Rooster crowing.
00:00:37.69\00:00:40.22
Rooster crowing again.
00:00:40.25\00:00:43.15
Ellen White arrived in
Australia in December of 1891.
00:02:08.92\00:02:12.14
While on a voyage
from the United States
00:02:12.17\00:02:14.76
and again on her arrival,
00:02:14.77\00:02:16.26
she received a
number of visions.
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Some of these
related to the workers
00:02:18.60\00:02:20.83
in the
Australian publishing house.
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In a manuscript, she wrote out
00:02:23.14\00:02:24.94
what she had been shown.
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Much of this
instruction was written
00:02:26.53\00:02:28.43
for the publishing house
treasurer, Nathaniel Faulkhead.
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Faulkhead was a tall
and energetic business man
00:02:35.59\00:02:37.95
with a generous disposition.
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But at the time of
his becoming a member
00:02:39.59\00:02:41.82
of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:02:41.85\00:02:43.27
he was also a prominent leader
00:02:43.30\00:02:45.53
of a number of secret societies.
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And as time passed,
he became more and more
00:02:55.79\00:02:58.38
engrossed in his
lodge activities,
00:02:58.41\00:03:00.41
and less involved in
his work for the church.
00:03:00.44\00:03:02.34
Some of his
associates grew concerned
00:03:03.06\00:03:05.21
about his waning
spirituality and urged him
00:03:05.24\00:03:08.42
to consider the
direction of his life.
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But Faulkhead firmly
rejected any such promptings.
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It was about this time
that Ellen White wrote down
00:03:19.72\00:03:21.75
what had been revealed to her.
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But when she thought
to mail it to Faulkhead,
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it seemed that a voice
spoke to her and restrained her,
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for the employees
in the publishing house
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were not yet ready to
receive such a message.
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Some 12 months
later, the very first term
00:03:50.35\00:03:52.86
of the first
Seventh-day Adventist school
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in Australia had just ended.
00:03:54.82\00:03:56.19
In attendance at the
closing exercises in Melbourne
00:03:56.60\00:03:59.65
was Ellen White.
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Afterwards, she
invited Nathaniel Faulkhead
00:04:01.02\00:04:04.14
to visit her.
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On his arrival, she
began to read to him
00:04:07.26\00:04:10.02
from the manuscript.
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As she described
some of the meetings
00:04:12.37\00:04:13.91
of the secret order,
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she reminded him about his habit
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of dropping small coins
into the church offering plate,
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and large coins
into the lodge funds.
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She also told of how
she heard him addressed
00:04:23.23\00:04:25.20
as "Worshipful
Master" and warned him
00:04:25.23\00:04:28.14
that no man should be
addressed in this way.
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Although, she did not attack
00:04:32.65\00:04:33.68
the Masonic Lodge
system itself, she pointed out
00:04:33.71\00:04:36.42
how difficult it
is for the Christian
00:04:36.45\00:04:38.06
to serve two masters.
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As she spoke, she made
a movement with her hand,
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which startled Faulkhead.
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Do you know what you have done?
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You've just made the
secret sign of the Masons -
00:04:48.49\00:04:51.92
the sign of the Knights Templar.
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As they continued talking,
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again she made a
movement with her hand.
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Suddenly, Faulkhead
turned deathly pale.
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The sign she had made was known
00:05:02.08\00:05:03.91
only to the
highest order of Masons -
00:05:03.94\00:05:05.87
a sign no woman could know.
00:05:06.29\00:05:09.55
For the next two
hours, Faulkhead struggled
00:05:13.26\00:05:15.55
with his conscience.
00:05:15.58\00:05:16.77
Eventually, he resolved
to sever his connections
00:05:16.78\00:05:19.66
with the Lodges
and finally did so,
00:05:19.69\00:05:21.89
but not without a conflict.
00:05:21.90\00:05:24.02
The Lord has honored me
greatly, in speaking to me
00:05:24.05\00:05:28.82
through Mrs. White.
00:05:28.85\00:05:29.96
He has presented my case to her
00:05:29.99\00:05:33.03
and called me by name.
00:05:33.06\00:05:35.64
So, I will heed the
instruction from the Lord.
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Ellen White's experience
with Nathaniel Faulkhead
00:05:48.72\00:05:51.30
illustrates some
important aspects of how
00:05:51.33\00:05:53.52
the prophetic gift
operated in Bible times,
00:05:53.55\00:05:55.66
and how it
continues to operate today.
00:05:55.69\00:05:58.65
First, prophets are
often given information
00:05:59.70\00:06:02.46
through the
supernatural means of visions
00:06:02.49\00:06:05.16
or prophetic dreams,
00:06:05.19\00:06:06.58
which enable them to see
people and experience events
00:06:06.61\00:06:10.46
outside of their
range of knowledge.
00:06:10.49\00:06:13.00
Second, they are then
directed to communicate
00:06:22.06\00:06:24.83
the Lord's message
to the people concerned.
00:06:24.86\00:06:26.95
He or she, for women were
also called to be prophets,
00:06:26.98\00:06:31.22
then delivers the
message in oral, written,
00:06:31.25\00:06:34.19
or in an acted form.
00:06:34.22\00:06:35.89
Essentially, a prophet
is the mouthpiece of God.
