EGW's 2,000 Visions Fable

By Robert K. Sanders

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has made every effort to make the claim that their prophetess Ellen G. White had OVER 2,000 visions during her lifetime.

How did this number of "over" 2,000 visions come about?

If the SDA Church lies about this can they be trusted on other claims they make about their prophetess?

We will look at three sources where the SDA Church promotes Ellen G. White as having "over" 2,000 visions.
First: A plaque located at Oak Hill Cemetery; Battle Creek, MI.
Second:  Seventh-day Adventists Believe 28 Fundamental Beliefs.
Third: Charismatic Experiences by Arthur White. EGW's grandson.

First Source

 SDA's claim is on a plaque located at Oak Hill Cemetery; Battle Creek, MI where James and Ellen White are buried.

The  plaque tells reads, "Ellen, a prophetess reportedly experienced over two thousand visions." Notice the white line drawn under the statement.

It is interesting when SDAs are confronted with EGW's failed visions and Bible contradictions they try to get her off the hook by saying she was not a prophetess, even when their church teaches that she is, ON HER PLAQUE

Second Source

Seventh-day Adventists 27 Believe 27, proudly states as fact EGW had more than 2,000 visions. They did not say that it was an estimate or who had reported this as fact.

Seventh-day Adventists Believe, p. 224. "From 1844, when she 17, until 1915—the year of her death—she had more than 2,000 visions."

Third Source

CHARISMATIC EXPERIENCES

IN EARLY

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST HISTORY

By Arthur L. White
http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/charism-alw.html

SDA's and Ecstatic Experiences--6

Ellen G. White and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

"THROUGH THE 70 YEARS of her ministry to the Adventist Church and the world, Ellen White closely tied in to the work of the Holy Spirit--so closely that the Spirit gave her 2,000 visions."

Arthur White reports as fact "that the Spirit gave her 2,000 visions." Then he changes what the Spirit gave his grandmother to "approximately two thousand visions" in the next presentation.

Which fish story are we to believe?

VARIATION AND FREQUENCY
OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE VISIONS
By Arthur L. White

This document was presented at the International Prophetic Guidance Workshop
April 11-15, 1982)

"Certain documents issued by the White Estate have declared that Ellen White was favored through the seventy years of her ministry with approximately two thousand visions. Perhaps it would be illuminating to disclose the basis for arriving at this figure". Page 1.

"Now back to the estimate of the number of occasions given to Ellen White. This estimate was made by Arthur White, who through his lifetime connection with the work of the White Estate led him to assume that visions of one kind or another were given to her on an average of one in two weeks." Page 2.

“In the later years when visions were usually given to her in the hours of the night, they were much less comprehensive in their nature and quite frequent. There were times when two or three visions given to in one week. Taking all the circumstances into account, it seems reasonable that an estimate reached on the basis of an average of vision given once in two weeks throughout her lifetime is conservative. None-the-less, it must be kept in mind that this is but an estimate, and set forth as such." Page 2.

It was most interesting to see how Arthur White came up with the estimated 2,000 visions. In the first paragraph he did not disclose what the "certain documents" were that led to his estimate. He did included the night time visions.  I wondered if someone sat by EGW's bed using EGW's lapboard and logged all her visions?

The SDA Church  has taken Arthur White's proclamation that EGW had 2,000 visions and made it a fact by memorializing it on EGW's cemetery plaque and in their publications. This is a gross falsehood to mislead the church and the public. Arthur White and the SDA Church have made EGW the Babe Ruth of visionaries, by having the most visions of any prophet that has ever lived.

Calculating EGW's Visions

Husband James White gives EGW an estimate of 100-200 visions from 1844-1868.

James White wrote, “She has probably had, during the past twenty-three years, between one and two hundred visions.” Life Incidents 1868, p. 272. (1844-1868)

Using James' highest estimate of 200 visions between 1844-1866 a 23 years period would be a yearly average 8.6 visions. Keep this average of between 8.6 visions a year in mind.

Arthur White comments on James White's estimate: "that this would mean an average vision once in six weeks." Variation and Frequency of the Ellen G. White Visions, p. 2.

