The Story of our Health Message

A Vision Given to Mrs. White

On the part of both of these groups there was largely a failure to carry forward a combined ministry. This failure was the occasion for earnest words of reproof from the Lord’s messenger. The first decided message emphasized the failure on the part of the gospel ministry and was read with comments in the General Conference session of 1897 by the leader of the medical work. The communication was dated January 11, 1897, and there was just time for this communication to travel from Australia to reach its destination when the conference convened at Lincoln, Nebraska. The opening sentence indicates the reason for the writing of the message and is illustrative of the manner in which these messages were so often divinely timed to arrive at a date when they were especially opportune. SHM 286.8

“I was awakened at 11:30 last night,” wrote Mrs. White, “and commenced writing. We were [as seen in vision] in meeting where important instruction in many lines was being given. Among those assembled were physicians, editors, publishers, ministers, and a large number of other persons. We were considering many things in regard to health reform.”—The General Conference Daily Bulletin, March 1, 1897. SHM 287.1

One morning during the conference Dr. J. H. Kellogg stood before the delegates, holding in his hand a nineteenpage manuscript which began by quoting the foregoing statement. The unreserved acceptance, by the doctor and those present, of such messages from this source as having been sent by the Lord to His remnant church is indicated by a statement made two days earlier by Dr. Kellogg: SHM 287.2

“I believe that every person here has faith and confidence that the words that I am going to read to you are from the Lord; that they came from divine impression; that they are the result of inspiration; that they are instruction sent to us, which we ought to receive.”—The General Conference Daily Bulletin, February 18, 1897. SHM 287.3

Now he states again: “If you look over the matter that Sister White has given us during the last twenty-five or thirty years, you will see that there is more relating to the proper care for the body than there is relating to any other one subject.”—Ibid., March 1, 1897. SHM 287.4

Referring to the communication from Sister White of January 11, 1897, he said further, “This testimony seems to be meant for the particular occasion upon which we are meeting here especially, as you will see when I begin reading.”—Ibid. SHM 288.1