Prophecy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Divisions Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White, one of the church's co-founders, was a prophetess, understood today as an expression of the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy.
[1] Seventh-day Adventist believe that White had the spiritual gift of prophecy, but that her writings are a lesser light to the Bible, which has ultimate authority.
As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction.
This cosmic conflict, referred to as the "Great Controversy theme", is foundational to the development of Seventh-day Adventist theology.
"The Inspiration and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings", document was issued by the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
It concludes that a proper understanding will avoid the two extremes of regarding her "writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or […] considering them as ordinary Christian literature.
Seventh-day Adventists arose out of the Millerite movement, the followers of William Miller who expected the end of the world around 1843 or 1844.
The other known prophets are female: Dorinda Baker (associated with the Israel Dammon incident), Emily Clemons, Phoebe Knapp,[9] and Mary Hamlin, who are all mentioned in newspapers of the time.
[13] He claimed visions in January and February 1842, told in his autobiography The Christian Experience of William E. Foy, published 1845.
J. N. Loughborough's account[17] was simply repeated by later historians[18] (e.g. Light Bearers, 64) until Delbert Baker's definitive 1987 biography The Unknown Prophet traced his subsequent history.
Adventists tend to believe the prophetic gift offered to these two men was instead passed on to White.
[8] Adventists believe Hiram Edson received a vision about the heavenly sanctuary or investigative judgment on October 23, 1844 – the day following the "Great Disappointment".
[22] For two years prior, Ellen White had trying to help Moses Hull and been warning him on his focus and "overweening trust in his own abilities.
"[23] Hull sensed his problem and asked for Ellen White and others to come to his Battle Creek home to pray for him.
"[24] Adventists believe church co-founder Ellen G. White was a prophet, understood today as the New Testament "gift of prophecy".
[31] The 1888 Minneapolis General Conference provided "impetus" to those radically seeking God's presence.
From Ogden, Utah, she first claimed visions in 1891, and in April, 1894, Adventist minister A.T. Jones presented Anna Phillips's testimonies as a genuine manifestation of the spirit of prophecy.
Ellen White rejected Anna's theories, and authored the tract, An Exposure of Fanaticism and Wickedness in response.
[35][39][40] In Germany in 1915 Johann Wick, an Imperial Army member, claimed a vision of the close of probation "at the time the stone-fruit trees blossomed in the spring."
Other lay people also reported similar visions and some became involved in the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement.
According to her son Willie White, subsequently "A dozen or more persons" claimed the gift, to succeed Ellen.
She claimed to receive her first vision on June 22, 1916 which she shared with members of a prayer group at her South Side Los Angeles Church, gaining a small following.
She served a one-year sentence in the San Quentin State Prison in California, by which time her movement had fallen apart.
[50] Wayne Bent, the leader of the Lord Our Righteousness Church which has been described as a cult, has claimed God has spoken to him.
[56] Author Herbert Douglass wrote in 1998, "At any given time in the last few decades, at least a dozen people around the world have convinced others that they have been given the gift of prophecy.
"[47] Adventist author Clifford Goldstein has described some "nut cases" and meeting "some of the weirdest and most bizarre folks you could imagine", with these types of claims.