Subtracting 1868 from 1915 the year of EGW's death is 47 years. Using James' highest estimate of visions of 8.6 x 47 years we have 404.2 average visions for the 47 year period.

By adding 402.2 visions to the 200 visions we now have 602.2 average visions from 1844 to 1915. Subtracting this from Arthur Whites' 2,000 visions we have missing 1397.8 visions.

 The White Estate’s own Index to the Writings of Ellen G. White,
volume 3, pages 2978-2984 add up to about 188 visions for EGW.

FREQUENCY OF EGW'S VISIONS

Total Visions 188 over 71 years, 2.5 average per year.
Not even close to 2,000 visions.

FREQUENCY OF MAJOR BIBLE PROPHETS' VISIONS

Total visions mentioned in the Bible: 42
Ellen White's total:  over 2,000

 Reasons EGW's Visions
Are Not More Frequent In 1855!

 Ellen G. White in 1855 wrote, “I saw that the reason why visions have not been more frequent of late is, they have not been appreciated by the church.  The church  have nearly lost their spirituality and faith, and the reproofs and warnings have had but little effect upon them. Many of those who have professed faith in them have not heeded them”  5 Testimonies, page 674.

According to EGW the amount of visions given to her are based on church "appreciation". Wouldn't God send more visions if the church had lost it's spirituality to get them back to being spiritual? It is hard to believe that God would withhold visions because a few people would not accept EGW's testimonies. Where has any Bible prophet used the excuse for not getting more visions " they were not appreciated"?

Certainly the SDA Church has not gotten any better spiritually since 1855 as we read it's history about church leaders and members that refused to accept EGW's testimonies as coming from God. God must have changed his mind after 1855 according to Arthur White as he proclaimed EGW had "over 2,000 visions".

SDA web sites promote Arthur's White-Lie
of EGW having 2,000 or more visions

I have listed just a few web sites that promote EGW as having 2,000 or more visions so the readers can see how the leaders of the SDA Church lie to the public and their own members.

SDA Loma Linda Medical Center: http://www.llu.edu/info/legacy/Legacy12.html Today Seventh-day Adventists believe that the source of her writings, the source of her inspiration, was more than human; that the two thousand "visions" given her during her lifetime were the result of her having received the "gift of prophecy."

Michigan Historical Markers: http://www.michmarkers.com/startup.asp?startpage=L1252.htm  Ellen, a prophetess, reportedly experienced over two thousand visions.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:X1ZkJgDs7d8J:www.maranathamedia.com.au/Download/Studies/Truth_
For_These_Times/NKJV/truth19.pdf+%22over+2,000+visions%22&hl=en   She lived for 88 years, during which time she received over 2000, visions and prophetic dreams.

http://www.thesoydaily.com/SFC/adventist01.asp Ellen's life was enriched by over 2,000 visions from God, the first in 1844, when she was only 17.

http://www.present-truth.org/Remnant-Prophecy/Prophet%20of%20the%20End/prophet_end_9.htm She received about two thousand visions and prophetic dreams during seventy years of public ministry (1844 to 1915).

http://www.tagnet.org/biblestudymoments/23.By%20His%20Angel%20Part%20Two.htm  Where did Ellen White get her information?  She got it in the two thousand visions that she experienced during her lifetime. 

Over 2,000 Virgin Mary Visions

In 1961, in the village of San Sebastian de Garabandal in northwestern Spain, four young girls - Mari-Loli Mazon, Jacinta Gonzalez, Maria Cruz Gonzalez and Conchita Gonzalez - reportedly had a series of visions of St. Michael the Archangel and the Blessed Virgin. In all, there were reported to be over 2,000 apparitions spread over a five year period. During these apparitions, the visionaries claimed that they were asked by the Blessed Virgin to plead with humanity to return to God through prayer, fasting, frequent confession and reception of the Eucharist and acts of mercy. http://members.aol.com/bjw1106/marian10.htm

Children make a claim of having "over 2,000 visions" of the Virgin Mary in five years. According to Arthur White, EGW received her 2000 visions over a 70 year period.

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