Ellen G. White: The Forgotten FAILED Prophecy That Changes Everything?

At the turn of the 20th century LG white issued a powerful warning she claimed that spiritualism was about to take the world captive one of the ways that she claimed this would happen was through Christian pulpits in an article titled delusions of the last days white painted a vivid and unsettling picture of what she believed the future held not just for the Seventh Adventist Church but for the entire world spiritualism is about to take the world captive there are many who think that spiritualism is upheld through trickery and imposture but this is far from the truth

Superhuman power is working in a variety of ways and few have any idea as to what will be the manifestations of spiritualism in the future the foundation for the success of spiritualism has been laid in the assertions that have been made from the pulpits of our land the ministers have proclaimed as Bible doctr falsehoods that have originated from the arch deceiver the doctrine of Consciousness after death of the spirits of the Dead being in communion with the living has no foundation in the scriptures and yet this theory is affirmed as truth through this false Doctrine the

Way has been opened for the spirits of devils to deceive the people in representing themselves as the dead satanic agencies personate the Dead and thus bring Souls into captivity Satan has a religion he has a synagogue and devout worshippers to swell the ranks of his devotees he uses all manner of deception the signs and wonders of spiritualism will become more and more pronounced as the professed Christian World rejects the plainly revealed truth of the word of God and refuses to be guided by a plain thus saith the Lord accepting instead the doctrines and the

Commandments of men through rejecting light and Truth many are deciding their Destiny for Eternal death and as men reject truth the spirit of God will gradually withdraw itself from the earth and the prince of this Earth will have more and more control over his subjects he will show great signs and wonders as credentials of his Divine claims and through spiritualism will work against Christ and his agencies well greetings and it’s good to be back with you all my name is Miles and an especially warm welcome if this is your first time with us so did spiritualism

Really take the world captive tonight I want to dive into this fascinating topic not just to see if Ellen White’s prophecy holds up but also to explore how Seventh Adventist theology is so closely tied to the 19th and 20th Century version of America spiritualism is one of the Lesser known culprits in the Adventist system of theology coming in third place to Roman Catholicism and protestantism but before we get into it if you like what we are doing here please consider becoming a channel member you will gain access to our growing library of members only content

Including members only live streams it is through the support of our channel members and website partners that we are able to fulfill our mission to equip as many Christians as possible to reach as many sth day Adventists as possible with the true Christ and his gospel thank you so much for your support so in order to test Ellen White’s prediction we have to understand a little bit of the historical context in the backdrop of her claim doing such requires that we understand a little bit about a few historical figures from the 19th century the fox sisters Margaret Katherine or

Kate and Leah are often seen as the pioneers of the spiritualist movement in the United States their story kicked off in 1848 in Hydesville New York when Margaret and Kate claimed they could communicate with a spirit through mysterious wrapping sounds in their house naturally this grabbed the attention of their neighbors who were blown way as the sisters seem to interpret answers to their questions through these strange knocks in 1848 an event now known as the highville rappings occurred which put the fox sisters on the map Margaret and Katherine claimed that they could

Communicate with a spirit which they said came from the ghost of a murdered pedaller they demonstrated this to their neighbors by interpreting the KNX as answers to questions and news of their abilities spread like wildfire attracting both Believers and Skeptics alike so this moment marked the beginning of the spiritualist movement which centered on communication with the dead Leah Fox the oldest sister quickly recognized the potential in her siblings act and took charge organizing public seances where Margaret and Kate would Amaze crowds with their so-called spirit

Communication these performances were wildly popular turning the sisters into overnight celebrities and propelling spiritualism into the American cultural Spotlight of the mid 19th century while the fox sisters are largely credited with the movement growth there’s actually someone that laid the Bedrock before them making their rise to fame possible Andrew Jackson Davis also known as The pypy Seer was a spiritualist that Blended elements of mesmerism philosophy and religion and his work laid the intellectual foundation for spiritualism before the fox sisters gained Fame

Ironically in 1844 the same year as the millerite Fiasco Davis experienced a mystical trance where he claimed to be guided by the spirits of a man uel swedenborg a Swedish Theologian as well as Galileo during this trance Davis claimed to have received deep insights into the universe human nature and the afterlife these experiences led him to publish the principles of nature in 1847 a book that became a key text for the spiritualist movement so unlike the fox sisters Davis didn’t claim to perform seances or directly communicate with Spirits instead he offered a

