Ellen G. White and Her Critics

Scriptural Style in Pronouns

It is a common style in Scripture to speak to immediate hearers as if they were to witness, personally, a long series of events. When the disciples asked Christ what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the world, He made answer by outlining important events that would take place until the Second Advent. But repeatedly through that talk to His disciples Christ uses the pronouns “you” and “ye,” which are employed when one is addressing another. For example, when He carne to the end of His list of signs, He declared to them as they sat beside Him on the Mount of Olives: “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” Matthew 24:33. EGWC 340.5

But no one would think of confining Christ’s words to the life-time of the apostles. We see in His form of speech simply a vivid style of conveying truth, and read into the “you” and “ye” all of us who have lived in the hope of the Advent since the days of the apostles. And, we might add, in passing, we combine Christ’s words with those of His holy prophets so as to discover when, indeed, the Advent is near, even at the doors. EGWC 341.1

If we allow to Mrs. White the same methods of speech, the same privilege of merging present and future events, as we all willingly grant to Bible writers, the charge before us collapses. EGWC 341.2