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, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) 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.

Dale concludes chapter 4 of his book with the following thoughts for your consideration

We must now begin to wrestle with the tension between what Ellen White said about Miller, and the facts.

• Was Miller in fact guided by angels in his search of the prophecies?
• Was Miller really chosen by God and entrusted with a special message from God?
• Was Miller’s mind truly guided by God and connected to the source of wisdom?
• Did God actually guide Miller to his conclusions?
• Were Miller’s conclusions truly “great light” from heaven?
• Did God really open up Miller’s understanding of the prophecies which had ever been dark to God’s people?
• Did God guide Miller in his discovery of how one text of Scripture opened up the meaning of another, and thus endorse his proof-text method?
• Did God reveal to Miller a “perfect chain of truth”?
• Should Miller be associated with the “greats” of Bible history such as Elisha, John the Baptist, and Noah?
• Could one honestly describe Miller’s message as “the everlasting gospel,” “the mysteries of the Kingdom of God,” “this saving message,” and a “heavenly message”?
• Was Miller truly correct in his multiple periods ending in 1843 and his “many proofs”?
• Can we say for certain that Miller was not a fanatic?
• Was Miller’s chart, which listed his multiple proofs, exactly as God wanted it?
• Does God still want it that way? Ellen White said, “It should never be changed.”

We are only at the beginning of Dale Ratzlaff’s excellent book Cultic Doctrine, but those who have accepted Ellen White as a true prophet must begin to wrestle with the facts. Was Miller right or wrong? Was Ellen White right or wrong? The stakes are high and the facts speak for themselves.

Dale notes

Had Ellen White given her support of Miller before 1844 one could almost excuse her if she had not claimed to speak for God. However, what she wrote about Miller and his being led by God in his methods and conclusions was written after 1844.

It is very doubtful if any trained, evangelical scholar would support Miller’s methods, or any of Miller’s conclusions today. But herein lies the beginning of a theological and historical saga that rivals fiction.

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

Remember that Ellen White wrote in Early Writings, p. 74

I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them. Early Writings, p. 74

She also wrote

I also saw that God was in the proclamation of the time in 1843. It was His design to arouse the people and bring them to a testing point, where they should decide for or against truth. Early Writings, p. 232

And

Ministers who would not accept this saving message themselves hindered those who would have received it. Early Writings, p. 235

Also

Angels were watching with the deepest interest the result of the heavenly message, and when the churches turned from and rejected it, they in sadness consulted with Jesus. Early Writings, p. 235

How do we evaluate these facts? Next time we will consider what we have learned about the origin of Adventism’s 1844 doctrine.