Philosophical framework that Blended spiritual beliefs with rational scientific thought he emphasized the idea that the soul continues after death and can communicate with the living which is the core principle of spiritualism Conjuring up the dead Davis saw his new belief system as a combination of Science and spirituality making it both intellectual and accessible his work helped legitimize spiritualism Beyond just seances attracting those interested in exploring the afterlife from a more thoughtful perspective so on the one hand the fox sisters made spiritualism excessive to

The public with their really dramatic simple demonstrations of communicating with Spirits drawing in people from all walks of life on the other hand Davis added the intellectual depth offering a more thoughtful philosophical framework that appealed to educated individuals his ideas helped Elevate spiritualism Beyond just entertainment giving it a more serious and Theological Dimension by the mid 19th century spiritualism had exploded in popularity attracting millions of followers in the US and Europe public sances Spirit photography and spiritualist churches became part of the

Cultural landscape making it a widespread social movement the timing of spiritualism rise was also significant as it coincided with a period of social upheaval including the Civil War many people found comfort in the idea of communicating with their deceased loved ones during such difficult times this combination of accessibility intellectual appeal and social relevance are what helped spiritualism become a major phenomenon in the 19th century it is with that in the backdrop that Ellen White made her 1894 prediction it is also with that backdrop that the

Charge is made that the classical Christian belief about the afterlife death in the soul will open one up to being susceptible to the deceptions of spiritualism in fact that’s exactly the role she said that spiritualism would play at the End of Time When protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism when under the influence of this three-fold Union our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and Republican government and shall make

Provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions then we may know that the time has come for The Marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near this alleged Union is taking place in the shadows by Protestants embracing worship on Sundays which they assert is the Hallmark of the Roman Catholic Church namely the papacy and the link with spiritualist is allegedly through the belief in the immortality of the soul but this is a perfect example of how oversimplification can lead to errant conclusions Andrew Jackson Davis’s teachings on the afterlife were

Influenced by various religious and philosophical traditions not just Christianity he was deeply influenced by spiritualism and ideas about life after death that were circulating in his own time which did include elements of Christian doctrine but also Incorporated other sources while Davis’s teachings did emphasize the continuity of the Soul after death the focus was on its ability to communicate with the living and the dead to be conjured up he presented these Concepts in a broader more eclectic context blending Christian elements and themes with those of Sweden

Borgan ISM and his own mystical experience the traditional Christian understanding of the afterlife and the nature of the human soul was firmly established long before figures like Emanuel swedenborg and Andrew Jackson Davis came onto the scene Davis was simply a pluralist who borrowed ideas from various religious Traditions to create his own theories so why did Ellen White highlight this 19th century spiritualist movement as one of the three main sources of satanic influence alongside Protestants and Roman Catholics well if we look later in the

Same signs of the Times article we can see what led her to believe that spiritualism was about to spread and make a major impact on the entire world for years spiritualism has been growing in strength and gaining in popularity by advocating a certain kind of faith in Christ and thus many Protestants are becoming infatuated with this mystery of inequity it is little wonder that they are deluded when they persistantly retain the error that as soon as the breath leaves the body the spirit goes immediately to Heaven or Hell through the hold this Doctrine has

Upon them the way is prepared for the delusive working of the prin of the power of the air Satan personated the serpent in Eden regarding this creature as best adapted for his line of Temptations Satan has been increasing in skillful methods by constantly practicing upon the human mind it is his one purpose to complete the work which he began in Eden and work the ruin of mankind So based on some of the professing Protestants of her day falling prey to the cultural Buzz of spiritualism Ellen White concluded that this was no surprise considering they

Believe in the rationality and reasonability of the human soul we even see her allude to one of the SDA Church’s favorite arguments against such belief which is that believing such is actually believing Satan’s lie in Eden we have addressed this argument at length in an article on our website by the way the link to it is in the description box down below for those that want to check it out nevertheless the krux of Ellen White’s prediction rested upon the immediate surroundings of her own day kind of like many of her other predictions what appeared to be

This soon Tobe Global gripping influential Force actually ended up being a cultural Trend at the height of its Fury the spiritualist movement had an estimated 6 million practicing adherence in the United States potentially millions of others in Europe today that number sits at a meager 250,000 but the problem is the actual bounds of definition for what spiritualism is and this really gets us to the heart of the matter what even is a spiritualist according to the British newspaper archive by the end of 1919 belief in spiritualism was spreading like wildfire and spiritualism is

