Ellen G. White and Her Critics

Why the Public Visions Ceased

While we are discussing this matter of public visions we ought, perhaps, to anticipate a question that some sincere reader may raise: If Mrs. White had public visions in her earlier years, accompanied with certain physical phenomena, why did these grow less in number and finally cease, long before her public ministry was ended? The question is a fair one, and we shall seek to answer it. EGWC 71.2

God is sparing of miracles and never works them merely to create wonder and awe. But He does perform them at times to aid faith. That has been particularly true at the outset of some great program that He initiated in the earth. When the Lord instructed Moses to go down into Egypt and tell the Israelites that he had for them a message from Heaven, Moses replied, “Behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.” Exodus 4:1. EGWC 71.3

And what did the Lord do in response? He performed two miracles, and then said to Moses: “And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.” Verses 8, 9. EGWC 71.4

The sequel is that when Moses and Aaron went before the Israelite leaders and “did the signs in the sight of the people,” “the people believed.” Verses 30, 31. EGWC 72.1

The record of the Israelites reveals that there was need of more miracles in order to provide clear and unmistakable proof that God was speaking through Moses. The miracles were given, and thus the children of Israel were without excuse if they failed to heed his words. EGWC 72.2