Gilbert Jorgensen’s Weblog

[Editor’s note: All 15 Proofs as well as William Miller’s 1843 chart (that Ellen White said was just as God wanted it) are also available in my Library at DefendingTheGospel.com.]

In part 1 we identified that the foundation for Adventism is laid in Ellen White’s comprehensive endorsement of William Miller’s methods and message. If Miller was right, so was Ellen G. White.

In part 2 we carefully examined what Ellen White said about William Miller and saw that her endorsement of William Miller was comprehensive. We found that Ellen White unequivocally stated that Miller was guided by God in his methods, his conclusions, and his message.

Part 3 began an examination of William Miller’s 15 proofs (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) that Ellen White said constituted a “a perfect chain of truth” (Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, p. 129).

Much of the material covered in this series is explained in much greater detail in Cultic Doctrine by Dale Ratzlaff. Dale has done a masterful job with the facts clearly laid out before the reader to evaluate. I consider this book to be invaluable in understanding how the 1844 Sanctuary doctrine and the 1857 Investigative Judgment doctrine came to be in the first place. No matter what your theological perspective, this book presents the historical backdrop in a gripping, easy-to-read, narrative. This is one of those books that you will be unable to put down until you complete it. If you don’t have it, you should order it today.

As Dale points out in chapter 4, “William Miller: His Methods and Message”

Did he really discover “a perfect chain of truth,” as Ellen White stated? The stakes are high for Adventists. If Miller was wrong, then Ellen White was equally wrong.

Let’s examine proof #10 of William Miller’s “Time Proved Fifteen Different Ways”

TEN: It can also be proved by the words of Christ, Lk. 13:32: “And he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” These two days, in which Christ casts out devils and does cures, are the same as Hosea’s two days, at the end of which, the devil will be chained, and cast out of the earth into the pit, and shut up. This will take 2000 years of Roman power. Rev. 12:9: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out with him.” And then the people of God will be perfected. Rev. 20:9: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: of such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

This time began with the “great dragon,” Rev. 12:3: “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

This government will draw after him one third part of the time, which wicked men have power in the earth, viz. 6000 years; and the 7000th, the year of Christ will take possession and reign with his saints, in perfect bliss.

This dragon power began its power over the saints when the league was made with him, B.C. 158, — and will end in 1842. Then the third day will begin 1843.

As Dale Ratzlaff notes in Cultic Doctrine

This is another classic example of wild proof-texting. The unwarranted assumptions here are almost too numerous to mention. Who said the “two days” spoken by Christ are the same as the “two days” mentioned by Hosea? How does one know when a day is to equal a year or one thousand years? What evidence is there that these days spoken of by Jesus started in 158 B.C., long before Christ was born? Miller speaks of the devil drawing one third part of the time. Most interpret this to be one third of the angels. Upon what basis does Miller get a measure of time? Surely this type of reckless proof-texting and allegorizing of Scripture cannot be the result of God guiding the mind of Miller. Surely, as Ellen White contends, God cannot be credited—or blamed—for this type of interpretation. Is this an example of God moving upon His servant with clearness in the power of the Holy Spirit? I think not. This is not the way to study the Bible, nor are Miller’s conclusions truth.

Ellen White said God chose William Miller, guided his mind, his methods of Bible study, his conclusions, his charts, his mission, and more.

Next time we will begin examining William Miller’s proof #11. I’ll bet you didn’t know that you can also use 1299 as a starting date for a prophecy identifying the date of the second coming? Stay tuned! It gets even more interesting.

Things are not going well at all for Ellen White. We have examined 10 of 15 proofs, and have not found a single one to be valid.

And as a sixth generation Seventh-day Adventist, the church taught me, and still maintains today in Fundamental Belief #18, that

18. The Gift of Prophecy:
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White. 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. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)

This is double-speak. It is also intellectual dishonesty. On the one hand she is an “authoritative source of truth”, and on the other hand “the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested”.

And what does the Bible teach us we should do when they disagree?

If you are not familiar with the General Conference 1919 Bible Conference minutes that discuss the problems with Ellen White’s “inspiration” I urge you to take the time to become familiar with them. At the conclusion President A. G Daniels recommended that the minutes be locked up for 50 years. The leadership is fully aware of the problems with Ellen White’s writings.

A. G. Daniells: I hardly know where to begin or what to say. I think I must repeat this, that our difficulty lies in two points, especially. One is on infallibility and the other is on verbal inspiration. I think Brother James White foresaw difficulties along this line away back at the beginning. He knew that he took Sister White’s testimonies and helped to write them out and make them clear and grammatical and plain. He knew that he was doing that right along. And he knew that the secretaries they employed took them and put them into grammatical condition, transposed sentences, completed sentences, and used words that Sister White did not herself write in her original copy. He saw that, and yet he saw some brethren who did not know this, and who had great confidence in the Testimonies, just believing and teaching that these words were given to Sister White as well as the thought. And he tried to correct that idea. You will find those statements in the Review and Herald, like the one Brother Wilcox read the other day. If that explanation had been accepted and passed on down, we would have been free from a great many perplexities that we have now.

And

A. G. Daniells: No, I couldn’t; but I do not believe that; and I can enter upon an explanation of health reform that I think is consistent, and that she endeavored to bring in in later years when she saw people making a bad use of that. I have eaten pounds of butter at her table myself, and dozens of eggs. I could not explain that in her own family if I believed that she believed those were the Lord’s own words to the world. But there are people who believe that and do not eat eggs or butter. I do not know that they use salt. I know plenty of people in the early days did not use salt, and it was in our church. I am sure that many children suffered from it.

There is no use of our claiming anything more on the verbal inspiration of the Testimonies, because she never claimed it, and James White never claimed it, and W. C. White never claimed it; and all the persons who helped to prepare those Testimonies knew they were not verbally inspired. I will say no more along that line.

D. A. Parsons: She not only did not claim it, but she denied it..

If you have not read these General Conference 1919 Bible Conference minutes you owe it to your self to read them in context and draw your own conclusions. Instead of openly acknowledging this, the current Seventh-day Adventist leadership has dug in its heels and insisted on maintaining “her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth”.

I have many Seventh-day Adventist friends that I dearly love. I am deeply saddened by such a gross betrayal of the trust that we have all placed in the leadership.

Chaplain David DePinho explains this well in his testimony.

Please do not misunderstand, my reluctance and remorse in leaving Adventism are not because I do not stand by the integrity and Biblical correctness of my decision. I do, very much so. But the reason I make mention of this remorse is because I know many of the people I respect within Adventism will reason that I left because I fell away from the Lord to one degree or another. After all, since Adventists believe the SDA church represents the best presentation of Biblical truth on earth, they must reason that I left the “truth”.

So Adventism has done a great deal of good in my life. My professors, for the most part, taught me biblical Christianity. So you might be asking, “What’s the problem? You liked the leadership and truly found Christ?” I would answer that that is correct. I did. But in life, and in the area of religion, it is possible to find Christ in spite of our contortions of the Word of God. Jesus remarked to the religionists outside Jerusalem, if the people did not praise God, the very rocks would cry out. God is big enough to use even a church that was founded on false doctrine. And God used Adventism to reach me, but God never leaves us where He finds us. That I found Christ in Adventism does not provide a “pass” for a church that teaches false doctrine. The system of Adventism must bring itself fully into line with the Bible. Many others have fallen victim to the false teachings of Adventism and as a result teach and believe lies of legalism and other heretical teachings of Mrs. Ellen White.