Defined as a relatively modern religion that is based on the beliefs that the spirits of the Dead exist and both have the inclination and the ability to communicate with the living so the only belief that unites spiritualism is the idea of communicating with the dead this very broad definition acts like an umbrella grouping together all kinds of unconnected people under one central idea so when Ellen White envisioned spiritualism taking over the world we’re supposed to believe that most people would eventually believe in Conjuring up and communicating with the dead but

Where is the evidence of this guilt by association-based claim neither Protestant confessions nor official Roman Catholic sources suggest that either group endorses Conjuring up or communicating with the dead and neither party’s Source documents changed based on any sort of influence from 19th century American spiritualist craze and no before Adventists try and assert that the Roman Catholic practice of prayers to the Saints fits the bill for such like Ellen White did this is incorrect and it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Roman

Catholic belief regarding the communion of saints is claiming firstly they do not believe that the Saints are dead but living and secondly they do not conjure up the dead to communicate with them this is once again an overgeneralization on Ellen White’s part leading to a false equivalence intercession of the Saints has nothing to do with the practice of spiritualism and one can disagree with the practice without misrepresenting what the claim is in fact the Roman Catholic catechism explicitly forbids such practices as necromancy divination and Conjuring up the dead which once

Again shows us that Ellen White had no clue what she was even criticizing this would be no different than trying to make a connection between 7even adventism and Hinduism because both parties teach and advocate for a vegetarian lifestyle I guess adventism is dangerous now because their teachings on vegetarianism will make you susceptible to Hinduism but what’s fascinating about all of this is that despite her paranoia surrounding the immortality and rationality of the human soul and her claim that those beliefs make people vulnerable to communication

With the dead is that Ellen White herself participated in such practice over the course of her life the SDA Church claims that Ellen White received more than 2,000 Visions as can be seen for example in the sth day AV theological handbook but what also must be noted is that according to one of the SDA Church’s official Publications Adventist review the term dream Invision are used interchangeably where for example former editor of the review William Johnson did exactly that when talking about Ellen White and this is important because upon the passing of

Ellen White’s husband James she claimed to be visited by him in one of these 2ed dreams SLV Visions where they had a conversation she documents this in a letter written to her son willly white a few days since I was pleading with the Lord for light in regard to my duty in the night I dreamed I was in The Carriage driving sitting at the right hand father was in The Carriage seated at my left hand he was very pale but calm and composed why father I exclaimed I am so happy to have you by my side once more I have felt that half of me was gone father I saw you die I saw you

Buried has the Lord pied me and let you come back to me again and we work together as we used to he looked very sad he said the Lord knows what is best for you and for me my work was very dear to me we have made a mistake we have responded to Urgent invitations of our Brethren to attend important meetings we had not the heart to refuse these meetings have warned us both more than we were aware our good Brethren were gratified but they did not realize that in these meetings we took Upon Us greater burdens than at our age we could safely carry they will never know the result of

This long continued strain upon us God would have had them bear the burdens we have carried for years our nervous energies have been continuously taxed and then our Brethren misjudging our motives and not realizing our burdens have weakened the action of the heart I have made mistakes the greatest of which was in allowing my sympathies for the people of God to lead me to take work upon me which others should have borne now Ellen calls will be made as they have been Desiring you to attend important meetings as has been the case in the past but lay

This matter before God and make no response to the most Earnest invitations your life hangs as it were upon a thread you must have quiet rest freedom from all excitement and from all disagreeable cares we might have done a great deal for years with our pens on subjects the people need that we have had light upon and can present for them which others do not have thus you can work when your strength returns as it will and you can do far more with your pen than with your voice he looked at me appealingly and said you will not neglect these cautions

Will you Ellen our people will never know under what infirmities we have labored to serve them because our lives were interwoven with the progress of the work but God knows it all I regret that I have felt so deeply and labored unreasonably in emergencies regardless of the laws of life and health the Lord did not require us to carry so heavy burdens and many of our Brethren so few we ought to have gone to the Pacific coast before and devoted our time and energies to writing will you do this now will you as your strength returns take your pen and write out these things we

Have so long anticipated and make haste slowly there is important matter which the people need make this your first business you will have to speak some to the people but sh the responsibilities which have borne us down well said I James you are always to stay with me now and we will work together said he I stayed in Battle Creek too long I ought to have gone to California more than one year ago but I wanted to help the work in institutions at Battle Creek I have made a mistake your heart is tender you will be inclined to make the same mistakes I have made your life

