. Later in life, in the Great Controversy Mrs. White indicates the sealing was yet future, and would be triggered by a government-enforced Sunday law. Many Adventists are not aware of the false sealing teaching because, according to Adventist historian Isaac Wellcome, who was baptized by James White in 1845, Elder White suppressed the early visions: Eld. White had published several of Ellens visions on small sheets for general distribution; but as time passed on the theology of her later visions was materially different from former ones, and they were suppressed... but these visions as published now are greatly in conflict with those which acquaintances and witnesses in New England were accustomed to hear from her lips, after recovering from her clairvoyant state, or to read on sheets as published at first, by Eld. White. (History of the Second Advent Message, p. 407) Falsehood #3: Tall people living on Jupiter! In 1846 Mrs. White had a vision of the solar system. Mrs. Truesdail, a dedicated and sincere Adventist, was present during the vision. She describes how Mrs. White saw a tall, majestic people living on either Jupiter or Saturn: Sister White was in very feeble health, and while prayers were offered in her behalf, the Spirit of God rested upon us. We soon noticed that she was insensible to earthly things. This was her first view of the planetary world. After counting aloud the moons of Jupiter, and soon after those of Saturn, she gave a beautiful description of the rings of the latter. She then said, The inhabitants are a tall, majestic people, so unlike the inhabitants of earth. Sin has never entered here. (Taken from Mrs. Truesdails letter, Jan 27, 1891) Pass or Fail? FAILURE! Could it be true? Are there tall, majestic people living on Jupiter and/or Saturn? This may have seemed plausible in 1846, but with all we know about these planets today, we know it is impossible. Conditions on both planets are extremely inhospitable to life as we know it: These planets have no solid surface like the earth. The surfaces consist entirely of a sea of liquid hydrogen, hundreds of miles deep. The atmospheric pressure is millions of times greater than the earths. The pressure is enough to crush the strongest metals. Numerous space probes have examined these planets using advanced technology and have not detected any sign of life whatsoever. No plants. No animals. No tall people. Nothing but hydrogen, helium and other gases. To Mrs. Whites credit, her false vision about tall people living on Jupiter probably did no harm to the church. However, it helps to illustrate the fact that God was not the source of her visions. Falsehood #4: Satan has a body! Mrs. White had a vision in which she claimed to have seen the body of Satan. The vision was published in Spiritual Gifts and the 1888 version of Great Controversy, but was later removed and no longer appears in the Great Controversy sold by the SDA Church today. Perhaps the publishers believed the statement would cause a great controversy because it contradicts the Bible teaching on the nature of Satan. Here is what Mrs. White saw in vision: I was then shown Satan as he was, a happy, exalted angel. Then I was shown him as he now is. He still bears a kingly form. His features are still noble, for he is an angel fallen. But the expression of his countenance is full of anxiety, care, unhappiness, malice, hate, mischief, deceit, and every evil. That brow which was once so noble, I particularly noticed. His forehead commenced from his eyes to recede backward. I saw that he had demeaned himself so long, that every good quality was debased, and every evil trait was developed. His eyes were cunning, sly, and showed great penetration. His frame was large, but the flesh hung loosely about his hands and face. As I beheld him, his chin was resting upon his left hand. He appeared to be in deep thought. A smile was upon his countenance, which made me tremble, it was so full of evil, and Satanic slyness. (Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, p. 27) Ellen White states that Satan is a fallen angel. She then goes on to describe a number of physical characteristics: Receding forehead Penetrating eyes Large frame Loose flesh on the hands and face Pass or Fail? FAILURE! The Bible teaches that angelic beings are not composed of flesh and blood as we are: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph. 6:12) The Bible consistently refers to evil beings as beings spirits: ...he cast out the spirits with [his] word... (Matt. 8:16) ...he gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to cast them out... (Matt. 10:1) ...the evil spirits went out of them... (Acts 19:12) ...in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits... (1 Tim. 4:1) ...For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles... (Rev. 16:4) Satan, the leader of the fallen angels, is described in the Bible as an angel: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:14) In Hebrews we find that angelic beings are described as spirits: And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits... Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Heb. 1:7,14) These verses show the Bible teaches that angelic beings are spirits, and that spirit beings, do not have a body composed of flesh and blood. This vision directly contradicts the Bible and illustrates that her visions did not originate with God. Test #2 - You Decide: Pass or Fail? We have cited four incidents where Mrs. White saw falsehoods in her visions and led her people astray. She taught a shut door of salvation from her visions. She claimed the sealing started in the 1840s when it had, in fact, not started at all. And, she taught there were tall people living on other planets in our solar system. She taught Satan had a physical body. More could be mentioned, but these are sufficient to prove that her visions did not come from God. TEST #3: Cannot steal their writings from others The Bible identifies false prophets as those who steal their writings from others: I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. ... Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Jer. 23:25,30 Much has been written on Mrs. Whites extensive plagiarism of the writings of others. Prior to the publication of Walter Reas The White Lie in 1983, Adventists maintained that 8% to 10% of Mrs. Whites work was copied. The SDA church hired Adventist scholar Dr. Fred Veltman to examine the Desire of Ages and he found 30% or more, depending upon the chapter examined. After great expense and almost eight years of research, Veltman confirmed what other studies showed, that depending upon the material examined, the copy work could be as much as 90%.1 Dr. Veltman noted: Implicitly or explicitly, Ellen White and others speaking on her behalf did not admit to and even denied literary dependency on her part... I must admit at the start that in my judgment this is the most serious problem to be faced in connection with Ellen Whites literary dependency. It strikes at the heart of her honesty, her integrity, and therefore her trustworthiness. (Ministry, Dec. 1990, p. 11,14) Dr. Don McAdams, an SDA scholar, stated in the 1980 Glendale meeting: If every paragraph in the book Great Controversy, written by Ellen White, was properly footnoted, then every paragraph would have to be footnoted.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 11:41:19 +0000
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