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That is why the
prophetic gift is called,
00:06:40.40\00:06:42.79
"The Testimony of Jesus. "
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This does not mean that
God dictates the message
00:06:45.52\00:06:48.16
to the prophet.
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Rather, the Spirit of Christ
00:06:49.17\00:06:50.79
imbues the
prophet's mind with thoughts.
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The prophet then
selects the words to express
00:06:53.40\00:06:56.49
those thoughts received
through vision or dream.
00:06:56.52\00:06:59.29
It also means that
the writer's own culture,
00:07:00.43\00:07:02.53
educational level
and home background,
00:07:02.56\00:07:05.56
play important roles
in a way these messages
00:07:05.59\00:07:08.17
are then delivered.
00:07:08.20\00:07:09.55
To express their thoughts,
some Bible writers borrowed
00:07:17.32\00:07:20.33
from the words written
by other Bible writers.
00:07:20.36\00:07:22.56
Some like Luke,
selected passages
00:07:22.59\00:07:25.28
from non-inspired
historical sources.
00:07:25.31\00:07:27.96
Paul used the
words of secular poets.
00:07:27.99\00:07:30.72
And both Jude and John quoted
00:07:30.75\00:07:33.17
from the non-Biblical
Jewish Book of Enoch.
00:07:33.20\00:07:35.63
Yet, under the
direction of God's Spirit,
00:07:35.66\00:07:38.10
the prophet is
inspired and the message
00:07:38.13\00:07:41.14
becomes the Word of God.
00:07:41.17\00:07:43.12
It is also obvious that
there were some prophets,
00:07:46.67\00:07:48.87
whose
testimonies were not included
00:07:48.90\00:07:50.95
in the books of the Bible.
00:07:50.98\00:07:52.29
The messages of Nathan,
Gad, Azariah, Deborah, Miriam,
00:07:52.32\00:07:57.64
Agabus, Silas and Philip's
four daughters, for example.
00:07:57.67\00:08:01.01
But this does not make
their messages unimportant
00:08:01.04\00:08:03.66
or even less inspired.
00:08:03.69\00:08:05.83
It simply means
that they were of local
00:08:05.86\00:08:08.15
and relatively temporary value.
00:08:08.18\00:08:10.52
Prophets also
played a prominent part
00:08:12.29\00:08:14.17
in the New Testament church.
00:08:14.20\00:08:15.89
According to the Book of Acts,
00:08:15.90\00:08:17.58
they initiated the
Church Missionary Outreach,
00:08:17.61\00:08:20.26
selected personnel and directed
where they should be sent.
00:08:20.29\00:08:24.78
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says
00:08:24.81\00:08:27.56
that the prophetic
gift strengthens the church,
00:08:27.59\00:08:30.02
and brings it
encouragement and consolation.
00:08:30.05\00:08:33.17
Paul also writes in Ephesians 4,
00:08:37.74\00:08:40.05
The prophets are
one of the main agencies
00:08:40.08\00:08:42.47
Christ has placed in the church
00:08:42.50\00:08:43.96
to bring about unity.
00:08:43.99\00:08:45.57
Their counsels, therefore,
help protect the church
00:08:45.60\00:08:48.88
from false doctrines.
00:08:48.91\00:08:51.93
According to Acts 15,
00:08:53.75\00:08:54.73
prophets
reaffirmed the believers
00:08:54.76\00:08:56.91
in the true
teaching of the church
00:08:56.94\00:08:58.68
during times of
religious controversy.
00:08:58.71\00:09:01.68
But above all else, Paul
teaches that the prophets'
00:09:02.26\00:09:05.18
prime purpose is to
lead men and women to Christ
00:09:05.21\00:09:08.52
and establish them in
a relationship with Him.
00:09:08.55\00:09:11.29
To help accomplish
this goal, Jesus predicted,
00:09:12.01\00:09:14.42
through the New
Testament prophets,
00:09:14.45\00:09:15.82
that such activity
would continue in the church.
00:09:15.85\00:09:18.96
The testimony of
Jesus was not to cease
00:09:20.00\00:09:22.50
with the Book of Revelation.
00:09:22.53\00:09:24.20
In fact, the Books of
Joel and Revelation indicate
00:09:24.23\00:09:27.64
that the gift of
prophecy will especially assist
00:09:27.67\00:09:30.52
the church
toward the end of time.
00:09:30.55\00:09:32.93
It is logical to expect that
this latter-day manifestation
00:09:35.52\00:09:38.08
of the testimony of Jesus
will fulfill the same role
00:09:38.11\00:09:41.03
and functions as did the
prophets in Biblical times.
00:09:41.06\00:09:44.69
God will again
reveal His purposes
00:09:44.72\00:09:46.81
through the medium
of visions and dreams.
00:09:46.84\00:09:49.06
He will also
inspire the messenger
00:09:49.09\00:09:51.20
so that the message
itself will guide, rebuke
00:09:51.23\00:09:54.18
and challenge the church.
00:09:54.21\00:09:57.00
The question that must
be addressed, of course is,
00:09:58.00\00:09:59.73
How did Ellen White
exercise this prophetic gift
00:09:59.76\00:10:02.64
in her ministry to the
Seventh-day Adventist Church?
00:10:02.67\00:10:05.87
In 1860, she wrote that,
when the Lord gave her a vision,
00:10:08.18\00:10:11.67
she was taken into
the presence of Jesus
00:10:11.70\00:10:13.99
and was unconscious
of her surroundings.
