Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Lecture Outline
(This lecture outline is adapted from Roger W. Coon's lecture outline, "Ellen G. White and
SDA Doctrine-Part I: God's FIRST Priority in the First 20 Years," April 18, 1995.)
errors or confusion in doctrines, and confirmed truth through her to the believers concerning
that which He wanted them to know.
5. Her role after 1850, after the doctrines had been basically established, may be
summarized as follows:
a. She explains, clarifies, amplifies meaning (and sometimes even defines):
(1) Sometimes exegetically.
(2) More often homiletically.
b. She interprets prophetic symbols.
c. She shows inter-relationships between various passages of Scripture (that we might
not otherwise link together).
d. She provides extra-biblical (though not anti-biblical) detail.
e. She does not "exhaust" the meaning of Scripture:
(1) Her position on the meaning of a text does not, necessarily, preclude other positions--if
they are non-contradictory (see "The inspiration and authority of the Ellen G. White writings,"
Ministry, August 1982.)
f. Yet, she often refused to read other doctrinal material in order that she may not be
influenced by what others wrote.
"I have not been in the habit of reading any doctrinal articles in the paper [i.e. Review and
Herald], that my mind should not have any understanding of any one's ideas and views, and
that not a mold of any man's theories should have any connection with that which I write."
(Letter 37, 1887, to A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner, February 18, 1887.)
1. William Miller had had a message during the Second Advent Movement of the 1840s. This
message was simple, basically evangelical, concise, and demanded a decision of its listeners.
Its content included
a. A specific event: Jesus is coming back to earth, the righteous will be saved and taken to
glory, and the earth ("sanctuary") will be "cleansed" by fire.
b. A specific time : at first "About 1843", later the Autumn 1844, and then October 22, 1844.
2. After October 22, the ex-Millerites were:
a. Disappointed, hurt, dispirited, disheartened.
b. Totally lacking in energy for further public labor.
c. Confused, theologically, in their thinking.
3. A substantial amount of time would be required before some ex-Millerites (those who
would become the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist church) would develop
understanding in three theological categories:
a. The Disappointment:
The continuing study of the newly developing ideas regarding the heavenly sanctuary and
Christ's priesthood would eventually clarify that their date was right, but their event was
wrong.
b. The 3rd Angel's message:
The continuing study of the new doctrine of the Sabbath would gradually lead them to an
understanding and eschatological interpretation of the "beast," "image," and "mark" of Rev.
13 and 14. The Sabbath would unlock the mystery of the 3rd Angel's message.
c. The need for further evangelism:
Initially, many Millerites (including Miller) believed that probation had closed on October 22
for all non-Millerites (the "shut door" issue). It would take years of study and reflection
before they came to understand that the probationary "door" was shut only for some on
October 22.
4. Before these ex-Millerites could hope to go out with any degree of effective preaching, they
must first have a new message; and before they could hope to achieve that, they faced a
threefold task:
a. Slow, painstaking Bible study to penetrate the uncertainties which shrouded them, and to
apprehend fully and further the inter-relationships between various doctrines - a body of truth
had to be fitted together.
b. Understanding the threefold work of the Holy Spirit through Ellen G. White's visions:
2. Early discussion
After the publication of Bates' second edition of Seventh Day Sabbath, Bates, James White,
Hiram Edson and others began a series of discussions as they searched for the truth. It is
likely this period of time that Ellen White had in mind when she wrote the following
description of the events.
"Many of our people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith has been laid. My
husband, Elder Joseph Bates, Father Pierce, Elder Edson, and others who were keen, noble,
and true, were among those who, after the passing of the time in 1844, searched for the truth
as for hidden treasure. I met with them, and we studied and prayed earnestly. Often we
remained together until late at night, and sometimes through the entire night, praying for light
and studying the word. Again and again these brethren came together to study the Bible, in
order that they might know its meaning, and be prepared to teach it with power. When they
came to the point in their study where they said, "We can do nothing more," the Spirit of the
Lord would come upon me, I would be taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the
passages we had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to how we were to
labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to understand the scriptures in
regard to Christ, His mission, and His priesthood. A line of truth extending from that time to
the time when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others the
instruction that the Lord had given me.
"During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind was
locked, as it were, and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were
studying. This was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind until
all the principal points of our faith were made clear to our minds, in harmony with the word of
God. The brethren knew that when not in vision, I could not understand these matters, and
they accepted as light direct from heaven the revelations given. For two or three years my
mind continued to be locked to an understanding of the Scriptures. [Special Testimonies
Series B, 2, pp. 56-57]
5
The only time frame that statement fits in Ellen White's life was the period from mid-1847 to
late 1849 or early 1850.
But as we have seen, all the major doctrines of Sabbatarian Adventism were already basically
put in place by Joseph Bates in January 1847.
Then, what could have been Ellen White's role in the development of Seventh-day Adventist
fundamental doctrines during these discussions between mid-1847 and early 1850?
