Ellen G. White and Her Critics

What the Context Reveals

Surely the vision must have turned on something more than a total of moons or a simple description of planetary bands, as alleged. Note that in the charge at the opening of this chapter, a passage is quoted from Loughborough’s book, The Great Second Advent Movement, page 258, and that the passage ends with the words: “a wonderful description of the ‘opening heavens.’” EGWC 96.3

Let us now pick up the account as found in the Loughborough book, and go on: EGWC 96.4

“... a wonderful description of the ‘opening heavens,’ with its glory, calling it an opening into a region more enlightened. Elder Bates said that her description far surpassed any account of the opening heavens he had ever read from any author. EGWC 96.5

“While she was talking and still in vision, he arose to his feet, and exclaimed, ‘O how I wish Lord John Rosse was here to-night!’ Elder White inquired, ‘Who is Lord John Rosse?’ ‘Oh,’ said Elder Bates, ‘he is the great English astronomer. I wish he was here to hear that woman talk astronomy, and to hear that description of the “opening heavens.” It is ahead of anything I ever read on the subject.’ From that evening Elder Bates became fully satisfied that the visions of Mrs. White were outside of her knowledge and control.”—Pages 258, 259. EGWC 96.6

How different the matter looks, both for Mrs. White and Joseph Bates when the whole passage is given! Why were not these few additional sentences quoted? They are plainly needed to complete the picture. EGWC 96.7

The question is not whether Bates had taught her “four moons,” “seven moons,” “six moons,” but whether he had presented to her such a marvelous and graphic view of the heavens that she, in turn, could hold him spellbound, and was worthy to be heard by “Lord John Rosse.” Bates admitted, “It is ahead of anything I ever read on the subject.” Evidently he would not have agreed that Mrs. White “could easily have learned” from him all she related in vision. No wonder the quotation was broken off in the middle of a sentence. EGWC 97.1

Hence, if we are to accept the documentary evidence, Mrs. White had a most amazing and revealing vision. If she did not acquire this astronomical knowledge, this power of description, from Bates, and if it was “ahead of anything” he himself had read, whence did she secure it? Not from a textbook. That is admitted. And anyhow, does reading a textbook give a person spellbinding powers of description! Mrs. White was only nineteen, in feeble health, and possessed of but meager education, yet she awed and impressed the confessedly skeptical Bates by the words that poured forth from her lips! EGWC 97.2