00:10:14.02\00:10:16.56
Like the prophet Ezekiel,
her attention when in vision
00:10:16.57\00:10:19.92
was often directed to
scenes taking place on earth
00:10:19.95\00:10:22.91
though she could see no farther
than the angel directed her.
00:10:22.94\00:10:26.21
Sometime, she was
shown future events.
00:10:26.24\00:10:29.09
On other occasions, events
of the past were revealed.
00:10:29.12\00:10:32.57
Often, she could not
remember what she had been shown
00:10:32.60\00:10:35.34
until she commenced writing.
00:10:35.37\00:10:36.89
At other times, she
could not recall anything
00:10:36.92\00:10:40.02
until she came in
contact with the people
00:10:40.05\00:10:42.07
to whom the vision applied.
00:10:42.10\00:10:43.92
She then remembered
clearly and forcibly
00:10:44.15\00:10:46.73
the instruction given
00:10:46.76\00:10:48.20
though it may have been
shown to her years before.
00:10:48.23\00:10:51.41
Ellen White: "I
am just as dependent
00:10:51.88\00:10:53.77
upon the Spirit of the Lord
in relating or writing a vision
00:10:53.80\00:10:57.31
as in having the vision.
00:10:57.34\00:10:59.96
I have been shown
faces that I have never seen
00:11:01.09\00:11:03.92
and, years afterward, I
knew them when I saw them.
00:11:03.95\00:11:07.49
I have written at
midnight, letters that have gone
00:11:07.52\00:11:10.57
across the continent
and, arriving at a crisis,
00:11:10.60\00:11:13.43
have saved great
disaster to the cause of God. "
00:11:13.46\00:11:16.76
Birds singing.
00:11:17.87\00:11:19.74
There was,
perhaps, no greater crisis
00:11:32.43\00:11:34.37
in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:11:34.40\00:11:35.85
during the first 60
years of its history,
00:11:35.88\00:11:38.35
than the threat of pantheism.
00:11:38.38\00:11:41.00
Pantheists believe that God
is not a great personal being
00:11:41.03\00:11:44.98
but a mysterious essence,
an impersonal influence,
00:11:45.01\00:11:48.61
pervading all nature.
00:11:48.64\00:11:50.10
Though, He
exists in all things -
00:11:50.13\00:11:52.34
in trees,
flowers, air, and animals -
00:11:52.37\00:11:55.90
He is as
impersonal as gravitation
00:11:55.93\00:11:58.45
or the rays of the sun.
00:11:58.48\00:12:00.26
Birds singing.
00:12:00.65\00:12:02.71
This teaching had
been adopted and taught
00:12:09.76\00:12:11.52
as new advanced truth
00:12:11.55\00:12:12.92
by some of the church
leaders in Battle Creek.
00:12:12.95\00:12:15.61
In reality, it
threatened the very foundations
00:12:17.10\00:12:20.14
of the Biblical view of God.
00:12:20.17\00:12:22.00
Dr. John Harvey
Kellogg, the brilliant doctor
00:12:25.49\00:12:28.40
and
superintendent of the church's
00:12:28.43\00:12:29.86
medical
institution in Battle Creek,
00:12:29.89\00:12:31.63
was one of a
number of church leaders
00:12:31.66\00:12:34.00
who were
attracted to this philosophy
00:12:34.03\00:12:35.94
as early as the 1880s.
00:12:35.97\00:12:37.65
But it was not until
1897, that he first introduced
00:12:38.63\00:12:41.94
the teaching in a public way.
00:12:41.97\00:12:43.86
Church bell tolling.
00:12:45.08\00:12:47.50
At the 1899 General
Conference meetings,
00:12:47.93\00:12:49.94
held here in the
South Lancaster Church
00:12:49.97\00:12:52.41
in Massachusetts,
00:12:52.44\00:12:53.57
pantheistic ideas
were again promoted
00:12:53.60\00:12:56.13
by several of
the church's leaders.
00:12:56.16\00:12:58.09
Ellen White was in
Australia at the time
00:13:01.01\00:13:02.75
but she was impressed
to post to the conference
00:13:02.78\00:13:05.47
a number of testimonies.
00:13:05.50\00:13:07.42
One carried the title,
00:13:07.45\00:13:09.03
The True Relation
of God and Nature.
00:13:09.06\00:13:12.55
Nature is not God
- and never was God.
00:13:14.31\00:13:18.10
The voice of nature testifies
of God, declaring His glory.
00:13:18.27\00:13:23.15
But nature itself is not God.
00:13:23.18\00:13:25.61
As God's creative work,
00:13:26.27\00:13:28.07
it but bears a
testimony of His power.
00:13:28.10\00:13:31.21
Well, brethren,
what do you think?
00:13:33.76\00:13:36.61
The timing of these
communications was significant.
00:13:38.45\00:13:41.49
They had been written here
in Australia, nearly four weeks
00:13:41.52\00:13:44.75
before the conference began.
00:13:44.78\00:13:46.14
But they arrived just
when they were needed.
00:13:46.54\00:13:49.62
However, that was not
the end of the matter.
