Ellen White: Woman of Vision

More Than A Prophet

Ellen White was more than a prophet. She was a counselor, a comforter, guide, author, writer, public speaker. WV 491.2

All her life she had encountered opposition, antagonism, and criticism in all shapes and forms from the trivial to the serious. She was quoted and misquoted, interpreted and misinterpreted. But the value of her words was evidenced in schools, sanitariums, and churches all over the world. WV 491.3

Rarely did she defend herself. But now in the sunset of life she was forced into replying to her critics. It was a painful experience to her to know that there were members of God's family who were well acquainted with her and her work but who, on the basis of hearsay and flimsy evidence, had lost confidence in her prophetic mission. That they could so easily forget the many faith-confirming evidences of her call and work, burdened her heart. WV 491.4

What were some of these faith-confirming evidences? WV 491.5

The hundreds of letters crossing thousands of miles of land or sea to arrive at a critical time. WV 491.6

The many people who received letters of counsel on personal matters known only to themselves and God. WV 491.7

The numbers of times she had met individuals for the first time whom she recognized, having seen them in vision. WV 491.8

The credible eyewitness descriptions of the phenomena that accompanied her in vision in the early days of her work. WV 491.9

The lives of leaders such as Daniells, Bates, Loughborough, Haskell, whose doubts had been dispelled. WV 491.10

I am now instructed that I am not to be hindered in my work by those who engage in suppositions regarding its nature, whose minds are struggling with so many intricate problems connected with the supposed work of a prophet. My commission embraces the work of a prophet, but it does not end there. It embraces much more than the minds of those who have been sowing the seeds of unbelief can comprehend (Letter 244, 1906 [see also Selected Messages 1:31-35]). WV 491.11

Battle Creek, where Dr. Kellogg and his cohorts, including Ballenger and A. T. Jones, were sowing seeds of unbelief, had been the center of the denominational work. WV 492.1