The Gift of Prophecy (The Role of Ellen White in God’s Remnant Church)

The orchard test

The orchard test in Matthew 7:20, ” ‘by their fruits you will know them,’ ” requires time. Ellen White lived and worked for seventy years under the critical eyes of thousands of people who for the most part were skeptical, doubtful, suspicious, and in some cases openly hostile. Errors, faults, and inconsistencies were and still are exposed with great satisfaction by her opponents, but the fruit of her life and labor attest to her sincerity, zeal, and Christian piety. The lasting fruits of her labor will be discussed in more detail in chapter 12. GP 63.4

F. M. Wilcox, editor of the Review and Herald and an associate of Ellen White, wrote, “Her life and Christian experience conformed to the pure, simple, dignified principles of the gospel of Christ. She exemplified in her own life, as does every true prophet, the principles of truth she taught to others.” ⁵ At the General Conference Session on June 7, 1946, he told the session participants, “The work of Mrs. White should not be judged by some detail, by the turn of a phrase or sentence, or by some seeming contradiction in her writings. It should be judged Francis M. Wilcox (1865-1951) by the spirit which characterized her work through the years, by the fruit it has borne in connection with the great religious movement with which it was associated, and in the development of which it bore a prominent part and exerted a molding influence.” ⁶ GP 64.1

Some people have difficulty accepting Ellen White’s prophetic ministry because they stumble over certain details of her writings. They fail to see the bigger picture: the way God used her to raise up this church; the many wonderful insights she received from God; and the contributions she has made to this church. Like the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Advent Christian Church had its origin in the Millerite movement. Its current membership stands at about thirty thousand. Apart from some doctrinal issues, the major difference between that church and the Adventist Church is the fact that God led the latter through the prophetic gift as manifested in the life and work of Ellen G. White. Without that gift, the Adventist Church would probably be a similar size to the Advent Christian Church— if it still existed at all. GP 64.2

Are there difficulties in the writings of Ellen White? Yes, but Scripture contains only a small portion of the writings of the biblical prophets, and still we find problems there. In the case of Ellen White, we have pretty much everything she wrote, so we shouldn’t be surprised that there are “some things hard to understand,” as Peter said of Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:16). In the cases of both Scripture and Ellen White’s writings, we must focus on what is clear and profitable and suspend judgment on matters that seem ambiguous or contradictory. GP 64.3