00:13:51.38\00:13:53.43
Pantheistic
teachings soon became rampant
00:13:53.46\00:13:56.03
at Battle Creek College,
00:13:56.06\00:13:57.24
and in the sanitarium, which
was under Dr. Kellogg's control.
00:13:57.27\00:14:01.41
In February 1902, the
huge Battle Creek Sanitarium
00:14:06.10\00:14:10.15
was burnt to the ground.
00:14:10.18\00:14:11.59
A new building was needed
00:14:11.62\00:14:13.25
and to help defray the
costs, it was suggested
00:14:13.28\00:14:16.20
that Dr. Kellogg
write a book on health care.
00:14:16.23\00:14:19.39
All income from its sale
00:14:20.13\00:14:21.66
would be used to help
rebuild the sanitarium.
00:14:21.69\00:14:24.98
Kellogg was warned, however,
00:14:25.01\00:14:26.74
against including any
pantheistic ideas in it.
00:14:26.77\00:14:30.40
But when this book,
00:14:30.46\00:14:31.92
The Living Temple
00:14:31.95\00:14:32.92
finally came from the press,
it was clear to some, at least,
00:14:32.93\00:14:36.04
that he had not taken
any notice of the direction.
00:14:36.07\00:14:38.94
"The
Star-Spangled Banner" playing.
00:14:42.29\00:14:49.85
In 1903, church leaders
planned that the annual council
00:14:50.53\00:14:54.31
should meet in Washington, D.C.
00:14:54.34\00:14:56.89
Church
President, Arthur Daniels,
00:14:56.92\00:14:59.40
hoped that no
reference would be made to
00:14:59.43\00:15:01.92
The Living Temple,
00:15:01.95\00:15:03.13
or to Kellogg's
pantheistic ideas.
00:15:03.16\00:15:05.76
However, when
Kellogg and his supporters
00:15:05.79\00:15:08.31
from Battle Creek
arrived, it was evident
00:15:08.34\00:15:10.52
that a
confrontation was unavoidable.
00:15:10.55\00:15:13.79
Gentlemen, what we need is
00:15:14.11\00:15:15.08
a new understanding of God.
00:15:15.09\00:15:16.36
Pantheism will give that to us.
00:15:16.37\00:15:18.48
It will give us a
deeper relationship surety.
00:15:18.51\00:15:20.13
No, no. I don't agree
with you, brother, one bit.
00:15:20.16\00:15:22.59
I think pantheism is
going to undermine faith.
00:15:22.62\00:15:25.73
Amen. And, if you were thinking,
00:15:25.76\00:15:27.68
that loss of confidence...
00:15:27.71\00:15:28.76
You would have a lot
of confidence in God...
00:15:28.79\00:15:31.20
You need to go by tradition.
00:15:31.23\00:15:32.51
No! We've been holding on
to those too long. We need...
00:15:32.67\00:15:35.61
We end up with a God
00:15:35.64\00:15:37.75
that doesn't care
about us whatsoever.
00:15:37.78\00:15:39.51
That's not what
we're talking about.
00:15:39.58\00:15:40.73
Brethren, please. I think we
need to adjourn this meeting.
00:15:40.76\00:15:45.25
Ok.
00:15:45.28\00:15:46.75
I don't know why we need to
adjourn the meeting when we...
00:15:46.78\00:15:49.18
Elder Daniels
dared not call for a vote
00:15:49.21\00:15:53.03
because of the tension.
00:15:53.04\00:15:54.30
The church was facing a crisis.
00:15:54.33\00:15:57.45
But what to do?
00:15:57.48\00:15:59.19
Ellen White: I
have some things to say
00:16:21.32\00:16:22.60
in reference to the new book,
00:16:22.63\00:16:24.05
The Living Temple.
00:16:24.08\00:16:25.22
Be careful how you
sustain the sentiments
00:16:25.35\00:16:28.02
of this book regarding
the personality of God,
00:16:28.05\00:16:30.79
As the Lord
presents matters to me,
00:16:30.82\00:16:33.60
these sentiments do
not bear His endorsement.
00:16:33.63\00:16:37.03
It is represented to me
that the writer of this book
00:16:38.27\00:16:41.15
is on a false track.
00:16:41.18\00:16:42.74
He has lost sight of
the distinguishing truths
00:16:42.77\00:16:45.57
for this time.
00:16:45.58\00:16:46.90
Ellen White had
written the letters
00:17:00.68\00:17:01.90
from her Elmshaven
home in California,
00:17:01.93\00:17:03.93
and had mailed them
about a week before.
00:17:03.96\00:17:06.91
Was it just coincidence
00:17:09.31\00:17:10.28
that the letters came
from thousands of mile away
00:17:10.29\00:17:12.71
at the very
moment they were needed?
00:17:12.74\00:17:15.28
Daniels and many others
certainly did not believe that.
00:17:15.50\00:17:19.78
Arthur Daniels: Never
were messages from God
00:17:26.85\00:17:28.46
more needed at this very time.
00:17:28.49\00:17:30.98
And never were messages,
sent from Him to His people,
00:17:31.39\00:17:34.41
more to the point than
those you have sent us.
00:17:34.44\00:17:37.63
You can never know
what a great blessing
00:17:37.93\00:17:40.20
your communication regarding
00:17:40.23\00:17:41.81
The Living Temple
00:17:41.84\00:17:43.15
has been to us.
