The Great Visions of Ellen G. White

Chapter 4—The “Rappings” And “Train Of Cars” Visions “The Menace” March 24, 1849/August 24, 1850

At the mention of the word “prophet,” what is the immediate, almost instinctive, word association that is conjured in minds of most people? Doubtless, it is fortuneteller, predictor of the future, something of that sort. Probably coming in a close second and third in our sweepstakes race would be “miracle worker” and “a writer of the Bible.” GVEGW 49.1

It is interesting, then, that Jesus called His cousin John the Baptist the greatest of the prophets and “more than a prophet” (Matthew 11:11, 9). John’s message was present tense, not future tense: “The Messiah is here!” We find no predictions of the future recorded over John’s signature in Scripture. John Zebedee adds concerning his “Baptist” namesake, “John did no miracle” (John 10:41). And John the Baptist wrote not one verse of the New Testament. GVEGW 49.2

Yet Jesus said he was the greatest prophet, indeed, even “more than a prophet.” Obviously Jesus viewed the role of prophet much more differently than most Bible-believing Christians, then or now. GVEGW 49.3

John the Baptist was, principally, a public proclaimer. No predictions of the future are attributable to him. Moses was chiefly an administrator, a lawgiver, a leader. Prediction forms an almost insignificant part of his Pentateuch (really, there are only a couple Messianic prophecies attributed to him). The apostle Paul was a theologian and a missionary. He wrote more than half the New Testament, but few miracles are credited to his name. And not very much is found in his writings with regard to predictions of the future. GVEGW 49.4

What about Ellen White? She did pray with some people who were seriously ill, and they did recover their health; but very little in the generally accepted sense of “miracle” is credited to her. Informed Adventists accept her writings as divinely inspired—in the same manner, and to the same degree, as the writers of the Bible. Yet the church steadfastly refuses to consider them a part of the sacred canon of Scripture or a substitute for the Bible. GVEGW 49.5

As for Ellen White making predictions, Robert W. Olson, who retired in 1990 as executive secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate, has offered his considered opinion that the predictive element really does not loom large in the total bulk of Mrs. White’s writings. Perhaps a mere 5 percent of the total 25 million words she is believed to have penned during the 70 years of her ministry (1844-1915) could be classed as predictive. GVEGW 50.1

Mrs. White confounded her friends and elated her enemies when, in two services in the Battle Creek Tabernacle, on October 1 and 2, 1904, she said simply, “I do not claim to be a prophetess.” ¹ GVEGW 50.2

In a clarifying article in the Review and Herald two years later, ² she made it clear that her astonishing (and, to many, disturbing) statement did not mean that she was disclaiming the role of prophet (“If others call me by that name, I have no controversy with them”), ³ only the title (“I know that many have called me a prophet, but I have made no claim to this title”). ⁴ GVEGW 50.3

She had two reasons for not calling herself by the title of prophet: (1) “because in these days many who boldly claim that they are prophets are a reproach to the cause of Christ”—a tangential reference to Joseph Smith (among perhaps others), who died in the spring of 1844 and whose advocacy of polygamy was a scandal to many Christians of the day. And (2) “because my work includes much more than the word ‘prophet’ signifies.” ⁵ GVEGW 50.4

Ellen White did not want to be considered merely as a “fortuneteller,” as a predictor of the future—her work was much broader than that. But the historical facts are that she did make predictions of the future. We will consider several, in this and other chapters. GVEGW 50.5