Ellen G. White
By Stephanie Zamarripa, Guest Contributor.
The following piece is part of an ongoing series introducing the Archive of Mystical Experiences (AME), a new project devoted to the study and documentation of ecstatic experiences across traditions and eras.
Ellen Gould White (neé Harmon; 1827–1915) was an American author and religious leader and a co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Raised in mid-19th century New England, White was exposed to a world of burgeoning religious prophecy and millennialism, or the belief that history is moving toward a divinely ordained thousand-year period of peace and righteousness, as described in Revelation 20:1-6. As a teenager, White had a conversion experience and was baptized into the Methodist Church, but when she was 12 her family began following William Miller, the Adventist leader who prophesied that Christ’s imminent return would occur on October 22, 1844. Though Miller’s predictions proved wrong, leading to the “Great Disappointment,” White maintained her faith.
In December of 1844, White reported having her first visionary experience. While praying at her family’s altar, she felt the Holy Ghost surround her and raise her high above the earth. From this vantage point, she was able to see that Miller’s prophecy was not wrong after all, just misunderstood: The October date wasn’t the moment of Christ’s return to earth; it was instead the date on which the heavenly kingdom began preparations for his return, the date of which could not be known. White thus began preaching her vision to the dispirited Millerite community and beyond. During her travels, she met fellow Adventist James White, whom she married in 1846. Together, the Whites began the movement that would come to be known as Seventh-day Adventism, which was formally organized in 1863.
Throughout her life, White reported having thousands of visions, ranging from confirmations on the correct readings of scripture, to revelatory knowledge regarding proper care of the body, to visions of a physical heavenly realm. White’s prophetic gifts would shape her own life and faith, as well as those of her followers. While Seventh-day Adventism holds scripture to be the infallible word of God, White’s prophetic visions are an example of the church’s belief that the active gifts of the Holy Spirit allow for the verification of biblical interpretation and the application of doctrinal principles to contemporary issues.
White’s visions would also greatly fuel her vast literary career and social activism. Writing more than 5,000 articles and 40 books, White shared her ideas on diverse topics from creationism to education. She also advocated vegetarianism and was an instrumental figure in the spread of early health reform in America, acting as founder of numerous sanitariums across the country, many of which are still operating. White noted that through her experiences she not only spread her ideas but also was able to revive and adapt the Adventist movement and form one of the fastest-growing churches in recent history.
Source
Ellen G. White’s description of her first vision in a letter to Enoch Jacobs, editor of the Day-Star, a Millerite publication based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and active from 1845 to 1847. The letter is dated December 25, 1845, one year after her experience. It was published on January 24, 1845. The letter is reproduced here exactly as it appeared in The Day-Star; typographical errors have not been corrected.
While praying at the famly altar the Holy Ghost fell on me and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, Look again, and look a little higher. At this, I raised my eyes and see a strait and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the first end of the path, which an angel told me was the Midnight Cry . This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so they might not stumble. And if they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the City, they were safe.
. . . The living saints, 144,000, in number, know and understand the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder & an earthquake. When God spake the time, he poured on us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God as Moses did when he came down from Mount Sinai, (Exodus 34:30–34.) By this time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious Star containing Jesus’ new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us in prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and the wicked would fall helpless to the ground.
. . . Soon our eyes were drawn to the East, for a small black cloud had appeared about half as large as a man’s hand, which we all knew was the Sign of the Son of Man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer, lighter, and brighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire, a rainbow was over it, around the cloud were ten thousand angels singing a most lovely song. And on it sat the Son of Man, on his head were crowns, his hair was white and curly and lay on his shoulders. His feet had the appearance of fire, in his right hand was a sharp sickle, in his left a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched his children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out, who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless? Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke, Those who have clean hands and a pure heart shall be able to stand, my grace is sufficient for you. At this, our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart. And the angels struck a note higher and sung again while the cloud drew still nearer the earth. Then Jesus’ silver trumpet sounded, as he descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints then raised his eyes and hands to heaven & cried out, Awake! Awake! Awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise. Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted, Hallelujah! as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. We all entered the cloud together, and were 7 days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought along the crowns and with his own right hand placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square. Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so bright. Some crowns appeared hung with stars, while others had but few. All were perfectly satisfied with their crowns. And they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle from their shoulders to their feet. Angels were all about us as we marched over the sea of glass to the gate of the City.
Jesus raised his mighty glorious arm, laid hold of the gate and swung it back on its golden hinges, and said to us, You have washed your robes in my blood, stood stiffly for my truth, enter in. We all marched in and felt we had a perfect right in the City. Here we see the tree of life, & the throne of God. Out of the throne came a pure river of water, and on either side of the river was the tree of life. On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree and a trunk on the other side of the river, both of pure transparent gold. At first I thought I see two trees. I looked again and see they were united at the top in one tree. So it was the tree of life on either side of the river of life. Its branches bowed to the place where we stood. And the fruit was glorious, which looked like gold mixed with silver.