00:17:43.18\00:17:44.92
It came at just the
right time - exactly.
00:17:44.95\00:17:48.17
The conflict was
severe but your message came
00:17:49.32\00:17:52.36
and settled the controversy.
00:17:52.39\00:17:56.07
The Washington
Council was not just a threat
00:18:04.20\00:18:06.10
to organization or leadership.
00:18:06.13\00:18:07.80
It involved much more.
00:18:07.83\00:18:09.81
For the very understanding
of the character and personality
00:18:09.84\00:18:13.32
of God was under threat.
00:18:13.35\00:18:15.08
That is why Ellen White decided
to include in two of her books,
00:18:15.11\00:18:18.71
then in preparation, some
material on the issues at stake.
00:18:18.74\00:18:22.76
The eighth volume of
00:18:22.79\00:18:24.41
Testimonies For the Church,
00:18:24.44\00:18:25.73
contains over 80
pages on God and nature,
00:18:25.76\00:18:29.22
and the
relationship between them.
00:18:29.25\00:18:31.44
In
00:18:31.47\00:18:32.93
The Ministry of Healing,
00:18:32.96\00:18:33.95
she wrote a section entitled,
00:18:33.98\00:18:36.08
The Essential Knowledge,
00:18:36.11\00:18:37.46
that stresses the importance
00:18:37.49\00:18:39.32
of knowing about the kind of God
00:18:39.35\00:18:41.56
who is running the universe.
00:18:41.59\00:18:43.10
This was always of supreme
importance to Ellen White.
00:18:44.73\00:18:47.49
Her constant aim,
00:18:47.52\00:18:48.75
both in her
sermons and writings,
00:18:48.78\00:18:50.61
was to uplift Jesus and
His love before the world.
00:18:50.64\00:18:53.86
Unfortunately, this
was not always foremost
00:18:54.69\00:18:57.41
in the thinking of the church.
00:18:57.44\00:18:59.38
Take the church
here in Battle Creek.
00:19:01.71\00:19:03.58
To no church of her
time did she communicate more
00:19:03.61\00:19:07.37
than to this church?
00:19:07.40\00:19:08.87
Seventh-day Adventists had begun
their work in this Michigan city
00:19:09.83\00:19:12.88
in 1852 when the retired
sea captain, Joseph Bates
00:19:12.91\00:19:17.22
visited the city looking
for the most honest man in town.
00:19:17.25\00:19:20.82
Directed by the
postmaster, Leonard Stewart,
00:19:22.21\00:19:24.34
to David Hewitt, a
Presbyterian peddler,
00:19:24.37\00:19:27.14
Bates convinced him of
the importance of keeping
00:19:27.17\00:19:29.80
the Seventh-day Sabbath.
00:19:29.83\00:19:31.27
And Hewitt became the first
00:19:31.30\00:19:32.90
Sabbath keeping
Adventist in Battle Creek.
00:19:32.93\00:19:37.16
In 1855, the publishing
work of the church moved
00:19:40.69\00:19:43.81
from Rochester, New
York to Battle Creek
00:19:43.84\00:19:46.07
and soon this small two-story
wooden structure was erected
00:19:46.10\00:19:50.58
to house the press.
00:19:50.61\00:19:52.54
During the
decades that followed,
00:19:54.67\00:19:56.12
steam-powered equipment
replaced the little hand press
00:19:56.15\00:19:59.49
and the
publishing work mushroomed.
00:19:59.52\00:20:01.75
A succession of small
wooden churches were built
00:20:04.31\00:20:06.61
in Battle Creek, each one
larger than its predecessor
00:20:06.64\00:20:10.28
to cater for the
growing membership.
00:20:10.31\00:20:12.10
In this second building,
the young church decided
00:20:12.13\00:20:16.07
on its name,
Seventh-day Adventists, in 1860
00:20:16.10\00:20:20.18
and on its method of
organization in 1863.
00:20:20.21\00:20:23.53
In 1866, in response to a
vision given to Ellen White,
00:20:28.16\00:20:31.95
the church opened its
first health institution.
00:20:31.98\00:20:35.16
The Western
Health-Reform Institute,
00:20:35.17\00:20:37.72
as it was called, was founded
00:20:37.75\00:20:39.65
in a remodeled old
house in Battle Creek.
00:20:39.68\00:20:42.64
Its aim was not only to treat
people with sensible remedies,
00:20:42.67\00:20:46.14
but also to teach people
how to take care of themselves
00:20:46.17\00:20:50.44
and thus prevent sickness.
00:20:50.47\00:20:51.86
Little did its founders' dream
that, within a few decades,
00:20:51.89\00:20:56.03
it would gain world recognition
00:20:56.06\00:20:58.15
under its
dynamic head physician,
00:20:58.18\00:21:00.41
Dr. John Kellogg.
00:21:00.44\00:21:03.10
In 1872, the first
Seventh-day Adventist school
00:21:04.45\00:21:07.55
was opened in the city.
00:21:07.58\00:21:08.91
It began in the
little two-story building
00:21:08.94\00:21:11.78
that had first
housed the publishing work.
00:21:11.81\00:21:14.63
Seven years later, the
famous Dime Tabernacle,
00:21:14.67\00:21:17.87
the fourth Adventist
Church building in the city
00:21:17.90\00:21:20.45
was dedicated.