(3) The Lord's Supper should be held only once annually, since it was the NT counterpart of
the Passover.
(4) Christ had already returned, spiritually.
(5) Nothing happened in 1844.
Effect on Ellen White: she fainted, under intense emotional pressure and stress from discord;
some thought her dead, but she revived. She was then taken into vision, where the Lord
revealed some of the errors held by those present and God's truth, in contrast with those
errors.
Upon departure: unity of understanding prevailed ("Our meeting ended victoriously. Truth
gained the victory." 2SG 96-99).
4. Remaining 1848 Conferences were held in Port Gibson, NY (August); Rocky Hill, CT
(September); Topsham, ME (October); and Dorchester, MA (November).
5. What produced the remarkable transformation from widespread theological disunity to
Christian unity at these meetings? The activities of the participants--almost non-stop, and
sometimes all night long:
a. Prayer for guidance and understanding ("so much prayer"-UL 152).
b. Hard, diligent, exhaustive Bible study ("such earnest searching of the Scriptures"-ibid.)
c. Earnest discussion.
d. Fasting.
6. Three results from these conferences:
a. They tended to establish those already in the truth.
b. They tended to awaken many not yet fully decided for the truth.
c. Development of consensus statements on doctrinal positions.
These meetings brought general agreement among Sabbatarian Adventists (probably still
numbering only several hundred) on eight doctrines:
An imminent, personal, premillennial Second Advent.
The two-apartment High-Priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, whose
cleansing had commenced in 1844.
The seventh-day Sabbath is biblical and binding upon Christians.
7
7. Role of the Holy Spirit through Ellen White in this discovery-of-truth process:
The visions tended to confirm or corroborate, when they were on the right track; or to correct,
when they were on the wrong track; or to suggest new initiatives, when they were at an
impasse, unable to go further.
The visions were not a substitute for hard work, study, prayer, individual initiative. Generally,
Ellen White did not initiate, taking the lead as far as doctrine was concerned.
If, the early pioneer had crystallized their doctrines before the beginning of the
Sabbath/Sanctuary conferences in 1848, and in fact already had an articulated Sabbatarian
Adventist theology in Joseph Bates' second edition of Seventh Day Sabbath, then what
contributions did Ellen White's visions make "regarding truth and duty"?
George Knight answers: "Since it was obviously not the central doctrines, her contributions
must have involved points of clarification in regard to certain biblical ideas and duties. Two
such contributions . . . come to mind. One concerned the meaning of the "angel ascending
from the east, having the seal of God"--a point that Bates and the others had been struggling
with. . . . A second item had to do with her November 1848 publishing vision in which she
told her husband of his responsibility to print a little paper whose influence would eventually
go clear around the world. . . . Those were the types of controversial issues that Ellen White's
visions brought to closure in the period running from mid-1847 to late 1849" (Joseph Bates,
p. 103; see also p. 116, 153).
2. As in apostolic times, the divine purpose was to play a special role in confirming the
supernatural origin of the phenomenon until sufficient time had elapsed for fruitage to
develop.
3. A Caution: physical phenomena, while indeed an "evidence" of supernatural activity, is
still not "proof" that the person is an authentic prophet of the Lord!
It does not validate its origin: whether it is from the Holy Spirit or from the devil. Satan can,
does, and will yet manifest supernatural miracles.
Ellen White has warned that supernatural miracles will especially be employed in the very
end-time in an attempt to prove that error is truth.
Margaret Rowen, an SDA false prophet in the 1920s, did not breathe while in vision--and that
one thing probably convinced more SDAs that she was a true prophet than any other single
factor.
Physical phenomena is an "evidence" that something supernatural is happening; it is not
"proof" that what is happening comes from God.
B. The Content of the visions: Two chief characteristics
1. The visions were relevant: the content dealt with urgent problems immediately at hand
which required urgent solutions.
2. The visions were also helpful: they were not only relevant, but they also tended to provide
viable solutions needed to resolve these immediate problems.
C. The Mental state of Ellen White at the conferences when she was not in vision
1. During these meetings, which spanned a three-year period of time, when EGW was not in
vision, she was totally unable to enter into the theological discussions as to what the true
position was, or even the meaning of her own vision content!
She reported "My mind was locked" (1SM 207).
2. She could relate only that which she had seen and heard, and no more.
She could not explain, clarify, amplify, or answer questions upon any point.
She could not enter into the discussions of the group as to what the vision might mean.
3. This condition continued (during the actual time of the meetings) for a three-year period,
"until all the principal points of our faith were made clear."
At age 77, in retrospect, she characterized this experience as "one of the greatest sorrows of
my life"--not to be able to enter into the group discussions as our doctrines were being
developed and formulated.
4. But--precisely because of this singular situation--"the brethren... accepted as light direct
from heaven the revelations given" (1SM 207). And this special manifestation of the Holy
Spirit brought unity into the ranks of Advent Sabbath-keepers.