. . . Here we saw good old father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Noah, Daniel, and many like them. And I saw a veil with a heavy fringe of silver, and gold as a border on the bottom. It was very beautiful. I asked Jesus what was within the veil. He raised it with his own right arm, and bade me take heed. I saw there a glorious ark, overlaid with pure gold, and it had a glorious border resembling Jesus’ crowns. On it were two bright angels; their wings were spread over the ark as they sat on each end, with their faces turned towards each other and looking downward. In the ark, beneath where the angels wings were spread, was a golden pot of Manna of a yellowish cast, and I saw a rod, which Jesus said was Aarons, I saw it bud, blossom, and bear fruit.—And I saw two long golden rods on which hung silver wires, and on the wires most glorious grapes. One cluster was more than a man here can carry. And I saw Jesus step up and take of the manna, almonds, grapes, and pomegranates, and bear them down to the city, and place them on the supper table. I steped up to see how much was taken away, and there was just as much left, and we shouted Hallelujah. Amen. We all descended from this place down into the city, and with Jesus at our head we all descended from the city down to this earth, on a great and mighty mountain, which could not bear Jesus up, and it parted asunder, and there was a mighty plain. Then we looked up and saw the great city with twelve foundations, twelve gates, three on each side, and an angel at each gate, and all cried out the city, the great city, it’s coming, it’s coming down from God, out of heaven, and it came and settled on the place where we stood.
. . . Next I saw a field of tall grass, most glorious to behold. It was living green, and had a reflection of silver and gold as it waved proudly to the glory of King Jesus. Then we entered a field full of all kinds of beasts; the lion, the lamb, the leopard and the wolf, altogether in perfect union. We passed through the midst of them, and they followed on peaceably after. Then we entered a wood, not like the dark woods we have here, no, no; but light, and all over glorious. The branches of the trees waved to and fro, and we all cried out, we will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in this woods.
. . . Mount Zion was just before us, and on the Mount sat a glorious temple, and about it were seven other mountains, on which grew roses and lilies, and I saw the little ones climb, or if they chose use their little wings and fly to the top of the mountains, and pluck the never fading flowers. There were all kinds of trees around the temple to beautify the place. The box, the pine, the fir, the oil, the myrtle, the pomegranet and the fig tree, bowed down with the weight of its timely figs that made the place look all over glorious. And as we were about to enter the holy temple, Jesus raised his lovely voice and said, only the 144,000 enter this place, and we shouted Hallelujah. Well bless the Lord, Bro. Jacobs, it is an extra meeting for those who have the seal of the living God. This temple was supported by seven pillars, all of transparent gold, set with pearls most glorious. The glorious things I saw there, I cannot begin to describe. O, that I could talk in the language of Canaan, then could I tell a little of the glory of the upper world; but if faithful you soon will know all about it. I saw there the tables of stone in which the names of the 144,000, were engraved in letters of gold.— After we had beheld the glory of the temple, we went out. Then Jesus left us and went to the city. Soon we heard his lovely voice again, saying: Come my people; you have come out of great tribulation, and done my will, suffered for me; come in to supper, for I will gird myself, and serve you. We shouted Hallelujah, glory, and entered into the city, and I saw a table of pure silver, it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. And I saw the fruit of the tree of life, the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranets, grapes, and many other kinds of fruit. We all reclined at the table. I asked Jesus to let me eat of the fruit. He said, not now. Those who eat of the fruit of this land, go back to earth no more. But in a little while if faithful, you shall both eat of the fruit of the tree of life, and drink of the water of the fountain, and he said, you must go back to the earth again, and relate to others, what I have revealed to you. Then an angel bore me gently down to this dark world.
Bibliography
Balmer, Randall. “White, Ellen Gould.” In Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism. Baylor University Press, 2004.
Knight, George R. “Seventh-Day Adventists.” In Encyclopedia of Religion in America, edited by Charles H. Lippy and Peter W. Williams. CQ Press, 2010.
Rapport, Jeremy. “New Religious Movements: Nineteenth Century.” In Encyclopedia of Religion in America, edited by Charles H. Lippy and Peter W. Williams. CQ Press, 2010.
White, Arthur L. Ellen G. White: the Early Years: 1827–1862 (Volume 1). 1985. Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., 2016.
White, Ellen G. The Day-Star: 1846. Ellen G. White Estate, Inc., 2018.
Stephanie Zamarripa
Stephanie Zamarripa is a PhD student with the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard, where she studies the history of Christianity and critical theory. Her work explores subjectivity and the politics of selfhood across religious and philosophical traditions. She holds an MTS in Christianity from Harvard Divinity School, an MA in Liberal Studies from the New School for Social Research, and a BA with honors in Religion, Politics, and Journalism from Eugene Lang College at the New School.