00:21:20.48\00:21:21.83
An imposing brick structure,
it could seat 3,200 people
00:21:21.86\00:21:26.32
and provided an ideal location
for General Conference meetings.
00:21:26.35\00:21:30.59
In less than 30 years,
Battle Creek had become
00:21:31.63\00:21:34.59
a mecca for church members,
because the church provided
00:21:34.62\00:21:37.90
education, work and
health care opportunities
00:21:37.93\00:21:41.30
not to be found anywhere else.
00:21:41.33\00:21:42.99
But Ellen White
recognized the danger signals
00:21:44.23\00:21:46.16
of such intense centralization.
00:21:46.19\00:21:48.27
Amazingly, during the
decades that followed,
00:21:49.37\00:21:51.75
her warnings
went largely unheeded.
00:21:51.78\00:21:54.66
Birds singing.
00:21:58.36\00:21:59.49
By the late 1890s,
00:21:59.52\00:22:00.84
the Review and
Herald Publishing House
00:22:00.87\00:22:02.91
was the largest
in all of Michigan.
00:22:02.94\00:22:06.20
Up on the hill, the
Sanitarium, now world famous,
00:22:06.27\00:22:09.23
had a staff
numbering nearly a thousand.
00:22:09.26\00:22:11.85
More than 2,000
church members and visitors
00:22:11.88\00:22:14.80
crowded into the Dime
Tabernacle each Sabbath.
00:22:14.83\00:22:18.32
Cows mooing.
00:22:19.15\00:22:21.84
But all the way from Australia,
where Ellen White was living
00:22:22.85\00:22:25.83
during the 1890s, she
urged that no more plans
00:22:25.86\00:22:29.24
for expansion to be made.
00:22:29.27\00:22:30.76
She saw the need to
build smaller institutions
00:22:30.79\00:22:33.99
in diverse areas.
00:22:34.02\00:22:36.12
She also knew, from the visions
given her, that great changes
00:22:39.40\00:22:42.98
were soon to
sweep over the world.
00:22:43.01\00:22:45.12
In 1890, she had
written of coming troubles
00:22:51.56\00:22:54.64
on all sides, with the
sinking of thousands of ships
00:22:54.67\00:22:58.04
and the destruction of navies.
00:22:58.07\00:23:00.04
"Human lives would be sacrificed
by millions," she said.
00:23:05.52\00:23:08.89
Confusion, collision and
death would unexpectedly occur
00:23:09.56\00:23:13.06
on the great lines of travel.
00:23:13.09\00:23:14.94
Birds singing.
00:23:15.83\00:23:18.05
Remember that in 1890, a
World War was unthinkable.
00:23:27.07\00:23:30.03
And planes and
gasoline powered cars
00:23:30.71\00:23:32.82
had not even been invented.
00:23:32.85\00:23:34.19
But her words were
found to be all too true.
00:23:34.22\00:23:37.90
Twenty-four years
later, in World War I,
00:23:41.95\00:23:44.08
ten million people died
00:23:44.11\00:23:46.07
and another forty
million in World War II.
00:23:46.10\00:23:49.11
And there have
been vast losses of life
00:23:49.14\00:23:51.65
on the great lines
of travel ever since.
00:23:51.68\00:23:54.79
At the General Conference
in Battle Creek in 1901,
00:23:57.56\00:24:00.56
some steps were
taken to decentralize
00:24:00.59\00:24:03.26
the church organization.
00:24:03.29\00:24:04.84
However, Ellen White's warnings
00:24:05.94\00:24:07.49
about the
increasing commercialization
00:24:07.52\00:24:09.63
and unfair wages in
the publishing house
00:24:09.66\00:24:11.85
fell largely on deaf ears,
00:24:11.88\00:24:14.70
But in November
1901, a startling message
00:24:14.73\00:24:19.11
was delivered to the members
of the publishing house board.
00:24:19.14\00:24:21.99
She reminded them
that God had established
00:24:22.65\00:24:24.79
the publishing house
to publish His Truth.
00:24:24.82\00:24:26.93
But this goal had been forgotten
00:24:27.35\00:24:29.17
in the seeking
after commercial profit.
00:24:29.20\00:24:31.48
Then came the warning.
00:24:31.52\00:24:33.66
Ellen White: "I have been almost
afraid to open the Review,
00:24:33.69\00:24:36.68
fearing to see that God
00:24:36.71\00:24:38.60
has cleansed the
publishing house by fire.
00:24:38.64\00:24:41.69
Unless there is a reformation,
00:24:42.49\00:24:43.95
calamity will
overtake the publishing house
00:24:43.99\00:24:46.92
and the world
will know the reason. "
00:24:46.95\00:24:49.37
It soon did.
00:24:49.90\00:24:51.63
Tragic music playing.
00:24:51.89\00:24:54.41
On the night of
December 30, 1902,
00:24:56.65\00:24:59.11
the main building
of the publishing house
00:24:59.14\00:25:01.47
was reduced to ashes.
00:25:01.50\00:25:03.10
This was some ten months after
00:25:09.27\00:25:10.93
the church's famous
Battle Creek Sanitarium
00:25:10.96\00:25:13.06
had also been destroyed by fire.