1. Ellen White variously identified the "pillar," "landmark," "foundation" doctrines of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church as:
a. The Second Coming of Christ.
b. The Heavenly Sanctuary (including Christ's high-priestly ministry therein).
c. "Soul Sleep" (conditional immortality; the non-immortality of the wicked).
d. The Seventh-day Sabbath, and the immutabiblity of the Ten Commandments.
10
11
2. During her ministry, but particularly in the later years, she repeatedly urged our members to
read articles upon this subject written by the pioneers of the Advent Movement.
In 1983, Paul A. Gordon, then associate secretary of the White Estate, collected 400+ articles
(the Table of Contents itself runs 16 pp.) on the Sanctuary doctrine (plus related topics: Dan.
8:14; the Judgment; the 2300-Days; the Year-Day Principle, and the Atonement) published
between 1846 and 1905; and he produced an anthology of 1,009 pages (still in print and
available from the White Estate).
Although Ellen White received 11 visions on the subject of the heavenly sanctuary between
1845-51, she always referred church members to the articles by the pioneers. And,
interestingly, not one of the pioneers appealed to these 11 visions as "proof" of the validity of
this doctrine! Ellen White was not even mentioned in their articles! Their evidence and
arguments were drawn solely from the Scriptures! Uriah Smith appealed to these very same
articles to refute critics and to "prove"--from the Bible, and the Bible alone--the validity of
this doctrine, never to Ellen White.
D. The Sabbath
1. The doctrine of the Sabbath.
This doctrine was first brought to the attention of ex-Millerites by Joseph Bates.
Bates, in turn, was strongly influenced by studying the work of T. M. Preble, and in
discussions with Rachel Oaks-Preston (a Seventh Day Baptist) and Frederic Wheeler.
12
When Bates first approached Ellen White on the Sabbath doctrine, her initial reaction was
negative (as was, also, Bates' initial reaction when first told that she had been given a genuine
prophetic gift!)
Both, however, changed their respective opposition, on the basis of coercive Bible-based
evidence.
2. The observance of the Sabbath.
James and Ellen White initially observed the Sabbath on the basis of their study of the Bible,
not because she had had a vision on the subject showing it to be the right day!
A copy of Bates' tract on the Sabbath was given to them about the time of their marriage, Aug.
30, 1846. They accepted the Sabbath on the basis of Bible proof alone.
The first vision dealing with the sacredness of the seventh-day Sabbath (and also of the
existence of the heavenly sanctuary) was given April 3, 1847, seven months after the Whites
had commenced its observance on the basis of Bible evidence alone, and three months after
Bates published the second edition of his book Seventh Day Sabbath (cf. Lt 2, 1874; cited in
EW 323-35).
13
Two days later, however, Ellen White received a vision correcting her position, which she
subsequently shared with the other believers at the early morning service the following day
(Arthur L. White, Messenger to the Remnant, 36; 1T 116; George Knight, Joseph Bates, 161).
Conclusion
1. Early Adventist pioneers and Ellen White did not refer to her visions to "prove" the validity
of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrines which she espoused and taught.
2. She did, however, have this to say about those foundational "pillar" doctrines:
a. "The past fifty years have not dimmed one jot or principle of our faith as we received the
great and wonderful evidences that were made certain to us in 1844, after the passing of the
time. The languishing souls are to be confirmed and quickened according to His Word. . . .
Not a word is to be changed or denied. That which the Holy Spirit testified to as truth after the
passing of the time, in our great disappointment, is the solid foundation of truth. [The] pillars
of truth were revealed, and we accepted the foundation principles that have made us what we
are--Seventh-day Adventists, keeping the commandments of God and having the faith of
Jesus" (Letter 326, 4 December 1905; cited in UL 352).
b. "We are to stand firm as a rock to the principles of the Word of God, remembering that God
is with us to give us strength to meet each new experience. Let us ever maintain the principles
14
of righteousness in our lives, that we may go forward from strength to strength in the name of
the Lord. We are to hold as very sacred the faith that has been substantiated by the instruction
and approval of the Spirit of God from our earliest experience until the present time..." (Letter
66, 28 August 1911; cited in UL 254).
3. What contributions did Ellen White make beyond confirmation?
Over time she provided a theological framework, a worldview. Her conceptual themes of the
love of God and the great controversy between good and evil have provided Seventh-day
Adventists with an interpretive theological framework to understand Scripture.
Other Christian churches have such frameworks of theological interpretation to articulate their
doctrines and teachings: Augustinian/Calvinist and Aristotelian/Thomist frameworks are two
examples.
Ellen White's doctrinal authority lies largely in this worldview.
Resources:
George R. Knight, A Search for Indentity: The Development of Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs
(RHPA 2000), pp. 65, 97, 127, 138-141, 184-189.
George R. Knight, Joseph Bates: The Real Founder of Seventh-day Adventism (RHPA 2004),
pp. 101-103, 116, 153-154, 161-162.
15