Can be of use to the cause of God oh those precious subjects the Lord would have had me bring before the people precious jewels of light I awoke but this dream seems so real now you can see and understand why I feel no duty to go to Battle Creek for the purpose of shouldering the responsibilities in general conference I have no duty to stand in general conference the Lord forbids me that is enough so Ellen White claimed that she was praying to the Lord one day asking for guidance about her duties God then gave her a dream where she found herself

Riding in a carriage with James during the dream she asked him a pretty telling question had the Lord allowed him to come back from the dead to help her and could they work together like they used to according to Ellen James then gave her advice he warned her to slow down in Life or risk damaging her health just like he had done he also told her she could accomplish much more through writing than by traveling and speaking he even encouraged her to go to California something they had planned to do together and focus her energy on writing in the dream she agreed and

Promised to follow through saying James would always stay with her and they would continue working together when she woke up Ellen said she no longer felt like going to Battle Creek for General Conference duties because in her words the Lord forbade it she presented this dream as being divinely inspired by God which makes sense considering she started the letter by claiming to have been praying and this dream came in response to such but here’s the issue this dream looks an awful lot like communicating with the Dead the very practice Ellen White strongly condemned

As spiritualism to No Surprise though SDA apologists have often argued that this was just a dream or Vision not an actual encounter with James’s departed Soul however like we saw earlier in Adventist review in his book LG White and her critics famed SDA apologist Francis nickel also claimed that the terms dream and vision are used synonymously when it comes to the writings of Mrs White using Daniel the Prophet as an example to compare her to well this supposed dream where Ellen talked to James was an alleged night vision or dream Ellen White herself claimed that

There are three types of Dreams common dreams false demonic dreams and God inspired dreams but as the SDA church has recognized in the past the question becomes how does one differentiate between the common dream one has while asleep and one supposedly induced by God making it synonymous with a night vision well according to her Divine dreams contain their own proof of genuiness taking into account the character of the person having it and the circumstances under which it is given which would further confirm that this dream where she communicated with her deceased

Husband was allegedly coming from God who was supposedly speaking to her in a dream or night Vision through her deceased husband so on the one hand spiritualism is going to be this arch nemesis antagonist on the world stage in this three-fold Union with Protestants and Roman Catholics and on the other hand she herself was allegedly receiving Divine revelations in night vision dreams like that of Daniel the Prophet where God revealed to her through her dead husband that she was to go to California and not Battle Creek for General Conference duties something she

Yielded to and what was her reason for such because the Lord supposedly forbade it and this doesn’t even get into all the other occultic practices Ellen White was guilty of engaging in and endorsing such as her green cord practices along with her endorsement of a man who engaged in wizard water witching to learn more about this visit the link in the description to this article on our website so The credibility of the fox sisters began to unravel in 1888 when Margaret Fox publicly confessed that the rappings were a h FKS go figure they were producing them by cracking their

Toe joints and other methods but this confession widely publicized severely damaged their reputations and it cast doubt on the legitimacy of spiritualism as a whole the confession also highlighted broader issues within the movement including fraudulent practices among mediums and the lack of verifiable evidence for spirit communication the fox sisters later recanted their confession but the damage was already done and skepticism grew this fatal flaw combined with the rise of scientific inquiry and the emergence of organized debunking efforts including those led by

Figures like magician Harry Houdini the spiritualism movement began to decline by the late 19th and early 20th centuries spiritualism had lost much of its mainstream appeal becoming more of a niche interest and a fad type thing the fox sisters downfall really symbolized the fragility of a movement built upon unproven claims and sensationalism in an interesting sense of irony it’s just like 7th Day adventism a movement filled with sincere well-meaning people who have Fallen Captive to a deception on par with the very spiritualism that they warn against a movement that rests on a

Mountain of unproven claims such as being the remnant with unique prophetic insight into the Bible warning that anyone who doesn’t join them won’t be ready for Jesus’s soon return these claims aren’t just unproven many are outright falsifiable much like the ones put forth by the spiritualist movement however while modern psychology helped expose spiritualism adventism faces its Reckoning through two things the power of the internet and time the classical Christian understanding of the Soul does not inherently make one susceptible to spiritualism any more than Ellen White’s

Rejection of that belief prevented her from communicating with her deceased husband in a supposed night vision there is no evidence to suggest that a union is forming between protestantism Roman Catholicism and spiritualism furthermore spiritualism has not captivated the world as claimed it’s obvious that in her day this did seem like a real possibility and it was used to try and bolster the overall SDA end times narrative and worldview but as I always say God won because he owns the clock May Christ richly bless you in the grace and peace won by him and his vicarious

Death on the cross for Sinners until next time God bless holy apostate did he say that come on man