00:25:13.10\00:25:16.16
When news of the fire reached
Ellen White in California,
00:25:22.63\00:25:25.47
she wrote to the
leaders in Battle Creek
00:25:25.51\00:25:28.11
expressing her deep
sorrow at the great loss
00:25:28.15\00:25:30.72
the church had sustained.
00:25:30.75\00:25:32.40
Ellen White: "I am not surprised
00:25:34.99\00:25:35.96
by this sad news, for in
the visions of the night,
00:25:35.97\00:25:39.74
I have seen an angel
standing with a sword as a fire
00:25:39.77\00:25:43.51
stretched over Battle Creek.
00:25:43.55\00:25:45.41
Once in the daytime,
while my pen was in my hand,
00:25:46.62\00:25:49.76
I lost consciousness and it
seemed if this sword of flame
00:25:49.80\00:25:53.79
were turning
first in one direction
00:25:53.82\00:25:55.78
and then in another.
00:25:55.82\00:25:57.53
Disaster seemed
to follow disaster,
00:25:57.56\00:25:59.88
because God was dishonored
by the devising of men
00:25:59.92\00:26:03.13
to exalt and
glorify themselves. "
00:26:03.16\00:26:05.69
Sounds of panicked people.
00:26:06.19\00:26:07.84
In the months that followed,
the church had occasion
00:26:09.05\00:26:11.67
to think seriously
about the disastrous fires
00:26:11.70\00:26:14.39
and their cause.
00:26:14.42\00:26:15.55
The publishing
leaders quickly took action
00:26:15.58\00:26:18.04
to never again
publish commercial work.
00:26:18.08\00:26:20.47
And decisions were made
to move the headquarters
00:26:20.51\00:26:23.44
of the church
away from Battle Creek
00:26:23.47\00:26:25.33
to Washington, D.C.
00:26:25.36\00:26:27.69
In Bible times, the
prophet - as God's mouthpiece -
00:26:35.10\00:26:38.08
often spoke plain and
pointed messages of warning
00:26:38.12\00:26:41.02
to God's people and
called them to repentance.
00:26:41.05\00:26:43.91
Such messages were never popular
00:26:44.38\00:26:46.36
for they often cut across
00:26:46.40\00:26:48.07
selfishness,
pride and love of power.
00:26:48.10\00:26:51.14
In Revelation 3, Jesus
wrote to one of His churches,
00:26:51.44\00:26:55.38
"As many as I love,
I rebuke and chasten. "
00:26:55.39\00:26:59.63
He is still the same today.
00:26:59.66\00:27:01.93
Through His modern
messenger, Ellen White,
00:27:09.76\00:27:11.52
God also gave warnings
and appeals to repentance;
00:27:11.56\00:27:15.23
not only to church leaders,
but also to individuals.
00:27:15.27\00:27:18.91
Stephen Smith and his family
accepted the Adventist message
00:27:20.22\00:27:23.17
in 1850, and worshiped
with the Sabbath keepers,
00:27:23.20\00:27:26.55
here in
Washington, New Hampshire.
00:27:26.58\00:27:29.00
However, not long
after, Smith was influenced
00:27:29.73\00:27:32.41
by some "so-called" new light,
00:27:32.44\00:27:34.72
and began to preach his ideas.
00:27:34.76\00:27:37.01
He became bitter and critical
of the church's leadership,
00:27:37.04\00:27:40.20
especially that of
James and Ellen White.
00:27:40.23\00:27:43.74
Late in 1851, Smith's name
00:27:45.11\00:27:47.74
was reluctantly withdrawn
from church fellowship,
00:27:47.77\00:27:50.74
because of his
discordant views and bitterness.
00:27:50.78\00:27:53.72
Over the next 30 years,
00:27:54.50\00:27:55.76
he joined one
offshoot group after another.
00:27:55.79\00:27:57.92
And though warnings concerning
the unbiblical teachings
00:27:58.66\00:28:01.39
of these groups were issued,
00:28:01.43\00:28:02.61
he felt no need
of the counsel given.
00:28:02.64\00:28:06.44
But God still
loved Stephen Smith,
00:28:09.94\00:28:11.68
and in a vision revealed
00:28:11.71\00:28:13.18
His life and
future to Ellen White.
00:28:13.21\00:28:15.36
In the late 1850s,
00:28:15.84\00:28:17.24
she wrote out what
had been shown her,
00:28:17.27\00:28:19.64
and closed with an
appeal for him to return to God.
00:28:19.68\00:28:23.26
When Smith received the letter,
00:28:25.33\00:28:27.20
he became angry and declared
00:28:27.24\00:28:29.05
that he wanted no
testimony from Ellen White.
00:28:29.08\00:28:31.46
He locked it away,
and forgot about it.
00:28:33.69\00:28:37.76
In the meantime, Smith
went on his critical way.
00:28:40.07\00:28:42.83
A friend said he had the meanest
00:28:42.86\00:28:44.83
and most withering
tongue of any man he knew.
00:28:44.86\00:28:47.78
And, in this way, he
spent what should have been
00:28:47.82\00:28:50.71
the best years of his life.
00:28:50.74\00:28:53.69
Then in 1884, he
happened to pick up a copy
00:28:54.38\00:28:57.36
of the church's paper,
00:28:57.40\00:28:58.53
The Advent Review
and Sabbath Herald.
00:28:58.56\00:29:00.43
His eye caught upon an
article by Ellen White.
