The Gift of Prophecy

Echoes of Scripture and Allusions to Scripture

Ellen G. White was so steeped in the language and thought world of the Bible that is was natural for her to use biblical language, biblical images, and biblical texts to convey the message she had received or wanted to deliver. ⁷⁸ At times she simply alluded to a passage of Scripture, sort of echoing the words of Scripture rather than directly quoting the Bible. Sometimes she would briefly refer to a biblical statement or passage while having in mind the larger biblical context in which the statement is found. Or she appeals to the larger spiritual message and the imagery that is expressed in the words of a particular passage and applies it to other situations. GOP 315.2

For instance, the language of 1 Corinthians 2:9 can be used by Ellen G. White to evoke associations of the new earth (cf. E. G. White, The Great Controversy, 675), i.e., where we will experience something that indeed “no eye has seen and no ear has heard.” While the apostle Paul referred to the wonderful plan of salvation, which of course includes heaven, Ellen G. White uses the beautiful wording of this passage to describe the new earth, thus illustrating that God has something wonderful prepared for His people that is beyond our imagination. ⁷⁹ Thus at times she echoes biblical imagery and employs biblical phrases as a homiletical device to illustrate and elaborate on something about which she is speaking. In such situations Ellen G. White applies biblical phrases and messages not in an exegetical way, but employs biblical words and phrases because they create a certain impression she wants to communicate, or they illustrate a biblical idea she wants to make clear. GOP 315.3