Ellen G. White and Her Critics

A Final Question Answered

Only one possible question remains to be answered. Someone may enquire: By thus explaining Mrs. White’s 1856 vision have you not undermined the certainty of all prophecy? In reply we would remind the inquirer that his faith in the prophecies of the Bible is not undermined by the fact that certain of these prophecies were not fulfilled. We are not presenting a new theory regarding the predictions of the prophets in order to explain Mrs. White’s prediction as we do; we are simply calling attention to certain scriptures that explicitly state that certain predictions were not fulfilled. Lovers of the Bible have had no doubt as to the dependability of its prophecies even though the record is clear that some of them were not fulfilled. Why should it be necessary to conclude that doubt is being cast on all the predictions of the prophets simply because we declare that Mrs. White’s 1856 prediction is similar to certain unfulfilled predictions of Scripture? EGWC 111.1

Let us never forget that if a divine prediction is unfulfilled, if God displays a “breach of promise,” the guilt lies with us, His willful children. Well does Mrs. White declare, in a letter dated December 7, 1901: EGWC 111.2

“We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the children of Israel; but for Christ’s sake, His people should not add sin to sin by charging God with the consequence of their own wrong course of action.”—Evangelism, 696. EGWC 111.3