00:29:00.83\00:29:03.99
On reading it, he was
impressed with its truth.
00:29:04.02\00:29:07.28
As the weeks went by, he
continued to read the Review,
00:29:08.12\00:29:11.13
and his family and
friends noticed a gradual change
00:29:11.14\00:29:14.55
in his bitter and harsh
attitudes toward the church,
00:29:14.58\00:29:17.26
and its leaders.
00:29:17.29\00:29:18.39
A year later, Eugene
Farnsworth was invited back
00:29:25.80\00:29:28.71
to speak here
in his home church.
00:29:28.75\00:29:30.48
His old
acquaintance, Stephen Smith,
00:29:30.82\00:29:33.23
now 78 years of age,
00:29:33.26\00:29:35.12
resolved to attend the
meeting on the Sabbath morning
00:29:35.15\00:29:37.98
when Farnsworth
preached from this desk
00:29:38.01\00:29:40.62
on the rise of the Adventist
Movement in Bible prophecy.
00:29:40.66\00:29:44.41
Farnsworth's
positive and confident words
00:29:45.67\00:29:48.18
deeply affected Smith.
00:29:48.22\00:29:50.22
During the following week,
Smith remembered the letter
00:29:51.96\00:29:54.29
he had received from
Ellen White all those years ago.
00:29:54.32\00:29:57.40
On retrieving it, he read
about what his life would be
00:29:57.43\00:30:00.81
if he continued to follow
the course he had embarked on.
00:30:00.84\00:30:04.19
However, what
had been a prediction
00:30:06.88\00:30:08.23
when it was
written, was now history -
00:30:08.26\00:30:10.78
his story, a record of
how he had lived his life
00:30:10.82\00:30:15.07
for he had not changed his ways.
00:30:15.10\00:30:17.62
Organ music playing.
00:30:20.56\00:30:26.12
On the following
Sabbath, Smith returned
00:30:46.01\00:30:47.92
to the Washington Church.
00:30:47.95\00:30:49.57
Farnsworth, who as yet
knew nothing of this experience,
00:30:49.60\00:30:53.15
had prepared a sermon
on the gift of prophecy
00:30:53.18\00:30:56.49
in the Adventist Church.
00:30:56.52\00:30:58.21
This letter was
written by Eugene Farnsworth
00:31:09.44\00:31:11.87
to Ellen White on July 15, 1885,
00:31:11.91\00:31:15.35
a short time after he
had preached his sermon
00:31:15.39\00:31:17.95
in the Washington church.
00:31:17.98\00:31:19.53
It tells how, after the sermon,
Smith had stood up and related
00:31:19.56\00:31:24.06
to the congregation
the story of the testimony
00:31:24.10\00:31:26.42
he had received
more than 25 years before
00:31:26.46\00:31:29.73
and how he had not read it
until the previous Thursday.
00:31:29.76\00:31:33.69
Its truth had convicted him.
00:31:33.73\00:31:36.60
Farnsworth records
Smith's words on this occasion
00:31:37.20\00:31:41.26
in this way...
00:31:41.29\00:31:42.63
If I had heeded the
testimony God sent to me,
00:31:44.50\00:31:46.84
it would have changed
the whole course of my life
00:31:46.87\00:31:49.74
and I should have
been a very different man.
00:31:49.77\00:31:52.33
Any man that is honest,
must say that the testimonies
00:31:52.36\00:31:55.74
lead a man toward
God and the Bible always.
00:31:55.75\00:31:59.91
Strong words from one of
her harshest former critics.
00:32:03.10\00:32:06.42
In view of their
obvious impact on individuals,
00:32:07.49\00:32:10.16
and on the church at
large over the years,
00:32:10.19\00:32:12.78
many have asked how
Ellen White's inspired writings
00:32:12.81\00:32:15.80
relate to the
Bible in today's world.
00:32:15.83\00:32:18.78
Because they are more recent,
00:32:20.01\00:32:21.14
do they
supersede the Scriptures?
00:32:21.17\00:32:23.42
Are they, in some
way, an addition to them?
00:32:23.45\00:32:26.51
Perhaps Ellen White,
herself deserves the last word
00:32:27.62\00:32:30.67
on the matter.
00:32:30.70\00:32:31.93
Ellen White: "If
you had made God's Word
00:32:31.96\00:32:33.63
your study, you would
not have needed these.
00:32:33.66\00:32:36.53
It is because you have
neglected to acquaint yourselves
00:32:36.56\00:32:40.02
with God's inspired Book,
that He had sought to reach you
00:32:40.05\00:32:43.59
by simple direct testimonies.
00:32:43.62\00:32:45.79
They are not to give new
light, but to impress vividly
00:32:45.82\00:32:50.45
upon the heart the
truths of inspiration
00:32:50.48\00:32:53.09
already received. "
00:32:53.12\00:32:54.87
Rooster crowing.
00:32:55.60\00:32:56.63
"Because little heed
is given to the Bible,
00:32:56.66\00:32:58.90
the Lord has
given a Lesser Light
00:32:58.93\00:33:01.24
to lead men and women
to the Greater Light. "
00:33:01.28\00:33:05.28
Captioning made
possible by 3ABN viewers
00:33:16.08\00:33:20.01
and supporters.
00:33:20.04\00:33:22.03